Milton students are busy. Tests, papers, plays, sports and activities compete for finite time in a Milton day. So, when students answer the call to volunteer their time and talents, it’s a big deal. Last October, Milton jazz students answered that call many times. Early in the month, ten student musicians performed a spirited set of South African tunes for an audience of hundreds at “Celebrate Milton,” an event hosted by the Town of Milton and supported by our community service program. Mid-month, Class IV jazz students offered their first performance of the year for parents during Parents’ Weekend. Milton’s three advanced jazz groups followed a week later, playing for the 25th Annual Fall Jazz Concert, a tribute to the music of Thelonious Monk.
“This music is fun, quirky and profound,” says Milton jazz director Bob Sinicrope. “Twenty-six students surprised the audience by setting Monk’s tunes to contemporary styles–hip-hop, reggae and Afro-Cuban rhythms.”
They rounded out the weekend playing cocktail-hour and dinner music for Milton’s on-campus launch of Dare: The Campaign for Milton. Closing October, Milton’s jazz volunteers shared their talents with younger students, performing during morning assembly at the Park School in Brookline. Among other jazz activities, the advanced jazz classes traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, in January to perform and to participate in the Jazz Education Network (JEN) seventh annual conference, where more than 3,000 jazz musicians, directors, students and enthusiasts gathered. Bob Sinicrope is the president of JEN–the first high school teacher to hold the position. Milton graduate Aaron Goldberg ’91 and his trio were featured on the main stage; and Jason Yeager ’05 presented a clinic at the conference. Bob directed a weekend workshop for 40 teachers and a weeklong jazz workshop for 100 students in South Africa in January. Milton’s jazz program enjoys a strong connection with South Africa, as students tour the country every other spring. “Milton groups cherish our connections with South African schools and organizations,” says Bob. “Over the years, our students have made significant donations of instruments and materials to school programs in need there.”