Along with the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble, Lake Stevens High School has two award-winning jazz ensembles.
Students at Lake Stevens participate in jazz band, a zero-period class offered at the high school. “Those kids are up at playing by seven every morning,” LSHS band director Neil Proff said.
As the director, Proff has impacted the jazz music program since his start at LSHS in the early 2000s. Since taking over the program at Lake Stevens, the Jazz Ensembles have brought home award after award from competitions/festivals.
The high school has two Jazz Ensembles: Jazz l and Jazz ll. This year, Jazz l is auditioning for the prestigious Jazz competition Essentially Ellington. Essentially Ellington is a Jazz music competition held in New York from May 7-11. Only the top 25 Jazz bands in the country are selected. Jazz l has started preparation for their audition with the song Happy Go Lucky Local by Ellington.
The ensembles attend various festivals throughout the year. Most frequently, they attend the Possession Sound Jazz Fest, Jazz Unlimited, Auburn Riverside Jazz Fest, and Clark College Jazz Fest.
On Saturday, Dec. 14, Jazz recorded Happy Go Lucky Local at a local recording studio. The results of their audition will be released in January.
Last year, the Commencement Bay Jazz Festival was a highlight for the program and a cause for celebration.
“We all looked at each other like oh my god, we won first place,” senior Brady Gray said.
The jazz program at LSHS holds auditions to select students for chair positions based on their playing capabilities. This process takes place three to four days in the second week of school; results are available by that Friday. Students from each section – rhythm, brass and woodwind can all audition- the three sections receive different pieces of music for their auditions.
Studies have shown that music benefits students in school. Listening to music has been shown to improve test scores and improve student performance.
Being in Jazz comes with great benefits. Jazz teaches students bravery and “self-confidence,” said Proff. He elaborated, saying “Jazz improvisation is you making up something that is cool based on given parameters, but you have so many variables that you can come up with 50 different things that are cool.”
Jazz improvisation is a skill players need to learn, it is the ability to make up an unwritten solo within a given key signature—a musical notation of the number of sharp or flat notes within a musical piece.
Specifically, Jazz soloists need to have confidence in themselves and they also need to have bravery. “Being able to stand up in front of other people and be creative in the moment,” Proff said, is something that takes confidence and courage.
Being in a large group such as a Jazz band can create a family-like atmosphere. Jazz creates a social community in which the students build intricate relationships with one another. Students build relationships based on mutualities and sharing the same passion. Students eat together, work together, travel together and grow together.
