Leon A. Brady

Co-Founder

Leon A. Brady, co-founder of Kansas City Youth Jazz, is an educator and professional percussionist. Mr. Brady earned his Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Music Education from Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN. He arrived in Kansas City in 1957 to teach at Northeast Junior High in Kansas City, KS. Later, he taught band, marching band, orchestra and jazz band at the old Sumner High School, earning many awards for excellence. From 1976 to 2000, he owned and operated Brady & Sons Music Company & Studio in Kansas City, KS. In 2000, Mr. Brady closed the retail store to spend more time teaching. He currently instructs 10 percussion students, both privately and in groups. He has developed a unique program for drum set students as young as four-years-old. Mr. Brady has also performed with many national and international musicians throughout his professional percussion career. While serving in the US Air Force, he performed regularly with John Williams and Frank Hitner, and later toured and recorded with Ray Charles. He has also performed with Max Roach, Clark Terry, George Salisbury, Marilyn Maye, Grover Washington, Carmel Jones, George Duke, John Park and many others. The Kansas City Youth Jazz program was designed to preserve and pass on jazz in Kansas City and to teach life skills through music education with classes, rehearsals and performances.

Linda Richter Brady

Executive Director and co-founder

Linda Richter Brady is Executive Director of Kansas City Youth Jazz.  She has provided leadership to KCYJ from the time she and Leon Brady founded the organization in 2001, and promotes the program’s growth, vision, and mission in the community.  During her leadership, over 800 students have participated in the program, benefiting from the development of both music and life skills.  Linda is from Great Bend, Kansas and a seven-year veteran of the national champion Argonne Rebels Drum & Bugle Corps program.  She is a music educator and earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS and a diploma in Band Instrument Repair from Western Iowa Tech, Sioux City, IA.