McNair secondary’s 28-member Jazz Band received a gold at this week’s Vancouver Kiwanis Festival.
This first-place finish was for three pieces: Just Friends, My One and Only Love – which featured soloist AJ Wong – and Uptown Throwdown.
Music teacher Julie Holden said the adjudicators were “delighted” at how energetic and excited the band was, and “how much they enjoyed playing in their performance.”
The adjudicators did a workshop with the jazz band after the competition, and Holden said they praised the musical ensemble for its willingness to “work hard and incorporate feedback quickly.”
“They were very taken with the band’s enthusiasm for music,” she added.
The jazz band had a busy week, Holden said, as the competition came after they performed at Cambie secondary Friday and made a recording Tuesday for the school district’s virtual Jazz Nite.
