Jazzed by storytelling and music, aspiring filmmakers start production on a short film through Compass Summer
Four Salve students captured high school musicians’ experience as they prepared to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival. They’re now turning it into a short film.
When she first heard about the Compass Summer program “Documenting the Newport Jazz Festival Experience,” Ivy Socha '27 instantly perked up. The two-week program would give four Salve Regina University students an opportunity to film and interview high school musicians to tell the story of their experience preparing to perform at the legendary Newport Jazz Festival.
“As a film minor and music lover, this sparked my interest immediately,” Socha said.
The program would teach students about documentary filmmaking, as they worked as a team to plan film shoots, interview student campers, peer counselors and performers. In the fall 2025 semester, they will begin editing and produce a five-10-minute short film, each involved in every step of the process.
Peter Davis, a senior lecturer in Salve’s music, theatre and dance department and director of Newport Jazz Summer Camp, was the faculty advisor for the program. The Compass Summer student filmmaking team included Socha, an English literature and creative writing and publishing major and film minor, Grace Kasten ’26 and Rowan McGlynn ’27, music majors, and Cecilia Carcorze-Lefebvre '28, a music education major.
“I’m very excited to be a part of this film with this team,” shared Socha. "It’s a great opportunity to learn the inner workings that contribute to filmmaking – with no prior experience. While making a film from scratch can be extremely daunting, working in a team while documenting these talented, fun, and creative jazz campers was an experience like no other.”
Inspired by music, stories and students
Exposure to the filmmaking process gave Socha valuable hands-on experience that she’ll bring to her career. “I look for a story in everything that I do, I see, I hear,” she said. “Jazz camp was a great addition to this mindset. From listening to music to documenting jam sessions, there was a story to be told at all times. I loved being in this environment for a week and I will take this experience with me as inspiration into my future.”
What she didn’t expect was the inspiration she would get from the campers themselves, the high school musicians.
“Each of them had a different story – something that led them to music, to jazz camp, to their passions – that I had not seen anywhere else. The hard work, the drive, the enthusiasm that each high schooler had for music was indescribable, and it taught me that inspiration comes from a multitude of places, that determination and talent are nothing without love. While I was at jazz camp to make a documentary, I left thinking about the bright futures of these campers not only because of their talent, but because of their hearts.”