West’s very own jazz ensemble took to the stage on the evening of Friday, March 7, to perform at the preliminary round held by the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education (NJAJE).  These prelims rounds are held all throughout the week and feature high school jazz bands from all over New Jersey.  Under the direction of Mr. Ryan Sagedy, the band has been working all year for this event through continuous practice of their charts and endless practice of sight-reading.

Upon arriving at Southern Regional High School Friday afternoon, West was the first band to sight-read at 5 pm.  All the members of the band are given an unknown jazz chart.  They are then given six minutes to look over the entire chart and discuss with their sections as well as the director, how the piece goes, and when the timer is up, they must play the chart all the way through.  West Jazz Band has been practicing sight reading all year to improve their skill, since this portion of prelims takes up 15% of their overall score.  

Because they were scheduled to perform last at 8:20 pm, West was able to watch the sets of the other groups.  This was a highlight of the night for West because hearing other students from various schools allowed them to further appreciate the art of jazz music.  All of the bands are scored by the same four judges throughout the week.  These judges consist of professors who teach jazz studies, prize-winning composers, and professional musicians with their own records.  

As the last band to perform on the last day of the preliminary round, West was truly the finale to the whole week. They were given a good amount of time to warm up and prepare to give it their all after a long day.  After taking the stage, they performed three charts featuring a variety of soloists: “Caught Speeding,” a dynamic-heavy chart that stays true to its name, “As Light Through Leaves,” a slow jazz waltz, and “Spain,” the well-known chart that served as the perfect finale.  

After performing, all the bands waited as the judges determined the scores for each band as well as awards.  

West received a silver rating and won an Outstanding Soloist Award for Nate Goldwasser (‘25) on the flute and an honorable mention for George Callahan (‘28) on bass.  It was certainly a day of good music for West.  

Here are some upcoming music events to catch live music and support West’s musicians:

• April 30: Evening of Jazz
• May 29: Spring Instrumental Concert
• June 4: Senior Solo Night