Category: Communities

Kansas City Jazz Summit included 54 bands

The 4th annual Kansas City Jazz Summit at Kansas City Kansas Community College welcomed 54 bands and crowned a new winner of the Basically Basie competition. (KCKCC photo)

by Kelly Rogge

The 4th annual Kansas City Jazz Summit at Kansas City Kansas Community College welcomed 54 bands and crowned a new winner of the Basically Basie competition.

The summit, which was April 23, 24 and 25 in the KCKCC Performing Arts Center, caters to jazz groups at the middle school, high school and college level in both competitive and non-competitive sessions. This includes bands, choirs and combos.

“Our students really brought their ‘A’ game as hosts, work crew and performers,” said Jim Mair, professor of music and director of instrumental studies at KCKCC. “The PAC looked amazing, like a New York City loft. We also had world class adjudication.”

There are three levels of participation at the Jazz Summit. These include:
•    Jazz Summit. A non-competitive group where jazz groups perform for adjudicators. No winners are named, but outstanding groups and soloists are recognized. Groups that participate in this category receive a plaque or trophy.
•    Kansas City Jazz Heritage – “Basically Basie.” This is a competitive category on Thursday of the Jazz Summit. Groups are required to pick three songs from an established list of Count Basie repertoire. These selections must have been recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra. Judging is based on the authenticity and attention to detail. The top two groups will compete for audience voting, which is done by text message. The winning group receives a traveling plaque.
•    Jazz Tyro. This is specifically designed for younger bands with little experience. Those that participate receive positive comments as well as a clinic following their performance.

The winner of this year’s Basically Basie competition was Roosevelt High School from Sioux Falls, S.D. The last three years, Blue Valley Northwest has received the top prize. Local schools who attended the Jazz Summit include Piper, Basehor-Linwood, Turner, Lansing, Tonganoxie, Shawnee Mission East, Blue Valley Northwest, Olathe Northwest, Olathe North, Shawnee Mission Northwest and Johnson County Community College. The KCKCC Jazz Ensemble, KCKCC Jazz Combo and KCKCC Standard Jazz Choir also performed.

“That is by far the most educational jazz festival that I have ever attended,” said Jena McElwain, band director at Prairie Trail Middle School in Olathe. “Every aspect of the day was so smoothly run, so very professional, and completely all about music and jazz education.”

For more information about the Kansas City Jazz Summit, contact Jim Mair at kcjazz@kckcc.edu or by phone at 913-288-7503.

Area students honored at business awards celebration

Two students from Wyandotte County were honored recently at the School of Business awards celebration at Emporia State University.

The students from this area and their honors:
•    Bruce VanCleave of Edwardsville, Kan., was named a senior honor student and a distinguished business scholar.
•    Jinhyuk Yang of Kansas City, Kan., was named a senior honor student.

Student who were honored had a 3.5 or better cumulative grade point average.

Third-graders to participate in Kansas Kids Fitness and Safety Day

Third-grade students in the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools are gearing up to participate in the 24th annual Kansas Kids Fitness and Safety Day.

The Governor’s Council on Fitness and Safe Kids Kansas are sponsoring this statewide event to reinforce the fun and health benefits of noncompetitive physical activities and injury prevention. Nearly 19,000 students will participate this year at more than 30 sites across the state, with the majority of events being held on May 1 and May 2.
On Thursday, May 1, Washington High School will be the host of 1,000 third-graders and high school students at the stadium at 7340 Leavenworth Road in Kansas City, Kan.

On Friday, May 2, Harmon High School will be the host of more than 1,000 third-grade students and high school students at 25th and Lawrence Avenue at Harmon Stadium. Events on both dates will take place from 10 a.m. to noon.

Statewide, all children participating in Kansas Kids Fitness and Safety Day will receive health and safety enrichment packets, including jump ropes, to encourage physical activity.  Activities at these sites will provide opportunities to participate in fun and educational activities to promote physical activity and promote safety.

Kansas Kids Fitness and Safety Day is an opportunity to impress upon youth the importance of being safe and physically active. A 2008 report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than one-third of children and adolescents were either overweight or obese and physical inactivity was a major contributor to this problem. According to the CDC report, 70 percent of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease in a population based sample of 5 to 17 year olds.
Kansas City, Kansas Kids Fitness Day is sponsored by UMB bank.  This is the second year for this partnership and the benefits are amazing.  Kansas City, Kan., fire stations will be on hand to help with the fire safety station.