Junior Jazz band is a selected band of year 9 & 10 students that performs an array of tunes from jazz, to latin, to funk.

It is made up of 9 members, 3 saxophones, a trumpet and trombone, and a full rhythm section. Junior Jazz had a successful year of 2023 and performed at Jazz Quest, where they received a Silver award, Big Band festival, and the end of year Junior Showcase.

Head Of Department Chris Petch is the staff member that takes junior jazz weekly, and without his dedication and expert conducting, junior jazz would be nowhere near the standard it has achieved in 2023. Personally, I find Mr Petch’s conducting and leading very firm and regimented, whilst still keeping it lighthearted and enjoyable. In my opinion, this helped the band immensely to maintain a high standard of performance, punctuality, and musicianship.

One of my best memories from Junior Jazz was having the whole band play auxiliary percussion at the start of the tune 'Horn of Puente'. Junior Jazz enhanced the students' identity within the school as it allowed juniors that are interested in jazz to get a chance to experience what a combo/big band is like whilst not having to compete with seniors. It is also a great chance to play music in a period once a week.

The band was made up of:

Alex Gibson - Tenor sax

Reiss Fatani - Alto sax/vocals

Aadarsh Roy - Alto Sax

Billy Wen - Trombone

Luca Cable - Trumpet

Michael Khor - Piano

Christine Lee - Bass Guitar

Oscar Johnston - Drums/Percussion

Devlin Duffy - Drums/Percussion