On Friday Feb. 7, PV jazz band members embarked on their biennial trip to Chicago to attend the New Trier Jazz Festival, which took place the next day.
The jazz bands began their journey at Andy’s Jazz Club in Chicago for dinner. The entertainment included a renowned musician, Marques Carroll. Students were eager to watch the show as Carroll had previously visited PVHS to perform at one of their concerts earlier this year.
After dinner, they headed to the Navy Pier for a brief period of shopping and relaxation. They ended their Friday festivities at the John Hancock building, where they did the tilt challenge. This activity offered a unique view of the city and allowed students to enjoy tourist activities before their main event the following day.
Saturday morning, the jazz band members headed to the New Trier Jazz Festival at New Trier High School. The high school is located 16 miles north of Chicago and has a student enrollment of over four thousand. With the recent additions to the school, it now resembles a college campus. This came as a surprise to the first time jazz trip students.
Schools from around the country attend this jazz festival annually. Most that attend are from Illinois, but more than forty schools attended this year. PV attends the festival every two years.
The main highlight of the festival are the performances. Each band attending performed in one of the auditoriums and watched various other schools perform. “We got to listen to a lot of different schools perform and they were all amazing. Two had outstanding vocalists. It was jaw dropping, beautiful music,” jazz band member Kate Doughtery said.
Additionally, bands took part in clinics. For example, sight reading bands and other clinics specific to their instruments. “The clinicians had different viewpoints and mindsets on how to approach music, which I hadn’t thought about before. They had a lot to say about technique,” Kate Dougherty added.
One of the spontaneous activities students could participate in were the jam sessions. These sessions involved a director randomly calling up participants to solo and sight read a jazz piece in front of the group. “I got to see my friends play in the jam session and it was really cool to watch them represent PV in the large pool of musicians,” jazz band member Addison Meyer said.
The final event of the jazz festival were the grand performances at the end of the night. New Trier Jazz One kicked off the night with an astounding display of music, one of which included some alumni. Lastly, the professional Chicago jazz band played and wowed the audience with their articulate solos and cohesive pieces.
Overall, the PV jazz band members had a wonderful time in Chicago and had an educational, yet enjoyable trip. Growth of musical perceptions and techniques was prevalent for many PV jazz band members over the course of the trip. Many students recommend fellow members to get involved and look forward to the next one!
