The CHS Jazz End of Year Blowout at the Ark is many things. It is a night filled with excitement, joy, and tension. Students are anxious to show off their skills onstage and parents are eager to get to enjoy their childrens’ performances. Above all else, it is undoubtedly a night filled with excellent music. Every year, the CHS jazz program holds two major concerts at the Ark in downtown Ann Arbor. These concerts often serve as a stage for the best of CHS jazz musicians to display to family and friends alike the abilities they have earned over the years.
Overseeing every element of the event is Jack Wagner, CHS jazz program director. He was responsible for the creation of the first end of year Ark concert more than ten years ago, and has been organizing them annually ever since. During his many years at the head of the program, Wagner has watched hundreds of students move through his classes and mature, both musically and personally. The end of year concert always provides a meaningful way to celebrate each student’s growth in a jazz context.
“I think everybody needs somewhat of a culminating experience for the year, a way to give yourself a focal point of growth. To have a big show like that in such a prestigious place, with the big crowd and the lights, makes everybody work a little extra so that we can really polish something and deliver a really great product,” Wagner said. “One of the great things about this program is that when you get into jazz three and four, you’re performing all the time, and you become so accustomed to performing in front of crowds. So the older kids often are more relaxed because of their experience, whereas the younger ones just don’t have the experience.”
The jazz program at Community runs in four levels. The first, Jazz I, is made up mostly of freshman performers. Generally, everyone in Jazz I is new to jazz music overall or fairly new to their instrument. Almost everyone goes through at least one semester of Jazz I before moving on to further levels. At the Ark, Jazz I performers typically receive the least solo time and simpler pieces, but always tackle their tunes with the energy and spirit of true CHS jazz musicians.
Jazz IV is the top level of the band, made up of the most skilled musicians, mostly upperclassmen. Jazz IV members make “combos”, or small bands of 3 to 6 members. Jazz IV musicians are also the most frequent gig players. Because of this difference in structuring, Jazz IV made up a majority of the performances at the Ark. Each combo plays for a similar amount of time as one of the other three levels in total.
It often takes Community jazz musicians multiple years to reach the top of the CHS jazz tower. As a result, most of Jazz IV is mainly made up of seniors. This became a heavy topic of discussion at the concert, as Wagner frequently expressed his pride in this year’s graduating seniors and his sadness to let them go from the band. One senior that is leaving the band this year is Eliam Rosenberg, who has four years of experience with the program under his belt.
“I think that—and Jack says this all the time—jazz is about listening,” Rosenberg said. “The connection you feel when like you’re playing an instrument with people that you know, and connecting through that, is just so unique, it’s something you can’t really describe unless you’re actively doing it”
To many members of CHS jazz, especially seniors, the program isa lot more than just a music class. For Rosenberg, playing has had a strong impact on his life throughout high school.
“Jazz has been super formative to my experience in CHS, and to my enjoyment of culture and a lot of other things,” Rosenberg said. “It’s made me more open minded. As a senior, I’ve had to write a lot of essays, and being exposed to jazz is certainly something that I used to my advantage when expressing my experiences throughout high school. I think that jazz has been super important, and even though I’m not going to study it, it’ll definitely continue to be part of my life in college.”
As Wagner signed off the concert, and the house lights came on in the theatre, it was hard not to feel emotional. Bandmates exchanged hugs and compliments, some with four years of shared experience between them. For some players, the evening was the last gig they would ever play. And yet, there remained a feeling in the air—a sort of energy—that even though the last notes had died out for the night, there were a lot more to come.
