At the tender age of four, Troy Andrews got his start and beloved moniker Trombone Shorty after making his first appearance at Jazz Fest in a performance alongside legendary singer and guitarist Bo Diddley. Today, at age 39, he continues to do for the youth what others once did for him.

In 2011, the Troy Andrews Foundation, also known as the Trombone Shorty Foundation, was launched alongside executive director Bill Taylor as a means for Andrews to share his passion for music education with the next generation of musicians, rooted in the colorful heritage of the sounds that make up the city of New Orleans.

“But before you can understand how much music means to me, you have to know how important it is to my hometown, my greatest inspiration,” reads a quote from Andrews on the official website for the program.

What is the Trombone Shorty Foundation?

Created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Crescent City in 2006, Andrews, Taylor, and the team have always been on a mission to preserve New Orleans’ musical culture and provide opportunities and resources to young musicians in the city and neighboring areas.

A chance encounter through a program led by Taylor at Tipitinas, one of the city’s best-known clubs, would lead to the connection between Andrews and Taylor, who lead the organization. Much like Taylor served as a mentor to the famous trombone player, Andrews does the same to the local kids of the program.

Through the Trombone Shorty Foundation, students are offered a road map and a focus to help them align with their passion. The overall goal is to “nurture their talent in a way that opens up the possibilities, and also provide a platform for advancement.”

What does it offer?

Whether it’s learning music performance, reading, writing, or business education, students at the academy are set up for success—not only in the music industry, but in life. Their training comes from teachers and mentors who are all professional musicians, often members of some of the most notable bands New Orleans has to offer.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Trombone Shorty Foundation (@shortyfoundation)

Moreover, they also have the chance to perform at iconic venues like Tipitina’s, which is home to the annual Trombone Shorty Festival, where students play before a live audience on the Monday following the esteemed New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival weekend.

“There’s nowhere like New Orleans, and when you are tasked with continuing the New Orleans cultural tradition and passing it on, that’s just a powerful mission to have,” Taylor told aspireTV during this year’s Trombone Shorty Festival that took place in New Orleans, in partnership with Acura.

Extending life experiences outside of the Crescent City.

Beyond New Orleans, students in the academy often have opportunities to travel extensively—not just across the United States, but around the globe. This mirrors Andrews’ own journey, which included joining Lenny Kravitz on tour as a teenager.

“When we started it, we always said we want this, it has Shorty’s name on it, it needs to be modeled in some way, [after] his experience, and he was one of the few young musicians that, for him, really started traveling the world.  New Orleans can be very insular in certain ways, and it’s part of the beauty of it, but it reinforces your traditions.”

He added, “If you look at New Orleans musicians that have achieved a high level of success, John Batiste, Wynton Marsalis, you know, they’ve gone out and traveled the world, and that has been really what has helped them launch very successful careers. They didn’t do it in New Orleans. They took the New Orleans thing and translated it all over the world. That part, I don’t think we quite understood when we started. But now we’re seeing more and more, and now these opportunities like the Cuba thing that one was amazing, that just sort of came through some connections we had all of a sudden. I mean, within five years, we brought George Clinton, Taj Mahal. I mean, now we’ve brought some of these amazing musicians with us. So that’s become like its own experience.”

For Andrews, beyond the musical experience, seeing and hearing the stories of students —both current and former —and building bonds through a shared love for the art form means the world.

“It’s bigger than the foundation,” said Andrews. “What I’m hearing is that they’re building a bond—that they’re going to be lifelong friends. Now they’re brothers and sisters for real. Some of them may have met in an apprenticeship or the program, and it’s a beautiful thing to be able to be a part of that. I believe if they continue to play music, they might even have a band together, continuing to grow on their own. I’m just more touched by the fact that they are brothers and sisters now. The foundation is a part of it, but that’s going to last them for life.”

—

Looking for more must-watch moments celebrating music and heritage in cities like New Orleans? Catch your favorite shows and movies on aspireTV —available now on Prime Video Channels and Xfinity! Stay connected and explore more stories with our latest Tribe Talks.