The Richwoods High School Jazz Band is finally starting to meet! Led by music director, Mr. Christopher Render, Richwoods’ jazz band comes together from winter to spring every year, to pay tribute and learn about America’s music: Jazz.
In the early 1900s in New Orleans, African American musical traditions began to thrive and mix with various European music forms, creating Jazz. Congo Square in New Orleans was one of the few areas in the U.S. where African Americans were allowed to gather publicly, and they did so with music. The Blues, brass bands, ragtime, and various other musical traditions began to develop, and a new culture was formed as they did. Improvisation, new rhythms that hadn’t been used in these ways, blue notes, and various other techniques are all key elements of the genre.
In the early 1900s, musicians like Buddy Bolden shaped the sound, turning group improvisation into a new art form, which eventually went on to become the modern template for the big band. Personal expression was key in this new art form, with improvisation leading to deeply personal music, rooted deeply into the players. As the genre went from the south to the north, places like Chicago and New York, jazz grew into a national phenomenon, leading to an objectively influential genre.
Mr. Render cares deeply about this culture and this genre, and he wants nothing more than to spread it to all of his students and let them enjoy it as well. The year typically starts off with learning the foundations of jazz, playing it, and understanding the language. Jazz scales, shorter rhythms, and improvisation all lead to an unfamiliar, and sometimes scary environment for people used to other types of ensembles, like concert bands. But Mr. Render’s number one lesson is that the only way to understand jazz, and the only way to play it well, is to listen to the greats that paved the way.
Once they have a stronger understanding of the culture, they start to learn songs. From old classics to newer pieces, Mr. Render is all about giving his students a wide range of music to play and allowing the students to experience several types of music. Eventually, once their repertoire is built, and they have their songs to play, they start going around to various competitions in the Midwest.
Just last year, the jazz band participated in the Greater St. Louis jazz festival. St. Louis, being a hotspot for the jazz scene, had a large festival, attracting many high school bands, but out of all of them, Richwoods High School won first place! They also got to meet guest composer Michele Fernandez and ask her questions about writing and jazz in general.
While they are out and about, you can see the Jazz band around the school at many events! Things like Grandparents’ Day, honor roll breakfasts, and more are often accompanied by the music played by our very own jazz ensemble, allowing for a more fun environment!
Mr. Render invites anyone with an interest in music to join, seeing it as a very fulfilling experience. So enjoy the jazz band when you see them, or maybe even join it yourself!
