DIRECTOR INFORMATION & FESTIVAL RULES
ENTRANCE FORMS MAY BE SUBMITTED ONLINE BEGINNING AT 9:00 a.m. CST on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4th AND WILL CONTINUE UNTIL ALL 40 PERFORMANCE SPACES
ARE FILLED. AN ONLINE REGISTRATION LINK WILL APPEAR ON WWW.NTJAZZ.COM AT 9:00
A.M. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4th.
Our
festival’s purpose is to provide a positive, noncompetitive educational
experience for inexperienced ensembles, or “second” ensembles from high schools
with more than one jazz ensemble, or "First and only" jazz ensembles
whose director considers them to be "inexperienced." These
ensembles often have little opportunity to perform outside their school
district, benefit from the comments of great clinicians, or hear university or
professional big bands. These students can also gain the most from receiving
one of the individual talent awards, or by attending a "Special Interest
Clinic" at our festival. No director should disqualify their ensemble from
participation in our festival because they feel it is not good enough! EVERYONE
WHO ATTENDS IS A WINNER!
The 40 performance spaces for "second" or "third" jazz
ensembles will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis using
internet-stamped reply times on the online applications beginning at 9 a.m.
"Second/Third Bands" will get accepted first, then beginning at 1 p.m. on registration day, "Inexperienced 1st and Only" bands will be accepted based on entry times.
A waiting list will be maintained and posted for groups that enroll after all the performance spaces are filled.
Forms will be discarded from schools where the director identifies their applying band as "Inexperienced first or only jazz ensemble", but who enter more than one jazz ensemble in the question, "Number of jazz ensembles in your school's music department?" No attempt will be made to contact a director to verify the correctness of any form and it is up to the directors to decide if their "1st and only" band is "inexperienced."
***CHANGE IN RULE FOR THIS YEAR (2012) - PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS MAY BRING TWO BANDS, PROVIDED NEITHER BAND IS YOUR SCHOOL'S "TOP" BAND. IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE FOR AS MANY SCHOOLS AS POSSIBLE, A SCHOOL'S SECOND BAND WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER REGISTRATION HAS BEEN OPEN FOR 24 HOURS. AFTER 24 HOURS, PRIORITY FOR REMAINING PERFOAMNCE SPOTS WILL BE DETERMINED ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE BASIS. THE FIRST SCHOOLS TO REGISTER WILL BE INVITED TO BRING AN ADDITIONAL BAND.
IMPORTANT: It is necessary to limit the number of REDUCED PRICE
EVENING CONCERT TICKETS ($15) we can sell to our guest schools to the number of
students performing, and chaperone(s). We will still provide one complimentary
director ticket. We cannot accommodate evening concert requests for reduced
price tickets to bring additional non-performing bands or additional
non-performing students from one school. Those non-performing students are
welcome to attend the free daytime clinics and concerts, but if they wish to
attend the evening concert they must pay for a full price ($25) a ticket. Those
tickets must be ordered using the online application.
REGULAR FESTIVAL FEATURES
A DVD of every band's performance - auditorium performances are recorded in stereo using with more than 20 microphones and six camera angles. Bands performing in the auditorium will be broadcast LIVE on cable television to more than 40,000 homes, in stereo LIVE on North Shore Public Radio, and LIVE WORLDWIDE on the Internet.
Every band that performs will have the opportunity to have their performance archived on the Internet for one entire year. Details provided to participating bands.
Every ensemble will receive a private clinic with an outstanding jazz educator.
Two big band sight-reading sessions for junior high and high school musicians.
New Trier will provide drums, bass and guitar amps, and vibes if you play on the main stage. If you do not perform on the main stage, you must provide your own amps/drums/cymbals/stands.
Bands are strongly encouraged, but not required to stay for the evening concert featuring the CHICAGO JAZZ ENSEMBLE WITH SPECIAL GUEST NICHOLAS PAYTON!
"Special Interest Clinics" on such topics as... "So you think you want to be a college music major," "The world of the touring jazz musician," "How to improvise," "How to compose music," "How to become a recording engineer, " "How to become a jingle writer for radio or TV" and others.
