Young musicians unite to perform in Jazz Day

By Kahlil Kambui, Assistant Lifestyle Editor

February 7, 2025

Cara Collins, director for the Monona Grove High School Jazz Ensemble II, conducts for the band to decrescendo during a section of “La Noche Del Burrito Picante” by Mike Dana. Myles Franklin-Smith, NIU’s clinician for Monona Grove High School, commented that the band stayed together well for the larger ensemble size but could have increased the tempo for the songs to engage the audience. (Totus Tuus Keely | Northern Star)

The College of Visual and Performing Arts held their annual Jazz Day event where high school jazz bands and their directors from all over the Midwest performed for students from other high schools, parents and the faculty of the NIU School of Music.

Roosevelt Griffin III, director and professor of jazz studies at NIU, discusses the background of the event.

“It’s a jazz festival, a festival for high schools to come to campus and perform for our faculty,” Griffin said. “So you’re playing most of the groups, I mean the groups here, they’re good, but they’re at different levels. Our goal is to use our expertise to share with the students and their directors the steps to take things to the next level.”

Fifteen high school jazz bands and musician groups from Illinois and other states performed.

The event featured musicians from the DeKalb High School Jazz Ensemble, Crystal Lake Central High School Jazz Band 1, the Metea Valley High School Jazz Orchestra, the Argo Community High School Jazz Band, the Grayslake North High School Jazz Ensemble, the Normal Community High School Jazz Ensemble, the DeKalb High School Jazz Lab, the Huntley High School Jazz Ensemble, North Scott High School Jazz 2, Clinton High School Royal Blues, St. Rita High School Jazz Band, Children of the Corn (ROWVA), North Scott High School Jazz 1, the Normal West High School Jazz Orchestra and the Romeoville High School Jazz Band.

Each of the bands who attended played traditional jazz songs from artists such as Duke Ellington, Bill Liston and George Vincent, using the opportunity to learn and grow as musicians.

Zach McMann, the trombonist playing for North Scott, enjoyed the opportunity to play at NIU and learned quite a bit from the experience.

“I’m really glad that we got the opportunity for this,” McMann said. “It’s an opportunity that I think I’ll remember and every time I come here and do this, I get, like, something more out of it.”

Nathan Anderson, who played the alto sax for North Scott, also shared the same sentiment, grateful to be playing at NIU.

“Just like, really grateful for just the opportunity to do this every year,” Anderson said. “Come out here and get a different perspective on, like, what we’re doing, and just also to listen to other people, like Jazz Orchestra.”

Joshua Anderson, the director of External Programs and The Community School for the Arts, shared that awards were also given out to individuals in their jazz band who performed well.

“We also give out some awards for outstanding players,” Anderson said. “Some of those awards include an invitation to come to our Jazz Combo Day, which is the day similar to this, but smaller groups and also scholarships to our jazz camp which we run over the summer.”

The next major event featuring high school musicians, Jazz Combo Day will be held on March 18 where the best high school jazz players will play together and meet accomplished NIU faculty members and guest artists.