by Ethan Vanorden

Jammin’ At Maryland was founded to address a very basic problem.

While the University of Maryland’s School of Music has existed since 1954, opportunities are slim for students outside of it to play music. 

The campus has no unaffiliated rehearsal space and no storage for large instruments such as drum kits and guitar amplifiers. Violinist and vocalist Josie Vallejo, JAM’s co-founder and president, recalled being kicked out of a School of Music practice room when she tried to play there. 

Dissatisfied with the limited scope and audition requirements of other music-focused clubs, Vallejo founded JAM in February 2017 as an “open jam session.” Anyone interested in music, regardless of their skill level or musical taste, is welcome to join and play.

JAM has grown significantly since its first meetings in the basement of Centerville Hall. Near the end of 2017, the club gained formal recognition from the Student Government Association and moved to the Baltimore Room in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union.

This fall, the club was approved for SGA funding, allowing it to finally buy a drum kit rather than relying on borrowing one from a member – along with disposable earplugs for those who can’t bring their own.

The club has gained more structure as it went on. It currently meets twice a week – Tuesdays and Thursdays – with Tuesdays reserved for acoustic instruments and Thursdays for amplified ones. Members can request songs for the group to play through the club’s Discord chat. The club puts on occasional public performances as well, with a “Spring Showcase” planned for April.

With JAM now in its fifth year, the club’s leadership has had to look forward. Co-founder Ophir Gal graduated in 2020 and Vallejo, who’s pursuing a six-year degree at UMD, won’t be far behind. The club opened applications for administrators for the first time in 2021.

Vallejo said her main hope is that the club stays accessible and operating for as long as possible. She views it as not just a fun diversion, but also her legacy at UMD.

Beatboxing freshman Lex Kim became the club’s second president in his first semester with the club. After joining JAM in the early weeks of Fall, Kim says he became president largely by just showing up regularly. When Vallejo was unable to attend meetings for a few weeks, he stepped in.

Like Vallejo, Kim said his primary concern is to “keep [JAM] alive.” The club saw a slump in membership when COVID-19 forced it to stop meeting in person throughout 2020 due to lack of opportunities for advertising, though more new people have joined in 2021.

Wherever JAM goes, it remains an important part of UMD’s musical culture. Guitarist Samrat Sommana, who joined in 2019, said it provides one of the few spaces where musicians can gather without judgement or elitism and acts as both a venue for musicians and a club of close friends.

Multi-instrumentalist and JAM treasurer Thomas Chung, asked to describe JAM, simply pointed to members dancing and laughing during the end of a meeting.

“It’s this,” he said.

Featured image: Jammin’ At Maryland performs at the NextNow Fest in September. Photo courtesy Jammin’ At Maryland.