DGLevatEd
World-class jazz, Americana, contemporary classical, and roots artists.
No product sales. No ticket quotas. No financial risk.
Just music.
DGLevatEd connects world-class jazz, Americana, contemporary classical, and roots artists with schools through fully funded residencies, with no product sales, no ticket quotas, and no upfront cost to
your program.
How DGLevatEd™ Works
Step 1: Choose Your Artist
Select from world-class jazz, Americana, contemporary classical, and roots artists.
Clinics, masterclasses, full-ensemble residencies, and student performances are all available.
Step 2: Launch Your Digital Fundraiser
We build your school a custom donation page.
No product sales. No ticket quotas. No upfront financial obligation.
Step 3: Activate Your Residency
Once your school raises the artist fee plus the 35 percent DGLevatEd™ administration fee, your residency is activated.
No payment is due before activation.
Step 4: Schedule the Visit
We coordinate travel, logistics, class schedules, tech needs, and performance planning.
You focus on your students, not paperwork.
Step 5: Keep the Excess Through the Legacy Model
After activation, 86.5 percent of all additional funds stay with your program. The remaining 13.5 percent supports the DGLevatEd™ Legacy Fund to help future underfunded schools.
Residency Options
Clinics
Single-class or multi-class sessions focused on technique, ensemble skills, improvisation, interpretation, and professional insight.
Masterclasses
Artist-led demonstrations, deep dives, and student participation in front of an audience or large group setting.
Full-Ensemble Residencies
Your band, orchestra, choir, or jazz ensemble works directly with the artist to rehearse repertoire, refine musicianship, and prepare for performance.
Student Performance Opportunities
Students perform alongside world-class artists in a culminating concert, community performance, or feature event.
Multi-Day Artist Residencies
Comprehensive visits that include clinics, rehearsals, masterclasses, community events, guest artist appearances, and performances.
Featured Artists
Mike Vax – Trumpet, Jazz Education, Legacy Artist
Mike Vax is one of the defining voices in modern big band and jazz education. A featured soloist with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, director of the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, and an internationally touring artist for more than five decades, his work has shaped generations of performers and educators.
Vax’s residencies bring deep expertise in trumpet performance, big band leadership, improvisation, phrasing, ensemble interpretation, rehearsal technique, and musical professionalism. Schools gain direct access to a master educator who has taught thousands of students across the United States and abroad.
Clinics, sectionals, improvisation workshops, full-ensemble residencies, and student feature performances are available.
Vinnie Ciesielski – Lead Trumpet, Brass Pedagogy, Groove Band Leadership
Vinnie Ciesielski is one of the most in-demand lead trumpet players in the industry, known for his power, precision, and versatility across jazz, pop, rock, funk, and commercial styles. As the driving force behind Vinnie and the Hitmen, he brings decades of touring, recording, and show-band experience directly into the classroom.
His residencies deliver high-impact instruction in brass technique, endurance, sound production, section leadership, rhythm-section integration, and real-world performance skills. Vinnie specializes in helping young musicians understand how professional horn lines lock in with groove-based bands, how to build energy on stage, and how to play with authority and intention.
Clinics, masterclasses, sectionals, full-ensemble show-band workshops, and student feature performances are all available.
Dina Preston Band – Americana, World Touring, Cultural Diplomacy
The Dina Preston Band is an award-winning Americana and roots ensemble whose global touring history spans more than 40 countries across five continents. As official U.S. Cultural Ambassadors, Dr. Dina Preston-Ortiz and Don Ortiz have represented American music on international stages, performing for world leaders, diplomatic missions, and communities ranging from urban arts centers to remote regions around the globe.
Their DGLevatEd™ residencies integrate performance, storytelling, cultural diplomacy, and real-world musicianship. Students gain insight into touring life, entrepreneurship, global music exchange, and the realities of building a long-term career in the arts. The band’s clinics focus on groove, ensemble cohesion, vocal performance, rhythm section integration, and cross-genre musicianship.
Residencies, multi-day school visits, community concerts, and combined ensemble events are available, including programs that align with social studies, world cultures, and contemporary arts curriculum.
Corey Christiansen – Guitar, Jazz Education, Contemporary Improvisation
Internationally recognized jazz guitarist and recording artist Corey Christiansen is one of the leading voices on the instrument today. His work spans modern jazz, American roots traditions, original compositions, and a long career of high-level teaching at universities, festivals, and workshops around the world.
Christiansen’s residencies focus on improvisation, ensemble interaction, groove-based playing, modern harmonic concepts, and deep stylistic understanding. He offers clinics, masterclasses, sectionals, full-ensemble residencies, and student feature opportunities, all tailored to the needs of each program.