Category: Band

Congratulations to the Kickapoo Jazz Band on an outstanding performance at the Parkview Jazz Festival!! The group earned 1 ratings across the board & received numerous compliments from the judges!

So. I left work early Friday to attend Jazz’s Jazz festival at a local high school.

First of all, may I just say, I need to do that more often!! It felt WONDERFUL to leave work three hours early. I seriously need to do that more often – it does wonder for my morale.

Kevin met me at work and we drove over to the high school together. The whole performance only lasted about fifteen minutes, but we stayed to hear the judges critique the kids, which was interesting.

The judge hammered the group before Jazz’s group so we were pleasantly surprised when the judge that nearly embarrassed the last group merely clapped and said, “good job guys.” I don’t think the kids can truly appreciate how awesome that compliment was, especially since they didn’t see him with the kids before them.

The other two judges mostly picked on the drummer and the bass player – said they were too loud. And listening to the recordings, I can see why they thought that.

The videos below are actually in reverse order – the first one was played third, the second one second and the last one first. I put them in the order that I thought were the best – the last being the best, in my opinion.

I felt so sorry for their teacher, who you can see is VERY pregnant. In fact, I’m certain that’s why the kids aren’t traveling to their normal competitions this year because the teacher likely doesn’t want to be far from home when she has the baby.

Which, judging by these videos, should be any time! (Poor woman. In fact, after they performed, one of the judges tried to make her sit down. LOL).

You can’t hear the girl singing very well, but at first, I was like, “What the …??” but somehow, they made it work. Her voice really blends well with the song and I thought it was a neat touch.

I was a little annoyed that the teacher stood in front of Jazz as he played his solo, and the video really doesn’t do him justice as he played really well, but that’s okay – I’m just happy he has the confidence TO stand up and be the center of attention for a short time. That takes guts.

I’m not sure I’ll have very many more jazz band videos. Like I said, they really don’t have a lot planned this season. I think they’re planning on playing at our local Art Walk, so we might show up and take some pictures/videos that day.

I’m really disappointed considering this is Jazz’s favorite part of band – playing in the Jazz band. And since this is his senior year, I was really hoping for a fun, exciting season, but that’s life, I guess.

I’m just grateful for band as that has made his middle school / high school years fun and tolerable.

(And my apologizes over the video quality – I took it with my phone).

My Lord I’m going to miss these kids.

And while we’re in the Christmas music mode … here is more of Jazz’s Christmas, oops WINTER, *rolls eyes* concert.

I took these videos with my phone, so the quality is not that great, but the sound is decent and that’s all that matters. I focus on the right side of the group because Jazz is the saxophonist in the white shirt on the very end.

Also. I thought the Drumline’s portion of the concert was pretty cool – so I took a video of them, too.

IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE!! Time to frantically catch up on last minute things …

We went to our last Christmas parade last weekend … (well, it’s not the last, but the last one that Jazz will march in and they’re so hokey [no offense Springfield], that I highly doubt we go back to see another one just for the sake of seeing another one).

We dropped Jazz off in the parking lot and waited around for them to “step off.” We happened to be parked in the lane that they lined up in, so we got a pretty good view of them as they marched past.

The band director put the seniors on the outside, so Jazz walked right past us. He smiled as he saw us. And one of his friends, a few rows back, saw us too.

“Hey Jazz,” he yelled, ” I see your parents.”

We laughed.

After the kids took off on their route, we drove to the end of the route, parked and walked back to meet Kevin’s parents and sister.

It was cloudy and cold that day, but nothing like I’m-so-cold-my-fingers-are-going-fall-off miserable, so we managed.

We waited for about twenty minutes before the first cop car rolled around the corner.

And then members of the military.

And then a 4×4 truck followed by girl scouts.

Then a high school band.

And a rather pathetic-looking float.

Our parades are sort of hokey, if you want the truth.

Our kids were number 19 in the line up and they finally rounded the corner:

My heart soared. I don’t know these kids, but I’m proud of them.

We maneuvered it so that we would be on the side of the street that Jazz would be on and we weren’t disappointed, he walked right past us.

And a few rows back, his friend also saw us.

“Hey Jazz,” he called out, “I see your parents again.

We all laughed.

I’m so glad that we made an effort to be at his band functions over the years. He’ll remember us supporting him and though he occasionally acts like he doesn’t care if we show up, I know, by the smile he flashed us in the above picture, that he enjoys having us cheer him on.

For some reason, I totally blanked out and forgot that my phone has a video function and didn’t take any video of the kids. But the band played the song they played when they marched in the parade at the Christmas concert and that I DID record.

Have a great day! Only six days left until Christmas!

TICK TOCK.

Doesn’t this look like fun??

We’re totally going next year. Jazz’s (future) Alma Mater won’t be participating, but I think it will be fun to go, at least once. This sort of competition is where the best of the best compete – every single show promises to be spectacular.

And it happens to fall on my birthday next year.

Which gives me an excuse to talk Kevin into going with me.

Sweet! 😀

ADDED: So get this, I started researching hotels for the Grand Nationals in Indiana next year and ALL OF THE HOTELS IN THE AREA are completely booked.

WHAT THE …!!

I haven’t given up yet, but it looks like we might be watching the webcast instead of actually being there. Boo. Hiss.