Young Musicians Offer Hot Jazz on a Cold Night
Posted on: Sunday, 26 March 2006, 06:00 CST
By Ivonne D'Amato, The Centre Daily Times, State College, Pa.
Mar. 26--STATE COLLEGE -- Students from schools in central Pennsylvania played their best jazz ballads and scat improvisations, getting listeners out of their seats and dancing Saturday night at the 30th annual High School Jazz Festival.
With more than 200 in attendance, nine high school, middle school and junior high jazz bands performed at the event at the State College Area High School North Building.
"This began as a way to give jazz bands in central Pennsylvania a venue to perform at," said Richard Victor, who began the festival shortly after taking his position as State High band director in 1975.
"Originally there were only four to five schools who had jazz programs in the region," he said.
Most high schools in the region have since added jazz programs and have expanded their programs to the middle school level.
In addition to playing songs by jazz greats such as Duke Ellington and Hank Levy, students performed for a chance to win scholarships donated by the Berklee School of Music.
Taking home top honors of outstanding soloist, a $1,500 scholarship and $150 cash prize from the International Association for Jazz Education was State College senior and saxophonist Greg Johnson.
Second place and a $1,000 scholarship went to State College senior Sarah Shafer.
Three $500 scholarships were given to Penns Valley junior Quinn Burlingame, Hollidaysburg senior Aaron Kimmel and State College senior Bryan Gilespie.
Though the scholarships were the highlight of the evening for some, other performers, such as State High junior Brenda Saylor, said the highlight of their evening was having the opportunity to play at a live venue and getting to hear other musicians play.
"It's a lot of fun and cool to see other schools perform," Saylor said. "Playing at events like the festival broadens your experience, it gets you used to playing in different environments and is a chance to get positive feedback as well as keeping the arts alive in school."
Leonid Berlyand, of State College, said he was impressed with the aptitude with which the students performed.
Berlyand, the father of a Park Forest Middle School jazz band member, said the festival "is great for the kids. It gives them exposure to culture they wouldn't get otherwise."
Ivonne D'Amato can be reached at 231-4619.
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Centre Daily Times, State College, Pa.
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Source: Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.)
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