On Monday, Sept. 26 during first lunch by the main office there was a performance from the MHS Advanced Jazz band. The students set up between the front and counseling offices while others settled into nearby tables to eat lunch.

During the performance three songs were played: “Orange Sherbert”, “Evening Rain”, and “Fino De El Verano”. The students who played in the Jazz & Dine show had been working on this performance since the third day of school. They have had about four weeks of practice. Andrew Deba (‘23), who played a solo on the tenor saxophone, said, “Compared to our concerts, we had less time than we normally do. We actually worked fast this year… It went really well.” 

The students who performed said that they were nervous to play in front of their peers. “We were all pretty excited, but right before, everyone started to get nervous,” said Deba (‘23).

By the end, the audience was clapping along and cheering loudly, and they all supported their peers. “I think overall we were happy with it,” continued Deba (‘23).

Ike Campbell (‘24) was another student who played in the Jazz & Dine. He said that what he enjoyed most was his solo. Campbell (‘24) said, “I felt like I did very well, and I liked the ending a lot.”

The Advanced Jazz performers that had solos worked hard on them, and all the band members interviewed collectively agreed that the solos came out really good. Campbell (‘24) also said, “As a band… we know how to play together, we know how to do things together.”

Mr. Borja has been playing music for 18 years, but is a new teacher here at Mead. He said, “I wanted to get the jazz band out to play for all their peers… It’s always difficult to play for people that you know directly.”

Borja continued, “Putting them in a situation like that allows them to access a different part of their musicianship.” He felt that this performance would be beneficial to the students.

Borja said that despite knowing that his students were “nervous performing”, he was very proud of the outcome. They all did a great job. He is planning on doing several more performances like this one throughout the school year.