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LAHS Percussion Ensemble – MPA Preview Concert 3/5/2026

The LAHS Percussion Ensemble rotates in a full set of new members each quarter because our high school has 27 percussion students and only 2 concert bands between which to distribute them. This group of 10 students rotated in at the beginning of the second semester and is composed of mostly freshmen and sophomore students. These students scored the lowest of the percussionists in their concert placement auditions for this year. Coming in with little or no concert style percussion ensemble experience and a deficit of skills compared to their percussion peers, they had to not only learn the music but also adjust to the percussion ensemble environment and develop the raw ability to play the selected music. They made significant progress in their percussion skills and small ensemble skills over this quarter to be able to successfully perform the repertoire musically and as a cohesive group. As you can see in the video, I facilitated the ensemble starting together, but then allowed them the space to musically communicate and progress through the remainder of the music as a cooperative team, relying on counting and listening to one another as well as subtle visual cues to stay together. These skills are applicable to any type of musical ensemble and I am happy to say that they developed a great sense of musical awareness and focus over a relatively short time in this ensemble, successfully staying together for the entire concert, while individually playing their parts well. Though I must first credit the students for their hard work, I am the sole director of this ensemble, taking the concept of “full assumption” student teaching to the extreme limit.

LAHS Jazz 1 Big Band at the 2026 Albuquerque Jazz Festival

The LAHS Jazz 1 Big Band is the premier jazz ensemble in the district and is made up of 18 students, 12 winds and 6 rhythm section members. This performance was recorded at the Albuquerque Jazz Festival at El Dorado High School and consisted of 3 tunes, the first of which (embedded above) was Be Cool by Mike Tomaro, a funk/rock blues that I directed, followed by 2 others that were directed by the teacher of record for the class. This festival was adjudicated by 3 judges and the band received two Superior ratings and one Excellent+ rating (I, I, and II+), with comments noting that this first tune was the standout selection of the set. The group had about 6 weeks to prepare this tune, though they also had another performance at the beginning of the semester as the Honor Jazz band at the All-State Conference, where they performed a completely different set of music that they had prepared before the winter break. This tune is not swing and is thus a little bit outside of the normal big band paradigm and it also has an unusual chord progression, featuring a selection of extended augmented chords and a chromatically descending turnaround, which we recently used as the basis for an in-class improvisation assessment. Despite these challenges we were able to put together a great rendition, for which the guitar player and pianist were both given outstanding soloist awards, highlighting their preparation and execution in spite of the unusual nature of the changes.