The Cheney High School Jazz Band took top honors on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the University of Idaho’s 2019 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, taking the runner-up spot in the 3A Instrumental Ensembles Division at the Young Artist’s Concert.
More than 4,000 students of all ages competed, coming from as far as Minnesota, Montana and Canada to participate.
“The competition featured about 150 schools and about 24 in their division,” band director Joshua Wisswell said. “The kids were pretty satisfied.”
The last time Cheney attended the festival was roughly seven years ago, Wisswell said. The festival is now in its 52nd year and features two days of student competitions, workshops and clinics on the Idaho campus.
Students in jazz band come to school early every day for a zero-hour class prior to the start of the regular school day. In competition, they are judged on improvisation, timing, intonation, articulation, dynamics, balance and blend and style and interpretation.
“With an increase in student performers and schools in attendance at this year’s festival, the competition was very strong,” director of the Lionel Hampton School of Music Vanessa Sielert said in a press release. “It is inspiring to see these young artists share all of their hard work and energy with each other.”
A school from Edmonds, Wash. took first place in the 3A division, but Cheney earned an impressive score of 94 out of 100, primarily due to the band’s excellent timing, intonation and dynamics.
The jazz band has several more competitions approaching in the coming weeks, including the Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival in Montana and the Mead Jazz Festival in Spokane March 23.
“Our next thing is just trying to get some new music ready,” Wisswell said.
Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].
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