Guidelines Notebook

The SWKMEA High School Jazz Band is selected by taped audition. Each High School director will be notified in the bulletin of the date of the concert, the clinician, and the date that the audition tapes are due. Audition materials change on a three-year cycle determined by the State Festival Jazz Chair. This material will be printed in the April issue of Kansas Music Review. If you are not a member of KMEA you may contact the SWKMEA District Jazz Chair for a copy of the current audition material.

It is the director's responsibility to select qualified students from their High School, provide the audition material, tape the student's audition and send the audition tapes to the High School Jazz Band Chair by the due date. The Chair will arrange for other directors to listen to and rate the tapes on the assigned date.

Directors will be notified ASAP of the District Jazz Band personnel and should begin to rehearse the music so the student(s) will have a positive experience on the day of the performance. A rehearsal may be scheduled prior to the festival at a designated location. This rehearsal is intended to provide extra time learning the selections so that the performance day is not so abusive, endurance-wise, to the students. Clinicians have found that extra time may be spent on improvisation since this rehearsal has been so successful. All students selected should make every effort to participate in the extra rehearsal. The District Jazz Band will perform in the same concert as the Middle School Festival Band and Festival Choir.

As indicated previously, the SWKMEA Festival Jazz Ensemble audition material is the same as the State Festival Jazz Ensemble. SWKMEA audition material will not be included in the fall newsletter or this information notebook. Local directors are responsible for gaining access to the audition materials for their interested students. Please note that students planning to audition for the State Festival Jazz Ensemble are required to participate in their District Jazz Band rehearsals and concert.