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Alumnus Edan Mor ’14 Returns to Brandeis to Work with Middle School Musicians
Just before the Brandeis winter break, and during Edan Mor’s winter break from UCLA, he visited our school to mentor and work with some of our Brandeis middle school musicians. “We were working on a piece called ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’ by Eddie Harris, and also on a blues scale,” he said. “I wanted the students to focus on tension and resolution in their playing, which was something new to them.”
Edan got his musical start here at Brandeis, participating in band beginning in fourth grade. He says, “If it weren’t for Brandeis giving me the opportunity to play and perform music, who knows where I would be now. Brandeis also offered me a nurturing and welcoming community, something that is invaluable in my life.” He graduated from Brandeis in 2014 and then attended School of the Arts. While there, he had a half day of academics in the morning followed by a half day in the band department focusing on the saxophone. “Music, especially jazz, is one of my main artistic outlets, and is my way of expressing how I feel,” he says. “Playing jazz can also be a very spiritual experience, teaching me how to simply enjoy the moment.”
Edan is now a member of the class of 2022 in UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music—the first school of music in the University of California system—where he is majoring in global jazz studies with a focus on saxophone. “My studies include playing in various jazz combos and big bands, as well as music theory, keyboard harmony classes, and one-on-one private lessons. This quarter, I am taking a class with Kenny Burrell, one of the giants of jazz, which I am very excited about.”
Edan is now a member of the class of 2022 in UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music—the first school of music in the University of California system—where he is majoring in global jazz studies with a focus on saxophone. “My studies include playing in various jazz combos and big bands, as well as music theory, keyboard harmony classes, and one-on-one private lessons. This quarter, I am taking a class with Kenny Burrell, one of the giants of jazz, which I am very excited about.”
