Heritage has just held auditions for the District Jazz Band, which has been hosted at Heritage for nearly ten years. Students in the band were given the opportunity to showcase their skills and possibly earn a seat in the All-State Ensemble. Auditions took place in October and rehearsals were held in November for students who earned seats.
At the state level, 19 students are chosen for the Jazz Ensemble. Of those 19, six were from Heritage. These students are Nicolas Anchondo, Ethan Bruce, Riley Case, Sammy Hilles, Abigail Stoetzner, and Travis Vaughn.
In the past, Heritage has had several students make it into the All-State Jazz Ensemble, with some students trying out multiple times throughout their high school career. One student who tried out this year was Abigail Stoetzner, a member of the band with many previous accomplishments. Because of her prior experience, she was able to provide insight into the audition process.
Any student in the band was able to sign up to audition for a spot in the ensemble, and those who did received material from the band director, Mr. Bill Wynn. The materials included scales and sight reading pieces which were to be studied and practiced. After a candidate was selected and given a seat, they would rehearse the selected pieces which would later be performed for members of the Georgia Music Educators Association. The performed pieces are always a variety of jazz music, including swing style, rock, and latin jazz songs.
Although the process may seem daunting at first, particularly the judging part of it, Stoetzner said that it depends on the judge you receive. “It depends on who judges you and how scary they look. The guy who judged me this year looked a lot like Santa Claus. I couldn’t get over that, and I feel like that made it feel a whole lot more light-hearted.”
Overall, despite the intimidating nature of the event, District Jazz is a great opportunity for band students who are looking to improve their skills and get more experience under their belt.
