February Updates

During the month of February, the DRJH band will be gearing up for Festival Season. During a band festival, bands will perform for a set of adjudicators and receive a rating of Good, Excellent, or Superior based on how well they perform. Our band program has a tradition of maintaining at least a score of Excellent, and a score of Superior in the past three years.

The Jazz Band will be performing at the MCC NextGen Jazz Workshop on Friday, February 7th, 2025. While this is not a “graded” festival performance, the Jazz Band will still receive commentary and feedback from professional musicians during the workshop.

The 7th and 8th Grade Concert Band will be performing at the Gilbert Public School District Band Festival on Thursday, February 20th, 2025 at Mesquite Jr High School. Each band will perform two songs for a panel of adjudicators. Following the performance, the students will have a chance to work with the judges on their music and learn from their expertise.

Last year, our 7th Grade Band received a Superior rating, and our 8th Grade Band received a Superior with Distinction rating (meaning all three judges gave the band a Superior rating).

On Thursday February 20th, band students should wear their Band Attire to school since we will be leaving at 9:00 AM

Band Attire:

• Band Polo

• Black Pants or Black Jeans

• Long Black Socks

• Black Shoes

Students are allowed to bring cell phones on the field trip, with the understanding that students can ONLY be on phones on the bus and during lunch. Phones should NEVER be out during band performances, or in the auditorium. If a student is on their phone during an inappropriate time, it will be confiscated by a chaperone or Mr. Larkins and returned after the conclusion of the field trip.

Please reach out to Mr. Larkins with any questions!