Sixth annual festival held at Missouri Western

Kristin Hoppa
St. Joseph News-Press

Music radiated through the Fulkerson Center and Blum Student Union at Missouri Western State University on Saturday.

Ten groups performed at the sixth annual Missouri Western Jazz Festival, with musicians showcasing their melodic skills and taking instruction from various mentors. Area high schools, middle schools and vocal groups performed while judges rated performances for a purely educational purpose.

“This is a non-competitive festival, so performers don’t have to feel like they are under pressure to place first, second or third,” said Bob Long, director of jazz studies at Missouri Western. “This is early in the season for groups to go out and perform, so the idea of this is really to get experience playing and to get a lot of time with clinicians.”

Instrumental groups took the stage at the Fulkerson Center at 8 a.m., and vocal performances began at 1 p.m. inside the Blum Union. After a brief clinic conducted by Missouri Western’s instrumental musical faculty, St. Joseph’s Central High School warmed up for its performance.

Groups included Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa; Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia, Mo.; and Harrisonville (Mo.) High School. Mr. Long said he hoped students would gain a better understanding of music education.

“A lot of these students are not going to move forward and become players after they leave high school, but the whole idea is for them to have a deeper appreciation of what music is,” he said. “They will be consumers of music in the future — and hopefully, consumers of quality music in the future.”

Spectators enjoyed the annual festival free of charge, as clinicians offered advice after performances. Missouri Western master class instructors also offered advice, demonstrating techniques on the trombone, trumpet, percussion and saxophone.

Dick Redman, director of bands for the Pella (Iowa) Community District, and Doug Talley, performer and clinician for numerous colleges and high schools, worked with groups on tone, individual solos and other musical styles. In the Blum Union, instruction was given to vocal groups from Kansas City Community College.

“I want to feel the romance,” said Ryan Howe, a vocal instructor at Southwestern Community College in Red Oak, Iowa, as the group performed “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”

“Let me hear it with a little more crescendo, right here at the end,” he added.

To cap off the night, the Missouri Western Jazz Ensemble performed, and individual performance awards were given out. Mr. Long said while school budgets continue to make cuts to fine arts and music programs, both are highly needed in education.

“For me, the arts just help make you better rounded as a person,” he said. “Through music and art, we learn how to communicate non-verbally — and that’s a very important part of our society.

Kristin Hoppa can be reached at kristin.hoppa@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: SJNPHoppa.

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