Thursday night’s jazz band concert kicked off the 13th annual Baker University Invitational Jazz Festival, which consists of the jazz concert, as well as a high school jazz band competition, hosted at Baker University.
The concert featured guest flute and saxophone soloist Ed Bingham. Bingham is the Director of Jazz Studies at Marshall University in Huntington, W. Va., home to one of the largest jazz festivals in the eastern United States.
Bingham came to BU to perform at the concert, but to also assist with Baker’s jazz band.
“He’ll do workshops with the Baker band,” Professor of Music J.D. Parr said. “That’s part of the reason he is coming, to give some outside advice and input.”
Bingham will also help with the judging of high school bands during the festival.
During the festival, the high school bands perform and are judged, then receive a quick workshop with a judge and perform in a sight-reading competition.
“It’s for area high schools,” junior Scott Ireland said. “They come and play three or four tunes and get adjudicated. It’s a really good way for high school kids to go to a music competition.”
The students are also eligible to be named outstanding student jazz soloists. If chosen, they will receive commendations from the jazz artists, as well as a recording of their performance.
Baker music students help during the festival by setting up and cleaning up, registering bands and assisting the judges.
Some of the music students like to see how music programs in the area are doing.
“I like to have the opportunity to just sit in the audience in my free time and just listen,” Ireland said.
The festival is beneficial to the high school students, but also to help the Baker music program.
“It brings area high school kids to our campus,” Professor of Music Trilla Lyerla said. “It’s kind of a recruitment event.”
With 18 bands participating, a large amount of students from the area compete in the event, but also have the chance to see the BU campus.
Ireland was a participant in the event as a jazz band member at De Soto High School and said he remembers playing on Baker’s grand piano.
“I remember playing on the amazing grand piano and thinking, this is really nice to get the opportunity to play on this piano,” Ireland said.
The festival is free and open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
