Davey Yarborough, saxophonist and Chair of Instrumental Music at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

The problems surrounding the District’s public school system have been well documented here at DCist. Despite such controversies, DCPS does have a few bright spots, one of which is the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Founded in 1974 with the mission of providing professional arts training and college preparation to talented DCPS students, the high school has achieved a 99% on-time graduation rate, with over 95% of graduates going on to college or conservatory. Notable alumni include Dave Chappelle, opera singer Denyce Graves, and respected R&B artist Me’shell N’Degeocello.

Ellington has also made a rich contribution to the jazz scene, both locally and nationally. Players that have gone through the program include Miles Davis protégé Wallace Roney, keyboardist Marc Carey, and Monk Competition winner Ben Williams. Saxophonist Brian Settles, guitarist Rodney Richardson, and pianist Janelle Gill, all familiar names on these pages, also attended the school.

“I see all genres of music as academic as the three ‘Rs’,” said Davey Yarborough, Ellington’s Chair of Instrumental Music.

Yarborough, a saxophonist who performs regularly around town, was the first full-time music teacher at Ellington, a position he took in 1998 after joining the staff as an attendance counselor in 1984.

“My goal when I started teaching was to be a performer/composer using the teaching profession to sustain me financially while I pursued recognition and gainful work,” Yarborough said.

In addition to his role at Ellington, Yarborough and his wife of 32 years, vocalist Esther Williams, co-founded the Washington Jazz Arts Institute. The community music mentoring program caters to youth from ages 12 to 22, and operates on Saturdays in the fall and spring as well as during the week for five weeks every summer. The program is free of charge, and employs five former Ellington students, who all have Masters’ degrees in music.