乔治梅森大学的“正义爵士”项目

    This is the VOA Special English Education Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。

    Each year, George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, presents a jazz concert. Around one thousand two hundred people attended this year's concert in October.
    弗吉尼亚州费尔法克斯市的乔治梅森大学每年都举办一场爵士乐音乐会。大约1200人参加了今年十月份的音乐会。

    Yet when the program first started, the student musicians played to an almost empty theater. Ed Weiner was one of the few people in the audience when the school held the first jazz concert ten years ago.
    然而,当该音乐会项目首次启动时,学生乐手们几乎是面对空无一人的剧场表演。埃德·韦纳是该校十年前举办的首场音乐会为数不多的听众之一。

    ED WEINER: "The quality of the performance was outstanding, but I was shocked to see the poor attendance."
    韦纳:“演出效果非常出色,但我非常惊奇少有人出席。”

    So he did something about it. He found a way not only to increase attendance, but also to raise money for the community.
    于是他就此做了点事。他发现了一种不仅可以提供音乐会出席率,还能为社区募集资金的好办法。

    Ed Weiner is a lawyer. He organized the concerts into a program called Jazz 4 Justice. The performers include students and employees from the university, along with guest musicians.
    韦纳是个律师。他将该音乐会做成一个名为“正义爵士”(Jazz 4 Justice,4=for)的项目。表演者包括学校的学生和员工,以及一些嘉宾乐手。

    The concert raises money for the Fairfax Law Foundation. The local group uses some of that money to provide free legal services to people in the community.
    该音乐会为费尔法克斯法律基金会募集资金。这家本地的基金会使用这些钱为社区居民提供免费的法律服务。                     

    The foundation also supports programs to help young people learn about the legal system. These include courthouse tours and education about the legal and health effects of drug and alcohol abuse.
    该基金会还支持一个帮助青年人学习法律制度的项目。包括法院参观,法制教育,以及吸毒、酗酒对健康的影响。

    Foundation officials say the yearly concert brings in about fifteen thousand dollars. Five thousand of that goes to George Mason University for scholarships for students in the jazz studies program.
    基金会官员称,每年的音乐会能募集约1.5万美元。其中5千元为乔治梅森大学参加爵士研究项目的学生提供奖学金。

    Jim Carroll directs that program. He says Jazz 4 Justice grew slowly, each year becoming larger and larger. And he says all the credit really goes to Ed Weiner.
    吉姆·卡罗尔负责该项目。他称“正义爵士”项目逐渐成长壮大。而这一切都归功于韦纳。

    JIM CARROLL: "He has done so much to help this program. He is the guy who is out there on the streets selling tickets, building our audience, so on and so forth."
    卡罗尔:“为了这个项目韦纳付出很多。他到大街上售票,建立我们的听众群等等。”

    Mr. Weiner says the idea is to provide a meaningful experience for the young musicians.
    韦纳称,该项目目的是为年轻乐手们提供一个有意义的经历。

    ED WEINER: "We want to keep the focus on the students. This is part of their education and they really see that their talents can be turned into very good projects and doing good for the entire community."
    韦纳:“我们希望保持对学生的关注。这是他们教育的一部分。他们真实地看到他们的聪明才智可以转化成很好的项目,并对整个社区做出贡献。”

    Trombone player Amy Loudin agrees.
    长号乐手艾米·劳丁同意这一观点。

    AMY LOUDIN: "It's all for a good cause, so I feel glad to be a part of that."
    劳丁:“我们所做的一切都是为了这个好项目,作为其中的一员我很荣幸。”

    Ed Weiner says he hopes Jazz 4 Justice can be copied in other communities in Virginia and across the country.
    韦纳说,他希望“正义爵士”项目可以复制到弗吉尼亚州其他社区乃至全国各地。