Kennedy Jazz 1 has competed in and placed first in many competitions throughout the year. The state championships were on Tuesday, April 8 where Kennedy placed eighth in the 4A division. 

At Jazz Championships, Kennedy performed at 9:30 a.m., right after Fort Dodge. The competition was held at Iowa State University in Stephens Auditorium. They performed in front of adjudicators Natalie Boeyink, Matt Pivec and Todd Stoll.

“I feel this group has performed unbelievably well. Our synergy is really there, and the judges and audience can feel our passion and emotion through the music whenever we play,” senior Delaney Steenblock said. “It’s what sets us apart from other groups which was made apparent from our invitation back to Jazz Championships.”

The Jazz Band has continually placed high throughout the season. At the NEIBA district festival they placed second, tying the school record that was set last year. This year they placed in the Jazz Championships for the first time in school history.

“Prairie is our biggest competition in NEIBA, which is what you need to do well in to qualify for Jazz Champs,” senior trumpet player Lucas Horton said. “We knew Linn-Mar was going to win, but only one more spot in NEIBA was guaranteed to go to Jazz Champs without a wild card, so we had to beat Prairie there.”

Jazz 1 is the highest level of jazz at Kennedy. It consists of mostly juniors and seniors that have been a part of the program for most of their high school years. The Jazz 1 band gathers the best students for each section in the band.

“Each musician is exceptional at their instrument, and when we got a group that all know how to do their craft the best possible, it helped us in solely focusing on the music, instead of spending time in rehearsals only working on one measure or phrase at a time,” Steenblock said. “Because of that, we were able to advance and learn faster and smoother.”