The lights dim and audience members turn their attention toward the stage as Band Director Evan Rogovin enters with an assembly of trumpet and bass players. The first vibrant note from a tenor saxophone prompts the audience to applause the Jazz Band’s first concert of the year.

The concert took the stage of Meyer Hall on Nov. 15. Band students from all grades participated in the performance of several pieces for the first time together. Mr. Rogovin engaged the audience by instructing everyone to sing along to one of the upbeat songs. Crowd members shouted “mambo jambo!” to the music as band sophomore Fox Lopez played the piano and congas simultaneously.

“It’s really cool to do something that other people will enjoy, and maybe [inspire] someone else to do our work as well,” Lopez said. “The fact [that] we’re putting on a show is my favorite part.”

However, a concert as intricate as this one takes preparation during and after school. Students devote time during the weekend and their free time  to practice the compositions they learn in class.

“At home, we are expected to do individual practice; During class, we mostly do full band practice,” piano sophomore Parker Palermo said. “[We do] occasional sectional practices where we split up into ensemble rooms to work with our respective sections.”

With the amount of practice that is put into each band concert, the performers have an opportunity to grow closer. The many hours spent with one another forms a family of students with a common passion for music and performance.

“Every odd day since September, we’ve spent our classes picking out music [and] rehearsing,” band freshman Karla De Jesus said. “It’s our first concert, and [I] became close with my section. It’s a lot of fun, so I’m just excited to have our work put out there for everyone to hear.”

Between running through practice notes in the band rooms before concerts or stacking up the chairs and equipment at the end of the evening, the band students share a bond that extends throughout the performances and classes. In Jazz Band, everyone encourages each other, even through the most nerve-racking moments backstage or in front of the audience.

“My friend got into Jazz [Band] this year, and I think of [him] as a little brother so it’s cool [that] I get to see him play jazz for the first time on stage today,” piano junior Liz Sinn said.After the concert, students and teachers alike were animated and energized, feeding off of the thrill of performing in front of a crowd. The conductors congratulated students backstage and shared encouraging words as they helped kids haul tables to back rooms and instruments to their classrooms.

“We’re really happy,” Mr. Rogovin said. “The students have shown a tremendous amount of growth and really put a lot of energy on stage, and that’s what it’s all about: entertaining the people in the crowd. Even though there were some issues, [the students] hung in there and really put on a great show.”

Many of the student musicians look forward to improving their performances and using their experience from the first concert to grow in their art. Improvement is a constant personal goal for many of the kids in the music department, and performances provide a way for students to figure out what they want to work on.

“I know I can improve upon how I did, and at least I [now] know what I need to do,” Palermo said. “You don’t really know what you need to work on until you have to perform it under pressure.”

For other musicians, the concert is not only something to learn from, but also a new experience. Many of the performers at the concert were playing for the first time in Jazz Band, while others were performing for their first time overall.

“I love jazz music and I love singing, so when I get to share that with people it’s amazing,” said theatre senior Jade Master, who performed as the jazz band’s vocalist. “I love being on stage and that’s something I’m used to, but this is an entirely new setting for me. It’s a new group of people and they’re all very talented, so it’s exciting to be a part of something new.”