INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Jazz Futures program, organized by the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation, aims to inspire high school musicians through a comprehensive curriculum more than 22 sessions spanning seven months. Classes are held Sundays from 3 to 5 PM at the Luddy School of Informatics, 335 West Michigan St.

Founded in 1996 as a 501(c)(three) organization, the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation promotes jazz heritage in the community. One of its flagship events, the Indy Jazz Fest, celebrates the city’s historical contributions to jazz, featuring legendary artists like Cole Porter and Wes Montgomery who shaped Indianapolis’ vibrant music scene.

The Jazz Futures program focuses heavily on education, providing young musicians with training in jazz repertoire, improvisation, history and more. “Well, that’s one of the pillars of the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation, you know, the education part of it,” said Pavel. “We have legacy and other things, but the education is like, okay, let’s get, you know, the young musicians interested early enough so they can develop a career.”

The program not only nurtures musical talent but also instills valuable life skills. Local jazz legend Rob Dixon noted, “Yeah, I mean, it’s a program that I think we’ve had great results with a lot of the students. And one of the things about it, too, is they get to understand that jazz is an American art form and it educates them in a way that I think a lot of the past Jazz Futures students, even though they don’t go into music, they become successful in life.” His perspective highlights the broader impact of music education on personal development, with alumni achieving success in various fields.

Pavel and Rob were excited about the current cohort of students, emphasizing the importance of bringing jazz to a younger audience, particularly those who may not have access to small group combos.

Their work with the students represents a culmination of years of effort to improve access to jazz education throughout Indianapolis, especially in underserved communities.

The foundation aims to reverse negative effects caused by urban development, which has fragmented traditionally Black neighborhoods and marginalized their rich cultural history.

The Indianapolis Jazz Foundation is committed to advancing artists of color through education and performance opportunities. They strive to ensure that the legacy of influential artists is not only preserved but also celebrated through ongoing community engagement at events like the Indy Jazz Fest.

The Jazz Futures program will continue through its seven-month curriculum, offering performances and learning experiences for the students. The Indianapolis Jazz Foundation plans to maintain its commitment to jazz education and community involvement with various events throughout the year.

Indianapolis’s playoff chances collide with player development as Rivers challenges a cleared Richardson for QB1.

PublishedDecember 15, 2025 2:55 PM EST•UpdatedDecember 15, 2025 2:55 PM EST

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After Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending torn Achilles, the Indianapolis Colts turned to 44-year-old Philip Rivers. Rivers, who hadn’t taken an NFL snap since January 2021, immediately stepped into the team’s starting lineup and nearly led the team to a shocking upset over the Seattle Seahawks. 

But there’s a new wrinkle. Anthony Richardson, the quarterback the Colts selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, was cleared to return to football activities. Richardson suffered a freak pregame orbital fracture on Oct. 12. 

Now the question for the Colts is simple: Who starts at quarterback when Richardson is healthy enough to play? The decision would be easy if the Colts were out of playoff contention. They would start the young quarterback and hope he shows some of the flashes he displayed during his very short rookie season. 

But the Colts are still very much in the AFC postseason picture, currently sitting at 8-6. They are one game behind the Houston Texans for the seventh and final playoff spot with a game against Houston scheduled for Week 18. 

They are also two games behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the AFC South lead, and the two teams meet in Week 17. The Colts don’t control their own postseason destiny; even if Indianapolis wins out, the Texans would get in over the Colts if Houston wins its other two remaining games. 

Still, the first step is to win the final three games. That starts with a Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. Rivers is going to start that game, according to head coach Shane Steichen. 

This isn’t surprising news, since Richardson hasn’t practiced yet. But there’s going to be a decision between the two starters soon. Who gives them the best chance to win once both QBs are healthy? 

Richardson vs. Rivers for Colts QB1 

If the answer is Rivers, that’s a death knell for the career of Richardson. Losing the starting job to Daniel Jones was one thing, but failing to start over a 44-year-old QB who spent nearly five years out of the NFL is another matter entirely. 

Despite going 6-5 as a starter last season, Richardson completed less than 50% of his passes and threw more interceptions (12) than touchdown passes (8). Of course, Richardson does a lot of his damage on the ground, rushing for 499 yards and 6 touchdowns in his 11 starts in 2024. 

Rivers didn’t light up the Seahawks’ defense on Sunday, but he was efficient. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 120 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. The interception came on a desperation heave on the team’s final possession with the game virtually out of reach. Rivers got the ball out quickly, taking only one sack against a very good Seattle defense. 

Head coach Shane Steichen was hired prior to the team drafting Richardson, so he has some motivation to ensure Richardson succeeds in the NFL. But he’s not going to put that above the team’s short-term future, which includes an opportunity to reach the playoffs. 

Ultimately, Steichen is going to start the quarterback he believes gives him the best chance to win the next three games. If that quarterback is Philip Rivers, it means Anthony Richardson’s NFL future is very, very bleak. 

He had one last throw left in that 44-year-old wing of his. For most of the afternoon, he’d been able to fool Father Time and frighten 68,771 Seattle Seahawks fans inside Lumen Field who’d come to bury Philip Rivers and, instead, watched him push their football team to the very brink of an impossible upset.

There had been a moment when it seemed Rivers might actually pull off the damn thing, too. That was with 1 minute and 55 seconds left in the game. The Colts led for so much of the game and were behind Seattle 15-13, but the ball was in the old man’s hands now. All day, he’d been careful and efficient. It got him a 13-3 lead at one point. Now, he needed to make a play.

And damned if he didn’t make a play.

Damned if he didn’t throw a 16-yard back-shoulder special to wide receiver Alec Pierce. Damned if that ball didn’t mean the Seahawks were now going to burn all of their timeouts because, in the NFL in 2025, just making it past midfield — as that throw did — means you’re in field goal range.