Crossroads Ninth Grader Selected for Prestigious Jazz Ensemble Program

This May, Crossroads ninth grader Landon Hollman was chosen to play bass in the prestigious 2025 NEA/Herbie Hancock Institute National Peer-to-Peer All-Star Jazz Quintet. Participation in the program is nationally competitive and highly selective, with just 16 students chosen to tour each year. 

Landon, who started Crossroads in sixth grade, says that he played music before joining the School but that playing in the Middle School band is what first ignited his passion for jazz. He began playing more seriously, taking classes outside of school and getting involved in Crossroads’ music program, before joining the Upper School jazz band this past year as a freshman.  

“Landon is the kind of student every music program hopes for—deeply curious, driven and generous with his talent,” said Upper School Music Teacher and Department Chair Ramsey Castaneda. “I first began teaching him saxophone when he was in Middle School, where he immediately impressed me with his sharp ear, quick grasp of theory and natural ability with transcription. He’s become a cornerstone of our program—humble, collaborative and consistently elevating every ensemble he’s part of. His selection for the NEA/Herbie Hancock Institute tour is no surprise: He exemplifies the kind of thoughtful, skilled and soulful artist this music calls for.”

Each year, the Herbie Hancock Institute’s National Peer-to-Peer Education Initiative invites talented high school jazz students to perform alongside famous recording jazz musicians on a tour of public schools across the country. This year’s destination? Kansas! The quintet visited five local public schools to perform and teach peer-to-peer master classes with music legends Bobby Watson and Lisa Henry. Improvisation, a defining characteristic of jazz, was key as the quintet had little to no time to practice together before beginning their tour.

“We got the music weeks ahead of time but couldn’t actually rehearse, because obviously, we’re from different parts of the country,” said Landon of his fellow program honorees. “So you just show up, and we had one day to rehearse and then that's pretty much it.”

The experience proved to be not only fun, but fulfilling. Besides the honor of being chosen to participate, Landon said that meeting fellow student musicians from across the country and sharing his love of jazz was one of the biggest highlights. 

“It was a very giving experience to be able to share my music and my passion with kids in Kansas public schools,” said Landon. “They definitely don't have the same type of musical opportunities as I do here, so I'm very fortunate. We got to play while sitting in with their bands, and I think that was my favorite part—talking one-on-one with another high school bass player and giving him tips, and then getting a feel for the environment there for jazz. That was cool.”