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Our Inspiration, Beliefs & Goals.

Davis Velarde, “The Watermelon Man”, a jazz drummer, vibraphonist and classical percussionist. He was known for his unwavering friendship, his passion for all styles of music, infectious smile and love for watermelons.  Davis was an inspiring young man who promoted goodwill, helped individuals around him to better themselves while striving to continually improve himself.  He was never afraid to push his boundaries in music. 

A positive influence in his circle, Davis was respected, admired and loved by fellow students, teachers and friends.  With his diligence, passion and dedication, he was accepted to the USC Thornton School of Music and Berklee School of Music.

In April of 2019, at a young age of 22, we lost Davis to cancer.  The world will never be the same.

In honor of his selfless character that touched so many lives and to continue Davis’ Legacy, The Velarde Family have setup the Davis E. Velarde Scholarship through the SBCC Foundation.

As Davis experienced, along with a rigorous academic curriculum, music majors face many unique challenges. In addition to tuition, they are burdened financially for additional private study, instrument repairs, instrument upgrades and travel. Called upon nightly to practice and perform, most often, music majors are unable to commit to outside work.

As Davis would have, we want to continue to inspire and assist in the development of young up and coming talents.

We believe, “Music is the soul of the future”.

What is Jazz?

“The spirit of jazz is the spirit of openness…  It’s not exclusive, but inclusive, which is the whole spirit of jazz… One thing I like about jazz is that it emphasized doing things differently from what other people were doing.” – Herbie Hancock

“Jazz is a mental attitude rather than a style. It uses a certain process of the mind expressed spontaneously through some musical instrument.” – Bill Evans

“Life is a lot like jazz. It’s best when you improvise…” – George Gershwin“

“Jazz isn’t like pop… jazz is like classical music. If people like you, they’ll remember you and you’ll last forever.” – Freddie Hubbard

See and hear more about Jazz in our Featured Videos.