Each year, the Jazz Band, Jazz Lab Band, and Jazz Ensemble look forward to attending the one-day Jazz festival at Evanston Township High School. This year, it was on Feb. 8, and there were around 60 students representing LT at the festival.

The students take a bus to the festival, Katherine Suttle ‘25 said. At the festival, many high school jazz bands around the state come together to perform music. There are multiple clinics throughout the day that students can attend. At the clinics, students learn from jazz professionals different skills like improvising and performing with a big band. 

“I think that students attend the festival because spending a whole day immersing yourself in jazz is a wonderful opportunity,” Suttle said. “It is not every day that you can meet and get advice from talented jazz musicians.” 

The jazz students also perform there. They perform three songs as a whole band and everyone in the Jazz Ensemble performs their combo song. Their combos are smaller groups of four or five players, and they are self-directed and get to choose what song they play. 

“[All students that attend] receive a clinic on their performances as well as attend multiple clinics on playing their instrument and improvisation,” Jazz Band Director Mark Dahl said. “Students also get to hear professional concerts in the afternoon and at the evening concert.” 

Students also receive feedback from different judges on their performances, Ava Bailey ‘26 said. As the students listen to the professionals, they take note  of how they decide to outline their pieces. This allows students to change their solos and other pieces. 

“My favorite thing about going to Evanston is going to the play-by-ear workshop,” Bailey said. “People from all different high schools are together in one room and we all learn how to play a fun song together by hearing each specific part. Then, at the end, we all get to take turns soloing over the song.” 

This festival is another way for the students in the Jazz band to bond together outside of the classroom, Suttle said.

“It is a great way to meet new people who share the same, somewhat unique, passion as you,” Suttle said. “At the end of the night, there is a specific guest band that performs. It is a great way to end the night.” 

The students that attend this Jazz festival each year get to take what they learn and bring it back to LT, Suttle said.