Lakeside School

Lakeside students regularly interact with guest speakers in a variety of their classes — but it’s less common for students to have an opportunity to work alongside an expert in their field. Which is exactly the opportunity that Lakeside jazz and choir students will have this April, when they are joined on stage by Grammy Award-winning vocalist and composer Johnaye Kendrick.

The noted jazz artist will work with students during an on-campus visit in mid-April and will perform with the jazz band and concert choir in a concert on Monday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. Everyone in our community is invited to attend! “This will be a fantastic show featuring one of the elite vocal talents Seattle has to offer,” shares Performing Arts Department Head Mary Clementi.

Director of Lakeside’s Jazz Band Eric Patterson is thrilled for his students to have this opportunity. “This is a way to bring world-class music to our campus and let the kids engage with an outstanding artist on a more personal level,” he says. “I can’t wait to see the kids’ faces light up when they hear her sing with them. It’s one thing to listen to a phenomenal musician on a recording, and it’s another thing to see and hear them do it with you!” Kendrick’s experience as a teacher (she is a professor at Cornish College for the Arts) is also a draw for the fellow educators. Remarks Patterson, “Johnaye has a beautiful and kind perspective on music making and the artist process that I am excited for her to share with the kids.”

Students in Lakeside’s music program not only learn how to play and perform together, they’re also learning about the history of music genres and exploring how music connects people from around the world. “A pillar of the work we do in Jazz Band is to study and celebrate the Black American cultural heritage of jazz,” says Patterson. “We seek to honor this tradition through study of Black jazz artists from musical, cultural, and historical perspectives. Jazz provides a way for students and our larger community to celebrate Black excellence, creativity, and resilience. It’s important to me, as a white musician and educator, to also seek out and elevate the voice and perspective of Black musicians as part of the Lakeside jazz experience.”

Grammy Award-winning vocalist Johnaye Kendrick received her master's degree in music from Loyola University and an artist diploma from the prestigious Herbie Hancock Institute. Kendrick performs her original compositions as well as fresh interpretations of beloved jazz and contemporary works. She focuses on graceful renditions of jazz standards and composes music and lyrics where she often accompanies herself on harmonium, violin, viola, and percussion. In 2014, she founded her johnygirl record label. On this label, she recorded, produced and released two albums: “Here,” a collection of heartfelt originals, and “Flying,” which was nominated for the Earshot Jazz NW Recording of the Year. Kendrick is a founding member of jazz power group SAJE. The group won a 2024 Grammy for their arrangement of “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” in collaboration with Jacob Collier, and in 2025 for their original composition/arrangement “Alma,” both in the “Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals” categories.

Kendrick is a recipient of the Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant, the South Arts Jazz Road Creative Residency, the Chamber Music America Performance Plus Grant, the Marble House Residency, and the Artist Trust Fellowship, and has been voted Earshot Jazz NW Vocalist of the Year. She serves as professor of music at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.