Generations in Jazz

alongside thousands of students from all over Australia, I attended the annual Generations in Jazz festival in Mount Gambier. Students represented our school in our Intermediate Big Band, Thursday Big Band, our Frankenjazz Band (a band of non-jazz instruments playing jazz!) and in our small combo, the Red Flags. 
Students performed and competed in their respective sections and had the fabulous opportunity to watch concerts and attend workshops with professional jazz musicians. This year, the guest artist was Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. 
Over the weekend, it was fantastic to see the dedication and passion that our students hold for their craft. It was clear from their outstanding performances that all students were fully committed to their preparation and rehearsals leading up to the event, which led to some spectacular results. Alex (baritone sax, year 9), was awarded a spot in Superband for Division 4.1.
Additionally, Frankenjazz and their directors, Emily Kimpton and Danielle Vita, were awarded the Nick Mulder Memorial Award. This award recognises the attention to style, orchestration and interpretation of nontraditional big band instrumentation participating in the jazz festival.