Tracy High music students gain an appreciation for jazz
Jazz Reach teaches the audience about the origins of jazz.
February 18, 2014
A group of about 300 Tracy High students took a trip to The Grand Theater to watch a musical jazz performance by Jazz Reach. The jazz band was comprised of a professional group of musicians and three other jazz musicians from University of the Pacific.
A combination of kids from various music classes walked down 11th street and all the way to the theater to watch the jazz concert. Music teachers Jennifer Grover, Tom Renner, and Jeffrey Kumagi all took their classes to this field trip. Grover was hesitant about bringing that many students on a walking field trip, but was happy about how it turned out.
“At first I was nervous about bringing so many kids, but I think it was worth the risk to be able to see that performance,” Grover said. “Also, music students are the best kind of students so I wasn’t too worried about their behavior. It was a great adventure for all of us.”
The rain didn’t deter from students’ excitement about the jazz concert either.
“It was cold and rainy, but it was worth the walk,” senior Evan Eggers said.
Senior Johnny Taracena didn’t mind the rain either.
“I came prepared with a rain coat, so I didn’t mind the rain,” Taracena said.
The jazz performance was not just a musical concert, but an interactive history lesson. The performance included a power point about the evolution of jazz over the years. The band would switch to a different piece of music that corresponded to the time period or jazz artist they were teaching about. Several people of the audience appreciated the new knowledge gained from this experience.
“I learned more about modern jazz that I hadn’t heard of before. For example, I had never heard about ‘hard-bop’ in all my years of learning and teaching music,” Grover said.
“I think it’s great that we weren’t just listening to one type of music, but you were also learning about the history of jazz,” senior Ciana Mora said.
“I really liked that they talked about the roots of jazz music and how it’s intrinsic to American culture, but it’s been recognized as a worldwide genre,” senior Jabril Muhammad said. “My favorite part was when they talked about Miles Davis because my Uncle is a big fan, and I finally understand why he likes him so much.”
The college students apart of the performance helped inspire Even Eggers in his musical goals as well. “It was cool to see that the performers were from the same college that I want to go to,” Eggers said. “It’s nice to see what opportunities that could open up being a musician at UOP.”
The jazz concert was a great experience for all the Tracy High music students attending, and not only provided authentic jazz music, but helped enlighten students about the origins of jazz.
