On Friday, December 3rd, Jazz Band had its annual Fall Concert. This year, however, a familiar face was missing from the stage. Mrs. Sneeringer, the long time band teacher was out on maternity leave, leaving Ms. Ryan, who has only been working with the band for a little under two months at the helm. To compound the pressure on the Jazz Band,  a plethora of sporting events were having meets and matches on the same day: basketball, swimming, and wrestling. Despite this, Jazz Band was in top form and drew asizable crowd, evidence of the growing respect many students have for the arts, and, in this case, the Jazz Band.

As Stephan Kim ’12, lead alto saxophonist explained, “I was very happy to see people coming out to support us, even before the basketball game.” Kim added, “Not very many people know  Jazz Band practices are really early, at 7:15AM. Sometimes it is really hard to focus that early, but I thought it really came together at the concert.”

Indeed, Jazz Band’s morning practices paid off Friday night. As far as a casual observer could discern, the concert was absolutely flawless. The appreciation for the performers’ dedication was evident asthey got a standing ovation after being cheered on for an encore. Indeed, there is much to look forward to with this talented group, and many to thank, none more so than Ms. Ryan, who did an excellent job preparing the group in a short time. It is safe to say that all who were in attendance look forward to more great things from the Jazz Band in the weeks, months, and years to come.

Written by Harry Wexner ’13