Freeport Area Middle school played host to the PMEA District 3 Jazz Festival on Friday, February 17th. The festival included dozens of schools from Indiana, Armstrong, Clarion, Jefferson, Venango, and Forest counties. The festival included three auditioned bands - Red Band, White Band, and Blue Band. Each ensemble was directed by a local guest conductor who rehearsed and prepared the ensembles for a public performance. Mr. Bob Harris ran the Red Band on classics like "The Chicken", "Gonna Fly Now", and "Sing, Sing, Sing". Mrs. Bethany Loy directed the White Band on charts like "Stormy Weather", "Here Comes the Sun", and "Take Five". Mr. Jonathan Neff led the Blue Band with songs like "Hey Jude", "In the Mood", and "Birdland". IHS had students in all three ensembles:
Eva Nealen - Red Band, piano
Nadia Goodyear - White Band, lead alto sax
Abi Jozefowicz - White Band, trumpet 3
Sam Knepper - White Band, lead trumpet
Andrew Levendusky - Blue Band, lead trumpet
The festival concluded with a fantastic public performance that included all three ensembles performing a wide range of music. Congratulations to all involved!