South High Fine Arts: Reflecting on an Amazing Week for DGS Jazz!

"That was not a good performance... That was an EXCELLENT performance." - Dr. Bob Lark, renowned trumpeter and jazz educator, Professor of Jazz Studies at Valparaiso University.

Dr. Lark gave our students these compliments and many more during their clinic at the Evanston Township High School Jazz Festival on Saturday. Their performance earned them top accolades and recognition from all in attendance. Congratulations!! This is just one of the highlights as part of a very successful and rewarding week for DGS Jazz student musicians.

Mr. Kevin Schoenbach, the great jazz educator and editor for the Instrumentalist Magazine, came and provided an outstanding clinic for our students in preparation for their Essentially Ellington Competition Audition. The students had a great time with him and walked away with tangible ideas for growth and improvement. Thanks Kevin!

The kids also completed their recordings of classic Duke Ellington and Count Basie literature as part of the audition process for the prestigious Essentially Ellington Competition. The annual event is an opportunity for kids nationwide to receive feedback from the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, and Jeff Hamilton to name a few. The top 15 bands are invited to the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City!

The week culminated with the DGS Jazz Café. The community came out in large numbers to enjoy an evening of music that featured DGS students alongside our junior high programs. All of the students involved put on a wonderful show and should take pride in the work and preparation they did along the way. Keep growing, keep practicing, and see you at the high school level soon!