On February 8th, 2024, the Shadow Ridge High School Jazz Band performed in the cafeteria as a part of the Black Student Union’s spirit week. The theme for that Thursday was “Beautiful and Bougie.” Style and grace were represented with the jazz music performed during all three lunches.
Typically, when Shadow Ridge has the band perform, it is either the Marching or Pep Band at the events. It is not as often that the students of the Advanced Jazz program perform, apart from their usual concerts.
The band director, Mr. Hartley, has continuously worked hard to grow the band program since he started teaching in the 2022-23 school year. The program has increased in students since Mr. Hartley began teaching all the bands and other classes such as AP Music Theory and Music Appreciation.
The band is working on their performances for the upcoming Jazz Festival, for their concert with the Air Force band, and for the Spring Concert. All the students took the time out of their rehearsals in class to work hard to play well. They performed multiple pieces ranging from Cottontail to Feeling Good by Michael Bublè.
Trombonist and singer Layla Carlos mentioned, “It felt very awkward and scary to perform at first, but once I got into the mood, I started having fun with it.”
Even for an experienced performer, as a junior, Layla still felt the nervousness of playing somewhere new and in front of a different audience. She had the most unique experience singing in front of all of the students in the cafeteria in the band’s performance of Feeling Good.
Kylan Carlos, the principal chair in Jazz for the Alto saxophones, expressed, “I had fun performing in the cafeteria, and it felt good to have the Jazz band recognized by the school.”
As a freshman and dedicated musician, Kylan has seen the growth of the program watching multiple performances in prior years. He hopes to see all of the band programs continue expanding while he continues his high school education.
Alto saxophonist Justin Anacleto stated, “The jazz performance was really fun and it was an amazing experience. This was a new experience since this is my first year. I met the greatest people and I learned so much about myself and everyone else. I had my first ever solo in high school in this band experience.”
While this was a new type of performance for the players, it also gave them a chance to play solos and show off their skills to the audience.
Maxim Gutierrez, Baritone Saxophonist, voiced, “I loved performing in the cafeteria. We had lots of fun preparing it and even more fun doing the actual thing. I love performing so much and doing it for my peers was such a blast. I enjoy playing alongside my friends and would do it again any day.”
This provided a enjoyable experience for both the students in the program and the ones listening.
