BYRON CENTER, Mich. — A group of Byron Center High School students are on their way to New York City! They’re part of the school’s jazz orchestra and are one of just 15 ensembles chosen out of more than 100 submissions from across the country for what they call the Super Bowl of jazz events.
Marc Townley is the band director. He said, “The expectation in on the highest levels of the music. There is nothing high school about this. You are truly expected to play like Duke Ellington.”
The process starts in the fall when the students begin practicing different pieces of music by Duke Ellington to be recorded and sent into Jazz at Lincoln Center.
“It’s sent in for a blind audition process and we found out in February that we were one of 15 from across the country to be selected and we’re very fortunate because this is the seventh time that we’ve been selected for Essentially Ellington,” said Townley. The students were also chosen just last year. “It’s often considered like the pre-eminent jazz experience for high school students on the national level. Kind of the Super Bowl of jazz events for high schoolers,” he said.
“I like jazz because you can really express yourself and like go outside the box with it,” said Sydney Law who’s on guitar. She told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that she found out about the ensemble after seeing a video of them in concert. “The energy of it was like incredible and when I heard jazz, I was like, ‘oh, it’s jazz. Like, it’s not very exciting to me,’ but then I heard the jazz orchestra play and I was like I want to be a part of that. That would be super cool,” said Law.
Levi Green, on trombone, said, “It’s a truly amazing experience. Nothing really compares, at least in high school, especially, with just the opportunity to go to New York City of all things.” He’s a senior going to the event for a second time. “The truth of it is when you’re with the band on stage and off stage, that’s when the real memories are made.”
Law expressed her excitement and said, “Being on the stage at Ellington, like the stage is so live and you’re playing for a bunch of people. It’s really an amazing feeling.”
“What’s amazing about this festival is it truly brings in all students from all different kinds of ensembles. So, you have public schools, you have private schools, you have fine arts performing arts schools,” said Townley.
“Getting to go to New York with this jazz band, I’ll never forget it,” said Law.
The students will land in New York City on Wednesday for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 29th annual Essentially Ellington program. This includes three days of workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals, performances and competitions.
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