Jazz Ensemble Competition

The 26th annual Jazz Ensemble Competition will be held Friday, May 2nd, at Shenandoah University. The competition will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude around 5:00 p.m. The bands compete in three classifications which are determined by student enrollment in grades 7-12. Bands perform 20 minutes of music of their own selection. The Winchester Cup is awarded annually to the outstanding ensemble participating in the competition. Additional awards are presented to the first and second place bands in each classification and to each band receiving a Superior Rating. ADMISSION IS FREE!!

Awards for 2008

Class C:
1st Place: Martinsburg South Middle School #2
2nd Place: Martinsburg South Middle School #1
3rd Place: George Washington Middle School

Class B:
1st Place: Phoebus High School
2nd Place: North Hagerstown High School
3rd Place: Merrill High School

Class A:
1st Place: North Stafford High School
2nd Place: Martinsburg High School

Overall Awards:
Winchester Cup – 1st Place Overall:
North Stafford High School

President’s Award – 2nd Place Overall:
Phoebus High School

Director’s Award – 3rd Place Overall:
Martinsburg South Middle School

Superior Ratings:
Martinsburg South Middle School #1
Martinsburg South Middle School #2
Phoebus High School
Martinsburg High School
North Stafford High School

Competition Information

Performance Schedule
By classification, beginning with Class C and concluding with Class A.
Competition starts at 8:00 a.m.

Entrance
Limited to one band per school.

Fee
$100.00 per band.

Classification
Determined by school enrollment in grades 10-12.
- Class A 1401 or more
- Class B 701-1400
- Class C 700 or fewer
- Ensembles may compete in a higher classification than enrollment indicates, but not in a lower classification. Middle school and junior high school bands perform for ratings and comments only.

Performance Requirements
Each ensemble must play a minimum of ten, but not more than twenty minutes of music. There is no required musical program. However, programs are expected to be well balanced and provide sufficient variety for valid adjudication (for example: Swing Tune, Ballad, Jazz/Rock Tune).

Evaluation
By three adjudicators.

Awards
Ensembles receiving a Rating I will receive an award for that accomplishment. Ensembles receiving I and II ratings will be eligible for the following awards:

• The Winchester Cup for the outstanding ensemble.
• The President’s Award for the ensemble achieving the second highest point total regardless of classification.
• The Director’s Award for the ensemble achieving the third highest point total regardless of classification.

First, Second and Third place awards are presented in each classification. Ensembles will receive individual score sheets and a cassette recording of each judge’s comments.

BACK