Berkley High School Jazz Ensemble Receives Top Honor, Only in State

Berkley High School Jazz Ensemble Receives Top Honor, Only in State
(Berkley Schools, June 16, 2014)
The Berkley High School Jazz Ensemble has received the highest honor the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) can award to a school. The Jazz Ensemble was invited to perform at the 2015 Michigan Music Conference (MMC) on Saturday, January 24, 2015 in Grand Rapids.
“To be asked to play at the MMC is a huge honor. The BHS Jazz Ensemble was the only jazz ensemble in the State of Michigan asked to perform at the upcoming conference,” says Alan Posner, Director of Bands for Berkley High School. “I was incredibly humbled and excited when it was announced.”
To be considered for the honor, bands must submit a recording and have the recommendation from band directors who heard a live performance in the past year.
The BHS Jazz Ensemble has consistently received first division ratings at MSBOA State Festival, and this year, took second place at the Central Michigan University Jazz Weekend.
The BHS Jazz Ensemble consists of 20 students of all grade levels who excel in jazz performance. They meet 50 minutes before school all year as a half-credit class.
“These are dedicated musicians. Several of our graduating seniors this year are going on to study music in college, and we have talented underclassmen ready to make their mark,” says Posner.
For the third year in a row, Berkley School District was named a Best Community for Music Education by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation. This prestigious award acknowledges schools and districts across the United States for their commitment to and support for music education in schools.
For sophomore Nick Rhein, playing drums in the Jazz Ensemble is a great way to begin the school day. “Many of the school jazz bands in Michigan rehearse every day and their jazz band is a regular class. Ours is a zero hour class that meets twice a week. That means it takes a lot more personal dedication to learn our parts at home and use the short amount of time we have with the whole band to sound tight. It’s very gratifying when we receive an honor like this to know that our hard work does not go unnoticed.”

For more information on Berkley Schools go to http://www.berkleyschools.org/.

Save this post to PDFPrint this post