The Thursday Night Band, pictured here performing at this year’s Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, co-won the small jazz combo category of the DownBeat Awards with their peers in the Monday Night Band.
Jazz students and ensembles from the Community School’s Jazz Workshop won six awards in the 41st Annual DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards, and will be featured in the magazine’s summer edition. Since 2012, students from the Colburn Jazz Workshop have received 42 DownBeat Awards, which are considered among the most prestigious honors in jazz education. This year, Colburn students received honors across the categories of small jazz combo, large jazz ensemble, original composition, and jazz arrangement:
Small Jazz Combo Performing Arts High School Co-Winners Thursday Night Band Lee Secard, Director
Performing Arts High School Co-Winners Monday Night Band Lee Secard, Director
Large Jazz Ensemble Performing Arts High School Co-Winners Big Band Lee Secard, Director Dr. Walter Simonsen, Assistant Director
Original Composition – Small Ensemble Performing Arts High School Winner Will Brandt, “Abditory”
Original Composition – Large Ensemble Performing Arts High School Winner Ethan Moffitt, “Window Wonders”
Jazz Arrangement Performing Arts High School Winner Ari Chais, “Social Call”
Original composition is one of the Colburn Jazz Workshop’s key values. Jazz Chair Lee Secard encourages students to begin composing as soon as they realize they want to, and provides support every step of the way. Students perform their original pieces in their bands and through that practical experience, they are able to solidify theoretical concepts they encounter in the process of composition. Two students—Will Brandt and Ethan Moffitt—received awards for their compositions for small and large ensembles this year.
As part of the DownBeat Student Music Awards competition, professional musicians and educators from across the country judge students on musicianship, creativity, improvisation, technique, and more. The awards are an important recognition for early-career musicians, music educators, and music industry professionals, and students have used this recognition to garner more than $10 million in scholarship opportunities.