The Jazz Band went to Mason High School recently for the annual Jazz Festival. They performed four songs for a crowd of other bands and professional musicians. 

“We go there to have fun, to experience other people’s music, and to show off what we have been learning,” sophomore Zavien Torrey said.  

They also got to listen to bands from surrounding schools, including the Michigan State University jazz octet, which proved to be a fun and educational experience for the students.

“It taught me different things about the instruments that I play,” sophomore Grace Lackey said. “It taught us about playing as a group.”

Though they weren’t playing for a rating, the jazz band members practiced hard and gave a performance that they were proud of. 

“I think we did pretty well, all in all,” junior William Marshall said. “There were a few mistakes, but everything went pretty solid.”

Even students that had attended the festival before took great enjoyment in it and hope to go back. 

“The Jazz Festival is probably one of my favorite things that we do in jazz band,” Lackey said. “Listening to the other bands with a similar skill level to us was really cool.” 

The band will also be attending the state Jazz Band Festival on March 23rd of this year.