Upcoming Events

Apr
15

NWBPO Meeting

The Northwest Band Parents Board will meet on April 15 at 6:00 PM in the NWHS Seminar Room. All band parents are invited to join us!

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Apr
25

Adventureland Band Festival / Southeast Polk (Wind Symphony)

Because the spring musical falls on Adventureland weekend this year, we will not be able to participate in the festival on Friday.

Instead, the Wind Symphony will perform on Saturday morning at Southeast Polk, while the Concert Band will stay at Northwest and clinic in preparation for their performance at State Large Group on May 10.

More details will follow for both groups when they are available.

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May
5

Spring Band Concert

The annual Spring Band concert will feature both the Concert and Symphony Bands. The doors to the auditorium will open for audience members at 6:40 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public!

Students should plan to be at the school by 6:15 p.m. Wind Symphony will meet in the north band room, while the Concert Band will meet on stage.

Concert Dress

We want to look as good as we sound, so please adhere to the following guidelines:

Preferred concert attire

  • Black suit with a white shirt and a tie and black dress shoes

  • Black dress that extends beyond your knees when seated and covers your shoulders

Acceptable concert attire

  • Black slacks with a black long sleeve collared dress shirt

Unacceptable concert attire

  • White shirts without a jacket *** This is a change from past years

  • White shoes

  • White socks

  • Short sleeved shirts 

  • Jeans or leggings

  • Torn or distressed clothing

  • Sneakers or athletic shoes

  • Short skirt that expose your knees when you sit

  • Blouses or shirts that expose your shoulders

Please note that in order to improve the uniformity of the ensemble, white shirts are no longer allowed without a jacket.

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May
8

Nothing Bundt Cakes Bundtlet Pick Up

Northwest Band Parent Boosters Organization is partnering with Nothing Bundt Cakes for a sweet Bundtlet Sale Fundraiser! 

If you ordered Bundlets, please pick them up in the Northwest North Band Room (655 NW 10th St., Waukee, IA) from 3:15 to 7:00 pm on May 8, 2025.

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May
9

Jazz @ Northwest

Come out and listen to Northwest’s Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Lab bands. The concert is free and open to the public!

This jazz extravaganza will feature both jazz bands along with a variety of student led small ensembles. It is a great night and a fantastic way to wrap up the year. We hope to see you there!

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May
10

State Large Group Concert Band Festival

The Concert Band will perform Iowa High School Music Association’s Large Group Festival.

The Northwest Concert Band will perform at TBED in the DCG auditorium.

Spectators should park in the main lot south of the main entrance (South Side) of the building. Admission is $10.00 for adults, $7.00 for Seniors (65+), and $5.00 for students (K-12 only). Pre-school and younger will be admitted for free.

Visit the event website here.

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May
13

NWBPO Meeting

The Northwest Band Parents Board will meet on May 13 at 6:00 PM in the NWHS Seminar Room. All band parents are invited to join us!

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May
18

NWHS Graduation

Sophomores and Juniors will play as the Seniors enter and exit graduation. (Bus transportation to and from Wells Fargo Arena will be provided.)

Schedule: More information to come.

Concert Dress

We want to look as good as we sound, so please adhere to the following guidelines:

Preferred concert attire

  • Black suit with a white shirt and a tie and black dress shoes

  • Black dress that extends beyond your knees when seated and covers your shoulders

Acceptable concert attire

  • Black slacks with a black long sleeve collared dress shirt

Unacceptable concert attire

  • White shirts without a jacket *** This is a change from past years

  • White shoes

  • White socks

  • Short sleeved shirts 

  • Jeans or leggings

  • Torn or distressed clothing

  • Sneakers or athletic shoes

  • Short skirt that expose your knees when you sit

  • Blouses or shirts that expose your shoulders

Please note that in order to improve the uniformity of the ensemble, white shirts are no longer allowed without a jacket.

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May
20

Senior Class Recital

Please join us for this exciting new event highlighting the remarkable talents of our graduating senior musicians!

The recital will showcase several of our seniors performing solos and ensembles, reflecting their musical growth and accomplishments.

We invite you to attend and celebrate with us as our seniors embark on the next exciting chapter of their lives.

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May
20

Band Awards Night

Students and parents are cordially invited to join us in celebrating the achievements of the Northwest High School bands for the 2024-25 academic year. This special event will include the presentation of band awards, an end-of-year slideshow, and special recognition for the Class of 2025 seniors. You won't want to miss it!

Oh the places you’ve been!

One of the highlights of our Awards Night is the end of the year slideshow - and we need your band pictures from the year to make it happen. Pictures from band camp? Great! Pictures from concert band? Wonderful! Pictures from Perry or a jazz band trip? Fantastic!

Please email pictures (or a link to the pictures) to nwbandphotos@gmail.com. Make sure to go through your pictures first before submitting your favorites. If we get too many from each person, we can not include them all - and it would make the video really long if we did. So pick your best and send them in. Think quality over quantity!

End of the Year Video Help!

We are looking for someone who would be willing to put together an end of the year video slideshow to play at our awards night on May 20. The video has typically been between 15 and 25 minutes long and includes band pictures from throughout the year. If this is something that you would be interested in doing, please email Mr. Strohmaier for more information.

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Jun
3
to Jun 6

Percussion / Color Guard Rehearsals

Percussion and Color Guard rehearsals will be held from Tuesday, June 3 through Friday, June 6, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

Percussion will rehearse in Northwest Band Room

Color Guard will rehearse in the Northwest Multi-Purpose Room

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Jun
17

NWBPO Meeting

The Northwest Band Parents Board will meet on June 17 at 6:00 PM in the NWHS Seminar Room. All band parents are invited to join us!

