jazz band and jazz choir share concert nov. 18

By Bennett Monson

The jazz choir and the jazz band had their first concert on November 20, 2024. If you are a fan of jazz or music in general and were unable to attend, here is what you need to know about the concert. 

From the perspective of a viewer, the concert was only around two hours long but to the performers, this concert was long in the making. As Tarren Natelli put it “[We have been preparing] for about a year, first second week of August.”

Both the Jazz Choir and Band have their class during Blue 3 in the performing arts hall.

Both band directors, Caroline Aylward, and Mira Hickey, replied similarly to Tarren, both remarking how it was the beginning of the year when they began preparing for the concert.

The choir also has been preparing for a long time, their director, Chas Douthit explained, “We have been preparing for this concert since the beginning of the school year in August.”

But preparing for the concert isn't the only thing the Jazz Band does, Mrs. Aylward explained, “ We work a lot on rhythms and articulations because that's such a big deal with jazz and we have been diving into different kinds of scales.”

The choir also practices musicality, Douthit mentioned, “We practice sight singing. This is when singers can know how a piece of music sounds just by looking at the sheet music.”

Not only do the Jazz Band and Choir practice the music, but they also practice skills to help students become better musicians, such as scales and articulation or sight singing.