Thirty local high school and middle school bands attended the CMEA Jazz Festival at Aragon on Jan. 30 and 31, which hosted the festival for the second year in a row. Aragon’s own Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Band both received Unanimous Superiors.
California Music Education Association (CMEA) is a musical organization that puts on various festivals to give students feedback on their playing and skills. Aragon band director Troy Davis, an organizer of the festival, said, “We are CMEA West and we put on a jazz festival, a choir festival, a band and orchestra festival, and then another band festival. And each of these is hosted by a person at a school. So I am hosting the jazz festival, Jazz West.”
Junior Olivia Tandowsky, a trombonist in the Jazz Ensemble, said, “We were assigned roles from Mr. Davis to help. Pretty much everything is run by us.”
There were multiple components to the jazz festival. First, bands performed in the Aragon theater for three judges. Davis said, “Various musical elements were divided up into categories, and they were given points for each category, and then they totaled that up. It’s out of a hundred points.”
The onstage performance was followed by a sight reading category before groups were given their scores: Superior, Excellent, Fair, Good, or Needs Improvement. Eight bands earned a Unanimous Superior, meaning all three judges rated them Superior. This is an honor resulting in the school’s eligibility for a plaque, rather than just the medal that the other ratings receive.
After practicing for several months on their respective pieces, the Jazz Ensemble performed “Askew”, “Bolero Cocomo,” and “Count Bubba,” and the Jazz Band performed “Lester Leaps,” “Harlem Nocturne,” and “Vista del Valle.” They were two of eight bands to get Unanimous Superiors.
Jad Ghaddar, a sophomore who plays trumpet in the Jazz Ensemble, commented right after his performance, “We could have prepared ourselves after rests a little better.”
However, Ghaddar did pride the group on their togetherness. He said, “We were very balanced as a group, which is what the judges look for. They look for balance and accuracy, and that’s what we had today.”
Sophomore George Marshall plays alto saxophone and tenor saxophone in both jazz groups. He thought the sight reading piece for the Jazz Ensemble was difficult but was pleased with the outcome, as well as with the performance, saying, “Sight reading is really important because when you do music after college, or even during college, band directors are going to pull up random pieces, and you don’t have to time to learn it at all beforehand.”
Hillsdale High School’s Jazz Ensemble also received a Unanimous Superior. After receiving feedback at a festival in Folsom, junior Samantha Wilson, who plays the tenor saxophone, said, “I was excited to play at CMEA. I think listening to [Folsom’s] advice and that of our band teacher, we performed very well.”
Marshall adds, “I’ve really learned how valuable it is. Music is a great way to express yourself, and you’re giving the audience a taste of your world.”
Ghaddar concluded, “This is the first time that we have played for judges as a Jazz Ensemble, and I feel like we didn’t crack under that pressure. We played well as a group and really tried to bring out our best.”
