IAJE Ceases Operations and Files for Bankruptcy

The International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) closed its office on April 18, 2008, and has ceased operations. Chuck Owen, president of IAJE's board of directors, announced that the IAJE Board has voted to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 of the United States' Federal Bankruptcy Law. According to an official statement by Owen posted on the homepage of IAJE's website, which will remain online during this process:

In the next few days, a Kansas bankruptcy court will appoint a trustee to oversee all ongoing aspects of the association. This includes the ability to examine IAJE's financial records and mount an independent inquiry into the causes of its financial downfall as well as disposing of the remaining assets of the association with proceeds distributed to creditors in accordance with Kansas and Federal law. The board will no longer be involved in operation of the organization and will at some point resign. IAJE as it presently stands will no longer exist.

Approximately a week after filing, all potential creditors of the association will receive notice of the association's filing from the court. Members who desire additional information regarding the petition, including a complete listing of association assets and liabilities, may retrieve this, as it is a public document, through normal court procedures.

While ultimately not able to skirt the financial land mines placed in its path, I want to assure you the IAJE Board has acted responsibly, ethically, and with a sense of urgency ever since it was blindsided last fall with the discovery of the extent of the accumulated association debt. Since that time, the board slashed spending, set specific performance targets for the Executive Director, sought outside consultations, and enlisted the services of several past-presidents and strategic association partners in attempts to raise funds - sadly, with minimal success.

In the online statement, Owen additionally states that "years of dependence upon the [IAJE's annual] conference as a primary (but unreliable) revenue stream and the launch of a well-intentioned capital campaign (the Campaign for Jazz), which generated a meager response but required considerable expenditures in advance of contributions, drove the association into insolvency." Attendance for the IAJE's January 2008 conference in Toronto was the lowest in ten years. The 2009 IAJE International Conference in Seattle has been cancelled. However, there has been some discussion of mounting a regional conference in its place. At the moment, Lou Fischer, U.S. board representative, is fielding inquiries.

While the IAJE includes numerous regional chapters and affiliated associations, these organizations are either separate corporate entitles or voluntary associations with their own boards, constitutions, and bylaws. Therefore IAJE views them as completely independent entities, and their operations will hopefully be unaffected by these developments. However, the trustee and the court will make this determination, and it is anticipated that the trustee may request certain information from the chapters in this regard.

In the closing paragraphs of his statement, Owen acknowledges that "the opportunities, impact, and work of this association are too vital to simply disappear...[I]t is clear the mission of IAJE still resonates and its advocacy is needed today more than ever. We must, therefore, look at this as an opportunity to refocus the mission, scope, programs, and vision of IAJE (or whatever succeeds it) to better meet the needs of our members and the jazz community not only today but looking toward the future....Our efforts and our passion, should be to collectively rally the community to recognize the importance IAJE has had and continues to have in the life and development of jazz and jazz education—seeking new strategic partnerships, new government structures, and a revitalized mission that embraces current needs."

Founded in the United States in 1968 as the National Association of Jazz Educators (NAJE), the organization was originally formed to ensure the inclusion of jazz in music education programs at all levels and to build respect for, and awareness of, the art form. NAJE grew quickly to over 1,000 members and began publishing a quarterly Jazz Educators Journal. With the launch of its first annual conference in December 1973 in Chicago, NAJE continued to expanded its programs to include scholarships, an approved festivals program, and a network of state units and voluntary leaders. A portion of each member's dues were rebated to their state unit to nurture the health of jazz education programs on the local and regional levels. By the mid-1980s, NAJE boasted over 4,000 members and expanded its program offerings to include publications, talent recognition programs, and several annual commissions. In 1989, NAJE changed its name to the International Association of Jazz Educators, to more accurately reflect its global membership, which had grown to 5,500 in 25 countries. In the 1990s, IAJE created a series of new programs including the Teacher Training Institute, the Artist Outreach Network, and Sisters in Jazz. The IAJE Annual Conference also saw significant expansion during this period and grew to attract in excess of 6,000 people from all facets of the global jazz community. In 2001, IAJE changed its name once again, this time to the International Association for Jazz Education, which was more inclusive of the association's membership of over 8,000 in 42 countries.