At Pleasant Valley, there are four vocal Jazz ensembles: Jazz Nouveau, Belltones, which is an all-girls ensemble, Jazz Ect., and Leading Tones. On Feb. 20, all four groups attended the Kirkwood Jazz festival at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids for the second year in a row.
Each year, Kirkwood Community College brings in Jazz experts to run a clinic all day for students across Iowa. The day can be long, but there is plenty of reward to be found. “It was a long day but what I learned was worth it. I got to be with friends, perform, and learn how to enhance my singing. The New York Voices were incredible,” says sophomore Belle Tones member Emily Parker.
This year, Kirkwood hosted the New York Voices. Founded in 1987, the New York Voices is composed of 4 talented jazz vocalists. One being Kim Nazarian, who directed Iowa Jazz All-State in the summer of 2025, which a handful of Pleasant Valley Students attended.
Senior Breleigh Moran is a Junior in Leading Tones. She was naturally very excited to meet and work with the New York voices. With something so important, performers can sometimes be thrown off their game, Moran stated, “Overall, our performance was good. We’ve been rehearsing for such a long time as a group that it takes a lot more than a Jazz fest to throw us off.”
Leading Tones put in lots of preparation for the season’s events, to deliver a performance they can be proud of. It does not mean there is no room for improvement, especially with such amazing artists. “The New York Voices were amazing clinicians,” stated Moran. She continued, “I liked that they didn’t only focus on our soloists, rather how we can get better as a group.” Moran noted the wonderful energy that The New York voices brought to the stage.
The New York voices not only brought energy to the clinics, but also to the stage. As part of the event, their clinicians give a concert featuring a variety of music. “Their performance was phenomenal. Like, I was left literally speechless. The energy they had on stage and the feeling they brought to the music was just amazing,” stated Moran. Each year, the music from these artists inspires young musicians, making a concert a secondary learning opportunity.
“PV Jazz Choirs gain a lot of experience from going to Kirkwood, especially the Jazz Choirs that don’t get to go out and perform as much as the Leading Tones do,” stated Moran. She continued that it is a crucial learning opportunity and experience for all students who take part in vocal jazz.
With Leading Tones on the way to the Iowa Vocal Jazz Championships after their win in 2025, the benefits of Kirkwood are undeniable. Current members will be able to apply what they learned at Kirkwood this year to compete at Jazz Champs, and next year, the ensemble will acquire the next generation of Leading Tones instilled with what Kirkwood Jazz Festival has to offer.
