The First Lady, Blues and Mo' for Point Beach Jazz Students at White House

Anyone who thinks the blues are sad never had them queued up by Michelle Obama in the White House.

A group of 10 students got that and more in a visit to the White House this week for the latest in a concert series called "In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues" hosted by the Grammy Museum, which is based in Los Angeles.

When asked about their trip to the nation's capitol, some of the Point Beach students talked about how incredible it was to hear the First Lady speak to them only 10 feet away in a room with only about 120 other students on Tuesday. (Click here to hear the First Lady's address to students about the blues genre and why she likes to open the White House to the public.)

Some of the students talked how great it was to participate in “At the Crossroads: A History of the Blues in America,” which were workshop sessions where they wrote blues tunes with other school band members from all over the country and got advice from some of the greatest blues musicians in the country.

But senior Mark Fabian, 17, drummer and Point Beach resident, had a different focus.

"She touched me," he said, grinning ear to ear, referring to how the First Lady brushed against him as she walked past him in the White House's state dining room. "She touched me, she smelled nice."

The students and their teacher, Emma Fretz, were interviewed in their high school music room on Wednesday afternoon, a day after their visit with Obama in the state dining room of what Obama called "the people's house."

"We invited you here because we want you to know you have a place here," she told the students.

According to the White House website, "Obama has held a series of student workshops that explore the history of American music, and this one was designed to celebrate the contributions of African American musicians as part of the White House's recognition of Black History Month.

"The First Lady urged her young guests to take full advantage of the opportunity to mingle with great artists including Keb Mo, Trombone Shorty and Shemekia Copeland, and to work hard and stay focused."

Acacia Evans, 16, Point Beach resident and saxophone player, described Obama as "really nice, outgoing and very inspiring. She really wanted us to reach our goals."

"She was eloquent," said Matt Finlay, 17, senior, trumpet player and Point Beach resident.

Students traveled to D.C. on Friday and returned Tuesday night. Other students who went are:

Rachel Gardner, 17, a senior, saxophone player and Point Beach resident;

Ryan Prima, 16, sophomore, trombone player and Point Beach resident;

Kevin McElwee, 16, a sophomore, baritone saxonphone player, and Brick resident;

Rob Bartnichak, 18, a senior, trumpet player and Lavallette resident;

Chris Petrides, 18, senior, trumpet player and Brielle resident;

Cody Nierstedt, 17, a senior, guitar player and Lavallette resident and

Austin Mercuri, 18, a senior, bass player and Ocean Beach resident.

The trip the students will remember forever started with Robert Santelli, Executive Director of the Grammy Museum and a Point Beach alumnus, making a few phone calls.

First he made sure that high school music and band teacher Emma Fretz was interested (yeah!), then he asked to foot the bill so the kids could go.

Jersey Mike's paid $7,500, which covered all expenses, Fretz said.

There were nine other high school groups from all over the U.S. and each group wrote a blues tune, complete with lyrics, during a workshop on Monday.

For that exercise, every school group had to split up and work with students from other groups. So none of the Point Beach students were together for that, but that was fun, they said.

"The other kids were really sociable," said Kevin McElwee.

That exercise, in addition to working with noted musicians was inspiring, said Rob Bartnichak, 18.

"It made us want to be better musicians," he said.

The students did not bring instruments with them, at the request of the program coordinators, but are putting what they learned to good use back home.

Acacia said, "Now we understand how important blues is, it's the basis of everything."

"It's one of the foundations of other music," said Mark. "Blues is less written and more felt."

The White House website also says: "The event was held in advance of an all star blues concert held in the East Room that featured B.B. King, Mick Jagger and Jeff Beck that will air Monday as part of the 'In Performance at the White House' series on PBS."

Fretz said she did not know if she or any of her students would be seen in the broadcast.

In general, most schools were selected either because of a connection with Santelli or the Grammy Museum, Fretz said.

Fretz had to use an 11-point criteria system to select 10 of her 25 jazz band members since she was limited in how many students she could bring.

The criteria included students' general aptitude in playing their instruments, involvement, versatility (i.e. if a student plays more than one instrument), whether they have shown improvement and, in cases where students were essentially tied for all other criteria, she picked the seniors.

The Point Beach students also visited the Smithsonian Institution, the Washington D.C. Zoo and the Hard Rock Cafe during their stay.

A prepared statement from Jersey Mike's says: "As part of Jersey Mike’s Student Standout program, which over the last two years has contributed $90,000 to four area school districts (Point Pleasant Borough, Point Pleasant Beach, Wall and Manasquan) to support critical extracurricular activities, Jersey Mike’s sent 10 students to the White House as part of its third annual concert series program.

"The Grammy Museum, in cooperation with the 'In Performance at the White House' concert series, hosted students from across the country at the White House for an afternoon education program on the Blues, a genre rich in history and integral to the musical fiber of America.

With public school budgets across the country facing huge deficits, school administrators are trying to hold the line on academic standards and class size integrity.

The arts and other extracurricular programs are at risk due to these cutbacks. Jersey Mike’s believes that these programs are vital components of a child’s education and instrumental to their personal growth, success and future."