A day of spreading music and bonding with your band and vocals members: that’s exactly what the National Jazz Festival (NJF) is about. Every year, the PHS Studio Band and PHS Studio Vocals compete with high school musicians from across the country in the NJF in Philadelphia. This year on March 22, Studio Band and Studio Vocals musicians took part in a full day of jazz performance at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

This year, Studio Band played three songs: “It Don’t Mean a Thing” by Ella Fitzgerald, a fast swing song; “Decoupage” by Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, a slow ballad; and “Heat of the Day” by Pat Metheny Group, a song with many time signature changes. By choosing a combination of diverse genres, Studio Band showed off their range as musicians. The bands and Studio Vocals began preparations for NJF as far back as January. After deciding on three songs to play, they moved on to finalizing and rearranging solos throughout the song, ensuring that they were able to fit within 20 minutes, the time alloted to them by the competition.

Joseph Bongiovi, the Studio Band director, led the band in weekly rehearsals on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9:30. In addition to rehearsals each week, Studio Band practiced by recording hour-long sectionals, where they practice together to build for coherence and collaboration as a group. Though the preparation was demanding, it helped the students grow as musicians.

“The competition kind of forces you to put your best self forward [and] shows you what [you’re] capable [of] and what you can actually do if put under pressure,” said Naomi Carroll ’26, a singer in Studio Vocals.

Aside from providing a platform for competition and music, NJF also promoted bonds between musicians from across different schools and between band members. Competitions like NJF radiate a sense of camaraderie, creating an atmosphere where band members can enjoy playing music and pursuing their passions together, regardless of their preceding relationships.

“There have been times when I’ve seen people [from other schools] just get into a group and start jamming out in the instrument storage room. Even though they are from completely different places, [and] none of them know each other, they’re just there to have fun,” said Thomas Basso ’27, a clarinet player in Studio Band.

“To me, band is like a big family. I feel like [it’s] a lot more like a tight knit community, so you see recurring faces at festivals, and you know certain judges who you’ve seen over and over again, and certain teachers in certain high schools. There is a sense of [family and] a big community.” said Carroll.