Jazz for Education - Providing an Opportunity

By Tyler Owens, '81
March 2006

A quality education can be the difference between life and death. Like so many of us, I am a member of many different groups. Naming just a few, I can say that I am a man, an African-American man who is over forty. I can say that my waistline is a little larger than I am comfortable with and yes, I’m a disappointed Bills fan. Another group that I can proudly say I am a member of is the graduates from one of our country’s finest preparatory schools, McQuaid Jesuit.

I am fortunate. Although I grew up in Rochester’s inner city, I have had opportunities that are not always available to young African-American boys. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, just 43 percent of African-American boys nationally graduate from high school. I might have been included in that number if it hadn’t been for the staunch Christian beliefs of my mother and grandparents and their sacrifices to send me to McQuaid Jesuit.

The problems of inner city life are well documented: broken families, drugs, alcohol, violence, poverty, lack of medical care, and a failing educational system. I saw many of my childhood friends succumb to the temptations that plagued my neighborhood. Many of the boys with whom I grew up didn’t make it. They were either incarcerated or are no longer alive. Through the support of my family and the education I received from McQuaid Jesuit, I was able to establish a different path for myself.

The McQuaid Jesuit experience helped me to see the world and myself just a little differently than I previously had. At McQuaid Jesuit, I honed the invaluable skills of being able to communicate with almost anyone and being comfortable with myself while doing it. I found that people who didn’t look like me could love and appreciate me and that I was capable of doing anything I set my mind to. So many inner city kids will never know the life changing power of such an experience, and that bothers me.

In the years since leaving McQuaid Jesuit, I struggled with the direction my life should take. During those times, I can honestly say that the lessons I learned at home and at McQuaid Jesuit helped me to deal with adversity by drawing on my spirituality and proven ability to grow and change.

These days, I know exactly who I am. I have become an accomplished entertainer and songwriter and have shared stages with some of the best talents in the world and held my own. It is my desire to see other young men have the opportunity I had, to build their confidence and test their limits in a competitive yet supportive environment. That’s why I decided to approach my alma mater and see how I could help other young men who come from the same environment as I to succeed in life.

Little did I know that my inquiry would result in the support of a unique program developed by McQuaid Jesuit four years ago. Called the Xavier Scholars’ program, McQuaid Jesuit provides scholarships to 19 qualifying inner city Rochester students; the school’s goal is to provide scholarships to 30 students by the 2007 academic year. The program includes full tuition funding as well as other additional needs, from books to school dress to the financial assistance to participate fully in school activities.

The Xavier Scholars’ program is about providing opportunity for learning, for religious growth, for leadership, and for service. A major concern in providing educational opportunity is making it available for those who cannot afford it, and to those for whom this type of college prep education presents major challenges. This program will provide some basis for success.

The most important innovation of the Xavier Scholars’ program is the establishment of a mentor program. The mentor provides important support for the school’s Xavier Scholars who may need additional structure to be successful. The mentor works is the primary contact person for the students, monitoring social and academic adjustment, providing encouragement, serving as a role model, and working as a liaison with students’ families. The mentor also provides academic support from arranging for tutoring to providing a monitored homework hall where that assistance would help students.

Because I believe so strongly in this program, an inaugural Smooth Jazz for Education Concert will be launched on Saturday, April 29, at McQuaid Jesuit’s Fr. Leon J. Hogenkamp, S.J., Auditorium. The concert is an historic collaboration of McQuaid Jesuit, the artistic and business communities, and not-for-profit local organizations such as Pathways to Peace, the Rochester Step-Off Educational Foundation, the Rochester Fatherhood Resource Initiative, and New Inheritance Ministries. The show will feature critically acclaimed smooth jazz saxophonist Jimmy Highsmith Jr., Curtis Kendrick of Cabo Frio and myself. Proceeds will directly benefit the Xavier Scholars’ program.

I encourage the community to support this event. With your help, we can help give life to potential and death to despair. The show starts at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are available online through McQuaid Jesuit at alumni.mcquaid.org, and at That’s the Ticket outlets located at Wegmans Food Markets.

Tyler Owens is a 1981 graduate of McQuaid Jesuit.