Music students looking for a challenge

MT. PLEASANT - Students who audition for Mt. Pleasant School District's jazz bands aren't just looking for another extra curricular to be a part of - they're looking for a challenge.

'It's fun to step up and play something more difficult,” eighth-grader Kyli Millard, a trumpet player for the middle school jazz band, said.

Her fellow bandmates echoed similar sentiments about getting an opportunity to explore new and higher levels of music.

'I think it's a great opportunity to play something more advanced than what we do in concert band,” tenor saxophonist Jolene Keomanivong added.

This past weekend, the middle school jazz band, which is comprised of 36 students, competed against nine district schools in Iowa City and nabbed first place in their class. Led by instrumental music instructor Adam Creager, the group performed a set with four pieces: 'Blues and Hoss Flat,” 'A Child is Born,” 'Beware the Moose in Love” and 'Downtown Tango.”

'It's more fun to play different types of music,” Jahmal Dodson, a trumpet player said. Dodson's favorite piece to play this year is Beware the Moose in Love because of the duet he gets to play during the song.

'It sounds cool in the poetry we get to do,” Dodson said.

For Summer Schroeder, an eighth grade alto saxophone player, the 'Downtown Tango,” proved the most difficult piece to master but also the most rewarding to play.

'It was the most challenging for me because of the amount of different notes. From F sharp and F, switching constantly, and G sharp. It's just the amount of switching the notes do,” she said.

Creager said his goal with the band 'is always to give kids a really great experience.”

'Jazz band is one of those ensembles that gives kids an opportunity to excel even further, musically. I think it's just really fulfilling to play in a different style and get the kids out there in a smaller setting to learn a whole bunch of different tunes and styles of music that are not prevalent so much in current culture but have deep history in America,” he said.

Creager added the students put in a lot of hard work to be part of the ensemble. The students gather before school two times a week to practice for their competitions.

'These kids obviously love what they're doing because not everybody wants to get up and be at school at 7:15. For some of them it's every day between jazz band and show choir and I credit that to their commitment and love of music,” he said.

Though the middle school jazz band's journey concludes with the district competition, the high school's Jazz 1, who finished second in their class, has qualified for the Iowa Jazz Championships. This year, the ensemble's set included 'Basie's Blues,” 'Around Midnight” and 'Rhythm of Our World.”

'Mt. Pleasant doesn't always go. We went last year but it's not something we always do so it's really special,” senior alto saxophonist, Annika Rynders, said.

Rynders, who has been part of jazz band since she was in the 7th grade, said she's enjoyed playing with more of an elite group.

'You get to play harder pieces of music and it makes for fun weekends because you get to go with your friends to competitions,” she said.

Fellow senior alto saxophonist Paige Stater added the band has allowed her to 'discover a different side of music.”

'Jazz is just so different but its just so much fun to play. The styles, the song - it's harder than people think because it is so stylistically different,” Stater said.

Junior trumpet player Kionna Parrish said being part of jazz band has allowed her to gain experiences she wouldn't have otherwise.

'My favorite part is the experiences you get within it. You get to travel to different places, different colleges and just working together as a band is special,” Parrish said.

For Render and Stater, who are moving onto college soon, jazz band has left a lasting impression on their high school experience, one they hope to take with them as they move on from Mt. Pleasant.

'I'm majoring in music education at Dordt University,” Rynder said, 'I'm really excited to continue learning.”

Stater added she also hopes to continue her music career at the University of Iowa.

'If there's a small jazz ensemble, I'll definitely want to join,” she said.