Outstanding junior high students can receive a Jamey Aebersold "How To Improvise" Play-A-Long CD.
A Directors Big Band comprised of our guest directors will perform on stage in the afternoon.
Hear great professional and college jazz artists during the day.
Outstanding High School students can receive Jazz Festival Outstanding Musician Certificates.
Format of our 29th Annual Frank
Mantooth Jazz Festival at New Trier High School:
1. There
are five performance sites for big bands... the auditorium stage (1,600 seats
and for high school ensembles with 12 or more members), the McGee Theater (600
seats), the student lounge (junior high groups), and in the two third floor
band rooms. You may request the location in which you prefer your big band to
play on the entry form. Acceptance is "first-come, first-serve". In
an attempt to involve as many schools as possible on the main stage, only one
band from a particular school will be accepted. Schools that performed on stage
last year will not perform on stage this year. Schools can bring additional
students for free to attend the daytime concerts and clinics. All bands
regardless of where they perform must provide their own cymbals, and use a
stacked setup with trombones seated.
2. Each jazz ensemble may perform three compositions or 18 minutes,
whichever comes first. (Setup and teardown time is not included in this 18
minute period.) Keep in mind that the shorter time you play, the longer you
will have in your private clinic with a university clinician.
3. Big bands that perform in the 1,600 seat auditorium will have two
clinicians record comments during your group’s performance. This is in addition
to a stereo stage performance DVD. Bands performing in other locations will
have their concert and clinic videotaped by one camera and can be archived on
our website for one year. A clinician comment CD will also be made for
non-auditorium bands whose fees are reduced since those ensembles are not being
multi-camera videotaped.
4. If you perform on stage, after your ensemble performs it will move to a
rehearsal room and work on specific areas of concern heard by your clinician
during your performance. Groups that perform in other sites will remain in that
location for their clinic. All daytime performance sites are open to the public
with no admission charged.
5. NEW THIS YEAR! Each participating school will be invited to bring one combo to perform for a combo clinician.
6. Outstanding high school musicians will be recognized at the evening concert when they are presented Outstanding Musician Certificates.
7. In
order to expose your students to smaller groups, the Marquis Hill Black-tet will
perform at noon. During the afternoon there will be sight-reading bands and two
"special interest clinics." The instrumental masterclasses will be
presented by members of the CHICAGO JAZZ ENSEMBLE. Following the
masterclasses will be a concert by the Michigan State University Jazz Orchestra. The daytime portion of the festival will end by 5:00
p.m. Maps to inexpensive restaurants in the area will be available
when you check in, and on this web page.
8. At 7:30 PM, the New Trier High School Jazz Ensemble will open the
evening concert, followed by a brief intermission and awards ceremony. The Chicago Jazz Ensemble with special guest artist Nicholas Payton will begin around 8:15 p.m. and end by 10:00 p.m.
PERFORMING STUDENTS and chaperones participating in the day’s activities are
eligible to purchase $15 tickets to the evening concert if ordered and paid for
by Thanksgiving by their director. Each director will receive one complimentary
ticket. Tickets for non-performing students and adults will be $25 each if
ordered on the online application form. It should be noted that nearly EVERY
ONE of our previous evening concerts have been sellouts!
9. Do not send your entrance fee at this time. You will be billed
according to your performance location. BANDS THAT PAY THEIR ENTRANCE
FEES LATER THAN FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 11, 2011 WILL BE MOVED TO THE WAITING LIST AND REPLACED
BY ANOTHER BAND FROM OUR WAITING LIST.
PARTICIPATION FEES
There are two participation fees for high school or junior high BIG BANDS, depending on where you perform.
NOTE:
Ensembles that withdraw after JANUARY 3, 2011, will forfeit their entire
entrance fee. DO NOT SEND YOUR FEE UNTIL YOU ARE BILLED.
Complete the online application beginning at 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 4,
2011. Email questions to nmeyer@ntjazz.com
Nic
Meyer
New Trier High School
385 Winnetka Ave.
Winnetka, IL 60093
(847) 784-6701
FAX (847) 501-6400
EMAIL address: nmeyer@ntjazz.com