Our Story

We have been collaborating on projects since first meeting 35 years ago. In addition to maintaining our own professional recording and performance careers and jazz faculty positions at North Central College, for 26 years we presented the Janice Borla Vocal Jazz Camp and ‘Hot Jazz - 6 Cool Nites’ Concert Series. The first summer jazz educational program of its kind created entirely for solo vocalists, the camp drew students from around the world and the concert series attracted a substantial audience of jazz enthusiasts.

After 26 years we agreed it was time to turn the page, and give back to the community that had consistently supported our efforts for so many years. With encouragement and guidance from Outward Visions consultant Marty Khan, in September, 2015 our 501c3, Flashpoint Creative Arts, was founded. Recognizing the profound impact jazz improvisation has had on our own lives and those of our students, we wanted to make a wider use of improvisation the focus of our work. 

Flashpoint debuted in 2017 as co-sponsor of the popular jazz faculty concert series at North Central College.

Then in April, 2018, a chance encounter with Little Friends Center for Autism in Naperville turned into one of Flashpoint’s most compelling initiatives. We were contacted by Alma Jones of the Naperville Rotary Club, asking if it would be possible to bring a group of students from Little Friends to North Central College to observe one of Jack’s student jazz combo rehearsals. Alma, a long-time jazz fan, had a vision that jazz improvisation could be a useful therapeutic tool for persons with special needs. Over sixty people arrived, members of the Naperville Rotary Club included. As Jack shifted things over to Janice, what began as an introduction to vocal improvisation with the entire group spontaneously evolved into several students coming up one by one to sing with Janice. When it was revealed that one of the young men had not said a word in class in two years, we realized we’d all just witnessed something profound. The power of the arts!

Not long after that North Central College colleague Jan Fitzsimmons, director of the college’s Junior/Senior Scholars Program, arranged for us to deliver vocal improvisation workshops for two summer programs she hosted for minority students financially at risk. The success of these early efforts affirmed our belief in the potential of improvisation as a powerful communicative tool that transcends gender, race, education, economic and cultural limitations. 

Meanwhile, our work with Little Friends is ongoing, meeting with them throughout the year. Watching them gain music skills, self-confidence and social interactive skills has been gratifying. Our experience with them has clarified an essential component of Flashpoint’s mission: using vocal improvisation as a pathway to self-expression and enhanced communication for those with limited resources or capabilities. 

Flashpoint now offers vocal improvisation workshops whenever the opportunity arises. After performing a concert with our professional touring groups at the Emporia Granada Theatre in Emporia, KS, we extended our stay to deliver consecutive workshops with seven special needs groups coordinated by music therapist Katie Just of Flint Hills Music Therapy.

We have presented demonstrations of our improvisation workshops to the Rotary Club of Naperville (IL) and the Rotary Club of Emporia (KS), sharing our vision and interacting with Rotary members. In 2019 we were each made Paul Harris Fellows by the Rotary Club of Naperville for our work with the special needs community.

In the life of every artist at all levels, from amateur to professional, there has been a moment of epiphany, or flashpoint, which triggered and/or solidified the commitment to his/her art form.  We consider it a crucial part of our mission to establish and produce events and experiences that evoke such moments for  young people and aspiring artists, letting them know that there is a place for them in the creative world.