Middle, high school students picked for all-state jazz band

Several Vestavia Hills middle and high school students packed up their instruments in late January and headed to Montgomery, where they performed in the all-state jazz band festival. 

The festival, which is held in conjunction with the Alabama Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, is a “big deal,” said Dr. Mark Foster. Foster is the jazz chair for the Alabama Bandmasters Association as well as the band director and teacher at Mountain Brook Junior High. 

Foster is in charge of coordinating all aspects of the jazz festival.

“The selection process can be highly competitive,” said Foster. “It’s quite an honor to be selected for one of the all-state jazz bands.”

Interested students from across the state submit audition recordings to the ABA in November of each year in order to be considered for the all-state jazz band. 

A panel of judges evaluates the submissions blindly, said Foster, meaning they do not know who they are listening to or where the student is from. 

From there, high school students who make the cut are placed into one of three jazz bands based on their skill level: gold, silver or bronze. A fourth band is made up of middle school students.

The 2015-2016 all-state jazz members from Vestavia Hills who performed Jan. 21-23 at the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center are listed below, separated by band level, school and by the instrument they played. 

Vestavia Hills High

► Andrew Pahos: Tenor saxophone, Gold Jazz Band 

► Turner Hamilton: Alto saxophone, Bronze Jazz Band

► Stephen Michaels, alternate: Alto saxophone, Bronze Jazz Band

► Grayton Hodge: Vibraphone, Bronze Jazz Band

Pizitz Middle School

► William DeFreese: Alto saxophone

► J.T. Matthews: Bass

► Alex Hoogland: Drum set

► Max Ruffino: Drum set

► Clay Carroll: Guitar

► Kylan Powell: Tenor saxophone

► Spencer Taylor: Tenor saxophone

► William McGinnis: Trombone

► Elizabeth Hanje: Trombone

► William Lott: Trombone

► Hudson Winter: Trumpet

► Jake Arnold: Trumpet

► Wesley Tarrant, alternate: Trumpet

► Alex Gilleland: Vibraphone