Five Carroll County High School senior band students were chosen to play with a New Orleans style brass band through Northern Kentucky University this weekend.
Yahir Garcia Mendoza, Adali Bautista, Jenna Switzer, Nate Crawford and Emie Stephens spent three intensive days preparing for the concert with about 25 other musicians. They were nominated for the honor by CCHS Band of Gold Director Brad Howard. Each are members of the high school’s jazz band.
“It was inspiring,” said Bautista, who plays alto saxophone. “It made me want to come back, be a better musician and practice more.”
Stephens, who plays the tuba, said “it was cool for me to play that style of music because I’ve never done it before.” The group described the music as a street band similar to what is seen during Mardi Gras. Crawford added that “it was fun and the music was more like pop music.”
Combining classical musicians with different styles of jazz musicians was a new experience for the students as well, one they enjoyed and embraced. Director Howard noted that it’s difficult for the students to come together with other musicians they don’t know and styles with which they are not familiar and produce a high level concert. But, they succeeded in doing just that, he said.
Switzer had fun playing with the band, but confessed it was a bit scary as well because she had to perform improvisation solos for the first time in her years as a trumpeter. She was chosen to play several solos.
“I think it was exciting,” said Garcia Mendoza, who plays tenor saxophone. Playing with musicians from different walks of life, interests and skills was a key point for him. Applying corrections quickly and putting energy into their music were also big take-aways from this experience, according to the students.
Director Howard noted this is the first year he has had a full instrumentation in the jazz band so he tried to find other offerings for those musicians to learn about the style of music and showcase their abilities. “Watching their faces while they were playing was worth every bit of this event for me,” he said. Howard is also exploring opportunities to play in jazz festivals during the spring.
