The Logan Park High School jazz band was a pretty exciting group to be a part of this year, as we had a new HOJ (Head Of Jazziness, for you non-jazz people) with Mr Dodd taking the jazz band for the first time following the end of Calder Prescott’s meticulous leadership, which lasted an incredible 31 years.

To kick-start the next era of Park Jazz, the jazz band played as a part of the Secondary Schools Music Festival combined jazz band, where we performed two pieces to an audience in the Town Hall. I have to say, it was certainly an interesting experience having that many jazz musicians all trying to solo at once, but nevertheless, it was a great performance (if I do say so myself), and it was wonderful to see the culmination of our own jazz band’s effort.

Excitingly, the jazz band also headed to Christchurch for four days to compete in JazzQuest, where we brought home a hard-won silver award and a van full of exhausted yet happy jazz musicians. The experience was definitely the highlight of my time with the jazz band, but not just because of the music. I think being stuck in a van with a large group of people for several hours, and then spending several nights in prison with them (I’m not even kidding – We stayed in a decommissioned prison) brings you a lot closer to people. I think the most amazing thing we got out of the trip (besides the half-bag of Dorrito’s I managed to pilfer from the food supplies) wasn’t the silver award, but the incredible sense of teamwork and comradeship we had after sharing the entire experience together.

However, I think the thing that most often gets overlooked when it comes to the jazz band’s list of achievements over the last year is also the most important and humble aspect of being a musician – Practice. As far as we ranged in our successes over the last year, it all started right back in our very own music department. It’s something special to have spent so much time with the lovely group of people that makes up our jazz band. I can’t really describe what it’s like to fudge a solo in front of so many good musicians and know ‘actually, it’s okay’, but it’s an environment unlike any other in the fact that each and every musician present is doing their best to motivate everyone else. It’s been indescribably good for me, and I’m going to miss the jazz band very much.