HMS jazz students at the Vermont Jazz Center

On March 28, six HMS jazz students (guitarist Dan Roaman '08, guitarist Nick Swartz '08, violinist Sophie Abrahams-Dematte '08 [pictured], guitarist Jesse Cornelisse '08, pianist Julia Balit '09, and trumpeter Larkin Little '09) travelled to the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro for an old-fashioned jazz jam. The jams are a weekly occurrence at the VJC, and have been going on for years. Participants can bring their own tunes, or just see what comes up (jumping up on stage and sight-reading!).

The students played a bit, listened a lot, and enjoyed the trip. They described the largely middle-aged crowd of regulars as a little "grumpy", but nobody could deny that these guys can play! HMS music teacher Elise MacDonald played a lot of bass during the evening, and found that the VJC crowd kept her on her toes.

We'll be back!

The VJC's website can be found in the "off-campus" box in the left-hand margin.

Snowed out of the Berklee Festival...*again*...

The HMS Jazz Bands were all set to perform at the Berklee College of Music High School Jazz Festival on March 17, after rehearsing feverishly during the week of March 12 - 16 (the week after our two-week break, which is just enough time to get rusty).

Along came a big old late-in-the-season Nor'Easter. After much excrutiating deliberation and consultation, it was decided that we just couldn't brave the weather. Students, parents, and HMS faculty alike were terribly frustrated and disappointed.

This was the second time in three years that we've been snowed out of participating in the world's largest high school jazz festival (350 bands from all over the USA). It happened in 2005, as well! We've been attending the Berklee Festival since 2000. The five visits we've made to the Festival have all been wonderful (our performances have been combined with a bit of Newbury Street/Copley square shopping for the students, as well as a wonderful, leisurely group lunch or dinner). The two years we've had to stay home have been awful!

Particularly given that I'm a Berklee alum, I've been in touch with the College about pushing the date out a bit later; we're far from the only band to have had trouble due to the weather in 2005 and 2007.

Stay tuned for 2008...

See Berklee's website in the "off-campus" section in the left-hand margin.

The David Anderson Music Fund

The David Anderson Fund was founded in memory of David Anderson, an HMS alum who passed away from leukemia several years after graduating from the school. David's accomplished cello playing and the importance of music in his life inspired his parents, Mike and Seraphin Anderson, to establish a scholarship fund in his honor for High Mowing music students.

Scholarships from the Fund may be used by the families of student musicians to help defray the cost of music camps, private lessons, and fees for music festivals (such as New Hampshire All-State).

Applications for scholarships from the fund are made at the beginning of the school year; awards are typically made during the winter. Both financial need and merit are part of the process of considering each application.

HMS families who would like to make an application to the Fund should click on this link.