Hi, I'm Khadijah.
This is the story behind Fertile Minds Jazz Academy.
Where I started
I started learning classical piano at age 9. My shift to jazz came when I was 14 ans saw a video of Monty Alexander.A few months later, I met a caribbean jazz pianist by the name of Bruce Skerritt who took me under his wing and tought me music in a way that I’ve never seen anyone else teach before. It was proverbial, philosophical, and wholistic.
The moment it clicked (or didn't)
His method of teaching made me grow exponentially as a musician in a short time, opening up lots of opportunities. So, when he passed away in 2022, my new goal became to preserve his philosophy so that others can experience this growth and understanding, and that is how Fertile Minds Jazz Academy came into being.
Why I built Fertile Minds Jazz Academy
So I built the thing I wish had existed when I was starting — a place where jazz piano is taught in order, with a real system, so students don't have to piece it together on their own.
That's become Jazz Piano Foundations. The whole course is built around one idea: jazz has structure underneath it, and the fastest path to actually being able to play is to learn that structure in the right order.
What I believe
- It's not about learning more. It's about learning in order.
- More content doesn't fix confusion. Structure does.
- Every scale you meet is an option — a pool of notes to choose from, not a rule to follow.
- The only real standard is: does it sound good?
What I don't teach
- No classical technique.
- No classical pieces.
- No shortcuts.
If any of those are what you want, close this tab. I won't be offended. If you want to actually understand how jazz works — you're in the right place.
Want to see how I teach?
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