Aurora Blues and Polyphonics are the two different advanced jazz choir groups that Mead High School offers as classes. They perform mostly jazz and acapella pieces, as well as pop tunes now and then to spice things up. Aurora Blues is an all-treble choir that wears blue and black outfits, and Poly is a mixed tenor/bass and treble group that wears black and gold outfits.
Every year, both choirs get to participate in an event where they compete against other jazz ensembles and watch other performers show off their talents.
This year, jazz had the opportunity to perform at the Colorado Mesa University Jazz Festival in Grand Junction. There, they were judged by a music professor from Mesa and scored points on how well they performed on a scale of one to five, one being the best, five being the worst. Both jazz choirs ended up receiving a perfect score of all ones, signifying a great performance set from both groups.
Kiley Hepp (‘24) said, “After our performance, the two clinicians [professors] talked to us about what we could improve upon, and I thought it was very helpful. [It] helped us so that we would sound better in our songs.”
With around six different choirs and 10 to 12 jazz bands, Mesa had a lot to offer to the students participating. For example, they held mini lessons or ‘clinics’ taught by the clinicians there to help improve the quality of the student’s performances.
David Reeder (‘25) said, “The clinic that we had was a jazz scat clinic, and [he taught us] how you can [scat] better and know how to do it more.”
Not only did they learn how to make their performances better, they also received the unexpected lesson of friendship, as well as the importance of comradery and companionship.
Trinity Newton (’25) shared that going on this trip opened up avenues for different friendships and helped reinforce old relationships with all of the jazz members that accompanied her.
While students did perform, they also took a moment to have fun while they were there. They went to Bananas Fun Park and had a blast playing laser tag and dominating in go-karts.
All the while, these groups did an amazing job. They deserve the utmost support, and more recognition for their talents.
Thank you to Mr. Valette, Ms. Reeder, and Aeden Kaplan for accompanying our choirs and playing along with us. We appreciate you guys and hope to work with you all more! Thank you to Ms. Berry for teaching us to be beyond great and helping us get to where we are now. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Congratulations to Aurora Blues and Polyphonics for their perfect score at Mesa!
