***William Ly is a participant of The Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program, funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.

Last Saturday, Kewanee High School and Central Junior High sent 12 students to the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA) District 2 Jazz Festival. 

Like last week’s district 2 band/chorus festival, students spent their Saturday rehearsing with a reputable educator to perform a concert at the end of the day.

To qualify for the festival, students were either nominated or went through a rigorous audition process that the ILMEA is known for. 

District 2 has two senior jazz bands and one junior jazz band, all needing an audition to qualify. District 2 also has three different vocal jazz groups.

This year, the ILMEA decided to add another band called the Junior Lab Band. This band has students ranging from sixth to eighth grade. 

The Junior Lab Band was made for students who are relatively new to jazz. This allows students to learn more about the genre while giving them the same ILMEA experience.

Kewanee High’s participants in the jazz festival were:

Jazz Band A

Brennyn Ford – Piano

Jazz Band B

Kaiden Goffrier – Trumpet

Garrett Komnick – Drumset

William Ly – Alto Saxophone

Junior Jazz Band

Lincoln Throneburg – Trombone

Nora Yaklich – Tenor Saxophone

Jazz Lab Band

Aaron Brooks – Trumpet

Bishop Throneburg – Alto Saxophone

Edmond Komnick – Trombone

Kevin Beltran – Drumset

Landon Roller – Vibes

Walter Yaklich – Piano