All-District JAZZ Band

All-District JAZZ Band Auditions
Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

All-District Jazz Band is an honors Jazz band made up of the best middle school Jazz band members in Alexandria, Falls Church City, and the eastern one-third of Fairfax County Public Schools.  All-District Jazz Band provides an additional challenge and opportunity for band students outside of their normal classes to diligently prepare a musical audition, be evaluated by professional judges, see how they compare to other students in our area and have the opportunity to be chosen to be a part of this honors Jazz ensemble.

After the audition, students are then selected, based on the score they receive at their audition, to perform in this honors Jazz ensemble.  The official results will be known the week after the audition.

District Ten Jazz Band Auditions 

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Alexandria City High School in Alexandria

3330 King Street, Alexandria, VA  22302

Audition fee of $15.00 due by Monday, January 5th (Green Day) 

Only cash and checks are accepted.  (Make checks payable to “SCMS Band”.) My School Bucks is not available.

  Student check-in begins at 5:30 pm and auditions begin at 6:00 pm.

All students will need to practice certain materials for their audition.  Your students have received this letter as well as a packet of information regarding the audition.  I would ask that all students/parents detach the second page of this letter; sign it, date it, and return it to me with the $15.00 registration fee, no later than Monday, January 5, 2026.

Please hold the 5:30-7:30pm on Wednesday, January 14th open for the audition.  Students will report to Alexandria City High School, check-in, warm-up, and get ready to audition.  Each student will be given a number upon check-in and will be taken to the audition room beginning at 6:00pm.  Please be aware that students must provide their own transportation to and from the audition at Alexandria City High School.

If your child earns a position in the “All-District Ten Jazz Band” as a result of this audition, each student will be required to pay the $45 participation fee and participate fully in all rehearsals at Meridian High School in Falls Church on Friday, January 24th, (9am-5pm), and Saturday, January 27th (10:00am-2:00pm), with the concert Saturday evening beginning promptly at 1pm on January 25th in the Main Auditorium. 

The detailed schedule for the All-District Jazz Band event is as follows:

DISTRICT X JAZZ BAND EVENT INFORMATION:

January 24 and 25th, 2025 at Meridian High School    

Middle School Jazz Clinician:  Mr. David Fye

Friday, January 23, 2026

9:00am – 12:00 pm Rehearsal

12:00pm - 1:00 pm Lunch

1:00pm -  5:00 pm Rehearsal 

5:00pm - GMU Jazz Faculty Concert

Breaks will be given at the discretion of the Clinicians.

Saturday, January 24, 2026

10 AM - Noon  Rehearsal  

1:00 pm - Concert in Meridian High School's Auditorium.

If your child is selected to be a member of this ensemble, a participation fee of $45 made out to South County Middle School would be due in January.

All-District Jazz Weekend Participant Information

January 23, 2026

Event Site: Meridian High School, 121 Mustang Alley, Falls Church, VA 22043

Conductors:

HS Jazz Ensemble - TBA

MS Jazz Ensemble - TBA

Schedule:

Friday, January 23, 2026

8:45am – Arrival to Meridian High School
9:00 am – 12:00 pm Rehearsal

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch provided by MHS (Sandwich, cookies, potato chips)

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Rehearsal

4:00-5:00pm –  Concert by a professional Jazz Combo.

Saturday, January 24, 2026

10:00 - 12:00 pm Rehearsal at MHS.

12:00 - 1:00 pm Pizza Lunch provided by MHS.

1:00 pm – Concert (Parents, friends, neighbors are invited to the performance.)

Transportation:

It is the responsibility of the parents to get their child to and from Meridian High School on Friday and Saturday.  If you would like, I (Mr. Niehoff) can take 5 students in my van after they arrive to school on Friday morning.  Please let me know if you would like for me to do this on Friday morning.  Students would need to be picked up on Friday afternoon as well as dropped off and picked up on Saturday.

Directions:

All students and directors will enter through DOOR ONE of Meridian High School.  The middle and high school are co-located.  (Door One has a black mustang horse statue and is in front of the football field)  The band directors will be receiving students and directing them to rehearsal locations from door one of the high school. (Not the middle school.) 

Rehearsal Location:

Rehearsals will alternate between the HS Band Room which is located at L06, lower level (two floors down) and the stage which is located immediately to your right after you enter Door 1 at street level.   To find the HS Band Room, walk down four flights of stairs, take a hard right and a left.   There will be a sign to the Band Room to the right.

Concert Dress:
Young men should wear slacks, coats, and ties with dress shoes.

Fee:
Please send your $30 participation fee as soon as you can and give it to Mr. Niehoff.  (Checks made out to SCMS and Cash are accepted.)

PARTICIPANT LETTER
Coming TBA

PARTICIPANT PERMISSION SLIP
Coming TBA

INFORMATION LETTER/REGISTRATION FORM

Middle School Audition Requirements

ALL-DISTRICT JAZZ BAND AUDITION MATERIALS WILL COME OUT IN NOVEMBER.

Major Scales - (Found in your Mustang Band Warm-Up Book.)

C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, G, D, A, E

●       Must be memorized.

●       All scales will be played as per VBODA requirements for district band. (This means straight, NOT SWUNG.  This is a change)

●       Played through the student’s practical range (same ranges as All-District Band)

●       Scales will be called by starting pitch, not concert pitch.

●       Tempo: quarter note equals 86.

Prepared Music & Improvisation

Click this link for the RECORDING: "2026 MS Etude PDF"

Click this link for the Sheet Music PDF:  "2026 MS Etude Recording"

Wind players and Vibraphonists will perform the etude as written the first time through, then improvise over the etude’s chord progression on the repeat. The recording above has the etude with accompaniment, followed by the just accompaniment on subsequent repeats, for practice purposes.

Pianists and Guitarists will perform the etude 3 times - 1st - perform the written part.  2nd - play the written out chord progression. 3rd - improvise.

Bassists will play the written bass line, and then improvise on the repeat.

Sight-Reading

Students will be asked to demonstrate sight-reading ability on each instrument on which they audition.

AUDITIONING DRUMMERS

Students will be asked to demonstrate the following styles of music:

1.) SWING STYLE
2.) BOSSA
3.) ROCK

All auditioning drummers will sight-read a big band drum chart that consists of kicks and fills.