Jazz Band
The Eureka High School band program features two jazz band courses. In both courses, students learn about jazz music, one of America’s only native art forms, through several different avenues. They learn common performance practice of jazz and commercial music through exploration of jazz standards and other music, they learn to improvise through the study of common jazz chord progressions and song forms, and they learn about the symbiotic relationship between jazz and American culture.
The zero hour jazz band is the premier performance jazz ensemble at Eureka High School and rehearses every Tuesday through Friday before school. The first hour jazz band rehearses every school day during first hour and is more of a lab band, where students explore basic jazz concepts more in-depth throughout the year. The jazz bands also host an annual Jazz Workshop Day in February on the EHS campus. Both jazz bands are under the direction of Mr. Jeremy Knudtson.
Instruments commonly found in jazz band are trumpet, trombone, saxophones, guitar, piano, bass (acoustic and/or electric), and drumset. However, almost any instrument can participate in jazz band! Auditions for the jazz bands for the subsequent school year are usually held in January, with band placement being announced for scheduling purposes by mid-February.
Both jazz band classes have active performance schedules. The jazz bands perform at the Winter Band Concert in December, the Festival Band Concert in February, and host their own “Night of Jazz” concert in late April or early May. The jazz bands also regularly perform at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in February and the Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival in April. Closer to home, the jazz bands have performed at both boys and girls basketball games, in the EHS Commons before school, at Lafayette High School’s annual jazz festival in January, at the annual EHS Holiday Craft Fair, for the Eureka Parks and Recreation Senior Citizen Luncheon program, and in programs for the band students at both LaSalle Springs Middle School and Wildwood Middle School.
The 2018-2019 Jazz Band Schedule includes the following events:
Saturday, November 3: EHS Band Holiday Craft Fair (both classes)
Monday, November 5: Wildwood Middle School Performance (zero hour only)
Sunday, December 9: Winter Band Concert (both classes)
Friday, December 14: Girls’ Basketball Game (zero hour required, first hour optional)
Monday, January 7: LaSalle Springs Middle School Performance (zero hour only)
Thursday, January 17: Rockwood Night of Jazz (at LHS) (zero hour only)
Friday February 1: Boys’ Basketball Game (zero hour required, first hour optional)
Thursday, February 7: Essentially Ellington Festival (zero hour only)
Sunday, February 10: Festival Band Concert (both classes)
Monday, February 18: EHS Spring Jazz Clinic (both classes)
Thursday, April 4: Eureka Senior Citizens’ Luncheon (zero hour only)
Thursday, April 11 or Friday, April 12: Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival (both classes)
Friday, April 26: Spring Jazz Band Concert (both classes)
