NEW ORLEANS— Every summer our city plays host to a 3-week camp dedicated to insuring that our music lives on.

It’s a jazz camp, but don’t let the term ‘camp’ fool you, its more like a summer intensive!

It’s the 25th year of the Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp and Sheriff Marlin Gusman, a longtime board member told us that preservation is the long term goal here.

“This is really our future as well as our present and what we do here is make sure New Orleans music stays on forever and ever,” said Gusman.

Many of our city’s best musicians serve as instructors here at the camp.

Founder and Executive Director Jackie Harris says these folks are serious about jazz education, “This is serious business here and I tell people this is music school in the summer. and we don’t babysit here and we also do not encourage kids who are not interested in playing music.

The Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp’s Benefit Concert/Jam Session is Wednesday, July 10 7:00 p.m. at The George and Joyce Wein Jazz and Heritage Center 1225 N. Rampart Street  Ticket Price: $30 Advance, $35 Door

The culminating student concert is Friday July 12 at 8pm  at Roussel Performance Hall.  It is free and open to the public