NUSD Students Get Top Scores at Santa Cruz Jazz Festival

The Novato Unified School District was well represented recently at the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival March 15 and 16, 2013 at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California.

Over 60 students from NUSD participated in the festival as a member of one of the following groups:  San Jose Middle School Jazz Band I, Novato High’s Marin School of the Arts Jazz Bands I, II, and III and vocal ensemble.  There were over 75 bands and vocal groups attending the festival from all over Northern California.

Three of the groups from Novato scored all 1’s, the highest scores possible, from all four judges including sight reading:  San Jose Middle School Jazz Band I and MSA’s Jazz Bands I and II.  In addition to receiving high scores, these three bands were also selected to play that evening in the Command Performance concert.   It was a great day for NUSD!

Coming up for MSA Jazz Band I is the Next Generation Jazz Festival presented by the Monterey Jazz Festival on April 5-7.  MSA Jazz Band I is 1 of 12 bands invited to play at the Festival and the MSA Vocal Ensemble is 1 of 8 groups to perform. 

The top 3 bands and top two vocal ensembles will then be invited to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival in September.  Groups from Japan to Alaska perform at the Next Generation Jazz Festival.

On April 26, the San Jose Middle School Jazz Band is headed for Reno, Nevada, to perform at the Reno Jazz Festival at the University of Nevada, Reno.  Bands from California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington travel to Reno to participate in the festival.