The Twice a Week jazz band has been part of the Hommocks music program since the building opened. It is a traditional Big Band with the standard instrumentation of saxes, trumpets, trombones, piano, bass, guitar, vibraphone and drums, and following recent trends a limited number of clarinets and flutes. Playing Big Band Jazz is challenging, as like a chamber music group, parts are rarely doubled. In order to produce a full sound, each player must hold up their own part independently. We play a wide variety of music as old as the swing era of the 1930’s, and as new as original pieces written arrangements of current popular hits. Students learn to read jazz music with it’s unique notational devices that are often very different from what they see in concert band, they learn performance practices that help them sound authentic, they develop improvisation skills to use when soloing, and they build confidence in their playing. The band performs annually for the student council’s Senior Luncheon in November, for which they must learn a 30-40 minute set and function as if on a “club” gig. They next perform for the annual Martin Luther King, which always culminates in the band leading the singing of “We Shall Overcome” in addition to other songs of the civil rights movement. In addition to these programs the band has two concert performances with the other Hommocks jazz ensembles, an all jazz festival in October and an outdoor picnic concert in June.
The Tuesday morning jazz band is our beginning jazz ensemble at the Hommocks. As with all of our jazz bands, members are expected to arrive so that they may be ready to start playing by 7:15am with the rest of the ensemble. It is made up of 6th graders who are looking for an extra challenge beyond their grade level concert band that meets during the day. While in jazz band, students start learning how to read and perform jazz rhythms and develop their ensemble skills through performing with their peers. Students are encouraged to take solos as improvisation plays a big part in what we do. Students begin to study the 12-bar blues form as a tool for improvising and much of the music that is studied stems from the traditional blues.
Wednesday morning jazz band is the next phase in our “early morning” jazz band program at the Hommocks. It is made up of mostly 7th graders who were members of the “Tuesday” jazz band the previous school year. As part of the Wednesday band, students continue to develop their reading and performing skills through studying more advanced music of the jazz idiom. Faster tempos, harder keys and more challenges are some examples of how things become more involved for members of this band.
The Latin Jazz band, along with the “twice-a-week” jazz band, is one of our top performing jazz groups at the middle school. This band is made up of both 7th and 8th graders who are interested in studying Latin music. Examples of these song types include samba, bossa nova, Afro-Cuban, salsa, and more. This ensemble performs annually at our “Heritage Dinner” international night in the Hommocks gymnasium. This evening celebrates the cultural diversity that we enjoy at the Hommocks middle school. The Latin band also performs at both our Fall and Spring Jazz night.