By: Tara Bolarte

    On Monday, February 27th, Mineola High School held its annual District Jazz Night. Every year, this night brings enjoyment to many family and friends who come to see the students put on an amazing performance. The auditorium was filled with a big crowd of parents. Many music groups perform including the Big Band, the Jazz Ensemble from the high school and middle school, and the faculty groups. All groups worked very hard throughout the year to rehearse their songs in order to put on a great performance for the audience. The music was composed of different styles of jazz, such as Latin, classical, and blues.  This year was the 30th anniversary of Jazz Night being hosted at the Mineola High School.

            The night was kicked off by a small faculty group that played Jazz songs that introduced what different parts of jazz could sound like. The group included Mr. Bennett (trumpet), Mr. Dugal (Trombone), Mr. Owens (piano) and Mr. Ratner (on Latin Percussion), and included alumni like Ms. Oliveri. Music teachers always remind their students to always continue playing their instruments, and that later on they could have the chance to come back and perform. After the brief performance, the student groups did a great job with their songs, and many students performed solos within these songs. The night ended with the big faculty group playing songs that had the audience clapping and cheering with joy. For the first time this year, our superintendent, Dr. Nagler  participated in the faculty group.   He had a great time performing with the group and thanked Mr. Ratner for inviting him to play.

            As a member myself, this is my first time participating in the high school Jazz Ensemble, and all I can say is that the group is wonderful. The music we pick out for the group is always fun, and it was interesting learning how to play them in different styles, since there's a slight difference between jazz music and concert band music. In the beginning of the school year, all music teachers encourage their students to join the extra-curricular music groups such as Dynamics (the vocal jazz ensemble) and Jazz Band.

            If you are interested in watching the District Jazz night,visit the YouTube channel, Mineolafinearts to see and hear the groups’ performances. We hope that more students will be interested in joining jazz band for next year.