Young musicians get special training at Medicine Hat’s JazzFest

It was a special moment for her to learn from Benack on Thursday, the first day of the training initiative.

Alcobill, from Lloydminster a said the nervousness she had at first meeting some of the experts and performers she’s learning from quickly dissipated when they starting jamming out.

“As we started playing I just realized, oh, they’re still musicians and we’re here to play together,” she said.

“We started playing together and we just started getting to know each other. So I feel like the pressure was lifted off.”

At 18, she is the youngest of 10 participants selected from across Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Another young musician, John Glanville, started playing guitar when he was five years old.

He switched to bass when there were already several guitarists in high school.

When all the drummers graduated, he switched to the drums before getting into jazz after listening to Herbie Hancock’s Thrust.

Glanville, now 22, said he’s looking forward to refining his craft with the JazzFest group.

John Glanville, 22, watches on as the Youth Jazz Intensive training camp members play on June 19, 2025. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

“We are playing six, seven hours a day for the next three days, so yeah I’m just excited to see what everyone’s going to improve upon, even myself,” he said.

“Even just the littlest things, they could be so tiny — tiny little tweaks that’ll make the biggest difference.”

Tyler Hornby, a professional drummer who teaches music at Calgary and Albrose universities, was asked to lead the three-day youth program by JazzFest organizers.

Hornby, who runs music camps in Calgary, said it easy to say “yes” to running what is the first intensive of its kind in Alberta for about two decades.

His challenge now is to get them ready for a live public performance on Saturday evening — the culmination of the program.

Members of the Youth Jazz Intensive at Medicine Hat’s JazzFest play at Stir Studio. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

“It’s a little bit of a trial by fire,” he told CHAT News as the young musicians continued practicing.

“We’re going to learn X amount of tunes, as many tunes as we can. We’re going to workshop them. We’re going to give you advice on improvisation and getting them to listen and to each other and lock in.”

The young musicians will then take the stage at the Super T Aviation Hanger Dance Party to open for some of the musicians they learned from.

Horby said teaching the youth is about keeping the history and lineage of jazz alive and thriving.

Tyler Hornby, lead instructor of the Youth Jazz Intensive training camp, listens on June 19, 2025, as 10 young musicians play in preparation of a showcase performance. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

He said building up musicians like Alcobilla is a way to invest in local players that will play at festivals in their own communities in the future.

“It’s inspiring for them and they get to go away from this learning a lot and having a lot to work on as well,” said Hornby.

“It just ups the game and ups their level.”

Alcobilla, high school degree in hand, is now looking towards a future changed by the jazz training camp.

The vocalist said, while she won’t be able go straight into a post-secondary music program, the Jazz Intensive has inspired her to keep looking for a path forward in her music career

“I do have this plan. I’m definitely going to continue doing gigs and shows and continuing to hone my music skills,” said Alcobilla.

“Especially since I got into this program, I don’t think I’m ever going to give up on my music.”

by Eli J. Ridder

Young musicians get special training at Medicine Hat’s JazzFest

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