The South Windsor jazz band, The Good Vibes Fellowship, displayed their musical excellency at the National Jazz Festival located in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 18th. The band had a great performance with an impressive 1st place award in the high school level Small Ensemble division.
The trip to Philadelphia was a coordinated effort, with middle school musicians traveling by bus while other performers arrived via separate carpools. To ensure a seamless performance, the band held several strategy sessions before taking the stage. By refining their transitions and tonal details in these meetings, the students were able to perform with a heightened sense of confidence.
“The key to performing well is not stressing about it the night before; it’s preparing way ahead of time,” freshman band member Graham Serow, explained.
After their discussion of their “game plan”, they enjoyed themselves with some ice cream and some laughs, walking downtown. This allowed the band members to connect more and lower the anxiety before the big day of the performance.
Member of The Good Vibes Fellowship, Liliah Bolduc, explained that their goal was not to win, it was to have fun and maintain good vibes.
“Luckily, in the end we did achieve both by having a great time performing and earning first place in our category,” Bolduc told The Prowl.
Their performance included a nice balance of jazz classics and also some modern pieces. This unique routine of songs is what seems to set apart The Good Vibes Fellowship group aside from other competitors at this festival.
Senior Ben Bolduc, a veteran member of the ensemble, noted that the group felt an unusual sense of ease before taking the stage, attributing their comfort to the thorough preparation they put in during the trip.
“This is what comfortability allowed us to do great things in front of the judges in Philly,” Ben said.
This group is able to work really well together, since they are comfortable with each other’s playing style after playing together for the past four years.
Individually, members earned honor awards for their outstanding performances. Member Aarohan Verma won Superior Musician Award in their category, and drummer, Alvin Quansah, won team’s Most Valuable Player award.
“This award means a lot to me because I worked very hard every week to perfect my part in all the pieces so I can focus on my solo and dynamics in the pieces,” Quansah told The Prowl.
Quansah worked hard consistently practicing the pieces and his solo over and over, not only at rehearsal, but at home too. He knew the importance of practicing his parts, as he has been playing the drums for 9 years.
While this group was majorly successful in many areas, they still had to deal with challenges along the way. The main challenge for this group was making sure that there were minimal errors in any of their pieces.
“In a small ensemble, there is no place to hide,” Bolduc explained, “so each member needs to know all the pieces like the back of their hand.” he told The Prowl.
The band rehearsed their pieces over 30 hours, but they also kept in mind that there is always room for improvement and more practice, as they move forward in their musical careers.
The Good Vibes Fellowship’s success at the Nation Jazz Festival highlights not only their musical talent, but also their teamwork and dedication, driving this achievement. This well-deserved award reflects the hard work and chemistry that this team shares. South Windsor celebrates this huge milestone and the band set new, high standards for future musical students in the community.
