HS Jazz Bands To Gather For Festival On Monday

Spirit Lake, Iowa — Jazz bands from three schools in our coverage area will join jazz bands from five other schools at a band festival on Monday, January 23rd.

Spirit Lake High School will play host to the eight northwest Iowa high school jazz bands participating in the Iowa High School Music Association State Jazz Band Festival from 4:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. at the Sami Bedell Center for the Performing Arts in Spirit Lake.

Jazz Band pianists will perform on the only signed Elton John red concert grand piano located in a public facility.

Jazz bands will include Harris-Lake Park, South O’Brien, and Sibley-Ocheyedan, as well as Emmetsburg, Okoboji, Estherville-Lincoln Central, Spencer, and Spirit Lake.

We talked to Sibley-Ocheyedan band director Peter Carlson, who tells us about the festival.

He tells us how the system works.

The jazz bands will be evaluated on jazz band ensemble characteristics of tone quality, blend, rhythmic feel, interpretation, precision, musicianship, solo improvisation and ensemble balance.

Carlson says the bands perform for rating only and do not advance from this contest, but there is a district contest put on by a different group in February, which is competitive in nature.

He tells us about the Sibley-Ocheyedan jazz band and what they will perform.