The end of January marks the beginning of jazz band season around the state, and the Mid-Prairie Jazz Band is ready for the many upcoming competitions. Jazz Band Director David Kunz says their first event will be this Saturday at 9:20 a.m., as they travel to Clear Creek-Amana High School for the State Jazz Band Contest. After that, they’ll travel to a pair of college jazz competitions. The first is the Tallcorn Jazz Festival on February 18th at the University of Northern Iowa, the longest-running college jazz event in the state. The second is the Coe College Jazz Summit on February 24th.
Kunz believes the college events are important, because they serve as learning opportunities. He explains, “The great thing about the college jazz competitions is that we get to have a clinic. A college jazz educator gets to work with the jazz band, and gives us lots of great advice about how to play the music even better. We always learn a lot at those clinics we have.” Kunz says the biggest event of the season will be the district jazz contest on March 4th at Iowa City West High School. That competition is important because the top two finishers automatically qualify for the Iowa Jazz Championships. Kunz is confident the Mid-Prairie Jazz Band will do well in the competition season, and feels he has a good mixture of experience and young talent. To hear more about the Mid-Prairie Jazz Band, listen to the In Touch with Southeast Iowa interview with Kunz at KCIIRadio.com.