Minnetonka Middle School West Jazz Band

Our program on May 8^th was a musical program presented by the MMW Jazz Band. The band, composed of twenty-seven 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders, from Minnetonka Middle School West, was led by director (and music teacher) Laura Bergren.

The musicians arrived, set up, and got tuned in short order. They played 4 selections for us, starting with “First Time Around”, followed by “Cute”, “Jazz Police”, and finally “Sing, Sing, Sing”, originally made famous by Benny Goodman. Four students played solos during the concert.

Before the group played, Ms. Bergren explained to the club members that the jazz band is an extracurricular program, and that all of the members are also in one of the school’s regular band programs. To become a member of the jazz group, the students have to audition, and then they have to commit to attending band practice an hour before classes start once a week.

Tim Litfin did some quick interviews before the start, and many of the band members had been playing their instrument for under two years. A show of hands told us that about 70% of our members had played in band in school, and about 25% had played in jazz ensembles or “big band” groups as part of their high school experiences. There was a lot of toe tapping and a lot of smiling during the numbers, especially the last one. This concert was the first one many members had heard with a middle school band playing jazz, and I heard many comments about the increased level of accomplishment in recent years. (Story by Tad shaw and Photo by Steve Frazier)