Over the weekend of June 27th–28th, the Westlake Girls Events Centre was buzzing with incredible energy, rhythm, and collaboration as we proudly hosted the first-ever All-Girls Jazz Festival.
We welcomed 65 talented young musicians from four Auckland Girls School Big Bands:
- Epsom Girls Grammar School Directed by Imogen Pearce
- St Cuthbert’s College Directed by Angela Mote
- Baradene College Directed by David Edmundson
- Westlake Girls High School Directed by Jono Howan
The weekend was packed with hands-on learning, led by some fantastic jazz educators from all around the country. Students dived deep into their repertoire and sound with Lana Law (Director of the Christchurch All-Girls Big Band) and renowned jazz educator Paul Norman.
We welcomed Eddie Hare from Westlake Boys, who led an exciting introduction to improvisation, demystifying the art of making up music on the spot. On Sunday morning, select students were also invited to a specialised, advanced improvisation masterclass with Lana Law to push their skills even further.
One of the student highlights of the weekend was the ‘Mix-n-Match’ sessions. Students were split by instrument and thrown into brand-new, combined bands. For example, a saxophone section from Westlake Girls found themselves locking into a groove with brass players from Baradene and a rhythm section from St Cuthbert’s! It was a fantastic way for the students to socialise and make new friends.
The volume and excitement ramped up during the all-in play session on Sunday afternoon. All 65 musicians workshopped the same piece together in the Events Centre led by Lana Law, the massive ensemble traded solos and experimented with how tiny shifts in dynamics and articulation could make a massive impact on their collective sound.
The festival wrapped up on Sunday afternoon with a showcase concert. Each school took to the stage to share their hard work with each other and an enthusiastic audience of parents. The atmosphere was electric, and full of positivity and enthusiasm.
We are incredibly proud of our students and thrilled they had the opportunity to learn from such phenomenal tutors, while making connections with other wāhine in the jazz world.
A massive thank you to all the tutors, visiting schools, parents, and staff who made this weekend such a resounding success. We can’t wait to see how these connections and musical skills flourish in the future! Big thanks also go to Jono Howan and Kasey Lui for their hard work to put this event together.