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Aug
4
to Aug 8

Royal Brigade Fall Band Camp

Band Camp is scheduled for August 4-21, 2025. Rehearsals will take place at the High School and at the stadium.

Attendance is very important. Every student in the band is a critical component and every student must contribute equally for success of the program. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the listed rehearsal time so that you are on the field and ready when rehearsal begins.

Helpful things to have for summer rehearsals and band camp: 

  • A large water bottle (½ gallon or bigger) with your name on it

  • Lots of sunscreen

  • A white shirt for all wind and battery students

  • Athletic shoes

  • Hat and sunglasses

  • Food for dinner on days when camp goes to 9:00 pm. The dinner break is from 4:00-5:00 on those days. You will be able to leave campus if you choose, but many find it is easier to bring dinner with them so that you aren’t rushed getting back for the evening rehearsal block.

  • All regular rehearsal equipment (instrument, binder, charged phone with UDB - see below)

Band Camp: UDB app and your phones

When we learn drill, we use an app called UDB (Ultimate Drill Book). Please remember to bring your fully-charged phone with you to camp each day along with a charger if your device has battery issues. If you have not yet done so, please make sure that you have downloaded the UDBapp Pro (gold icon with the shadow of a marcher).

Instructions have been provided through Parent Square on how to download the App prior to Monday of band camp.

Band Camp: Dress Up Days

Don’t forget band camp dress-up days. Students will change into their dress-up day outfits at the evening break (approx. 7:00 each evening) with a parade of costumes and awards given at the end of the day. Please make sure that your outfit doesn’t interfere with your ability to rehearse!

Parents and guardians, we are in need of volunteers to provide Band Camp support. Please be on the lookout for a volunteer sign-up.

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Aug
11
to Aug 14

Royal Brigade Fall Band Camp

Band Camp is scheduled for August 4-21, 2025. Rehearsals will take place at the High School and at the stadium.

Attendance is very important. Every student in the band is a critical component and every student must contribute equally for success of the program. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the listed rehearsal time so that you are on the field and ready when rehearsal begins.

Helpful things to have for summer rehearsals and band camp: 

  • A large water bottle (½ gallon or bigger) with your name on it

  • Lots of sunscreen

  • A white shirt for all wind and battery students

  • Athletic shoes

  • Hat and sunglasses

  • Food for dinner on days when camp goes to 9:00 pm. The dinner break is from 4:00-5:00 on those days. You will be able to leave campus if you choose, but many find it is easier to bring dinner with them so that you aren’t rushed getting back for the evening rehearsal block.

  • All regular rehearsal equipment (instrument, binder, charged phone with UDB - see below)

Band Camp: UDB app and your phones

When we learn drill, we use an app called UDB (Ultimate Drill Book). Please remember to bring your fully-charged phone with you to camp each day along with a charger if your device has battery issues. If you have not yet done so, please make sure that you have downloaded the UDBapp Pro (gold icon with the shadow of a marcher).

Instructions have been provided through Parent Square on how to download the App prior to Monday of band camp.

Band Camp: Dress Up Days

Don’t forget band camp dress-up days. Students will change into their dress-up day outfits at the evening break (approx. 7:00 each evening) with a parade of costumes and awards given at the end of the day. Please make sure that your outfit doesn’t interfere with your ability to rehearse!

Parents and guardians, we are in need of volunteers to provide Band Camp support. Please be on the lookout for a volunteer sign-up.

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Aug
18
to Aug 21

Royal Brigade Fall Band Camp

Band Camp is scheduled for August 4-21, 2025. Rehearsals will take place at the High School and at the stadium.

Attendance is very important. Every student in the band is a critical component and every student must contribute equally for success of the program. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the listed rehearsal time so that you are on the field and ready when rehearsal begins.

Helpful things to have for summer rehearsals and band camp: 

  • A large water bottle (½ gallon or bigger) with your name on it

  • Lots of sunscreen

  • A white shirt for all wind and battery students

  • Athletic shoes

  • Hat and sunglasses

  • Food for dinner on days when camp goes to 9:00 pm. The dinner break is from 4:00-5:00 on those days. You will be able to leave campus if you choose, but many find it is easier to bring dinner with them so that you aren’t rushed getting back for the evening rehearsal block.

  • All regular rehearsal equipment (instrument, binder, charged phone with UDB - see below)

Band Camp: UDB app and your phones

When we learn drill, we use an app called UDB (Ultimate Drill Book). Please remember to bring your fully-charged phone with you to camp each day along with a charger if your device has battery issues. If you have not yet done so, please make sure that you have downloaded the UDBapp Pro (gold icon with the shadow of a marcher).

Instructions have been provided through Parent Square on how to download the App prior to Monday of band camp.

Band Camp: Dress Up Days

Don’t forget band camp dress-up days. Students will change into their dress-up day outfits at the evening break (approx. 7:00 each evening) with a parade of costumes and awards given at the end of the day. Please make sure that your outfit doesn’t interfere with your ability to rehearse!

Parents and guardians, we are in need of volunteers to provide Band Camp support. Please be on the lookout for a volunteer sign-up.

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Aug
25

First Day of School

7:00 am morning rehearsals begin!

A reminder to students to plan to be on campus NO LATER than 6:45 am. That allows sufficient time to get to the band room, get your instrument out, and be at the stadium on time.

Remember: to be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late! 

Also, please make sure that you eat breakfast before you come to school. A protein bar as you’re walking out the door will make a HUGE difference as you go through morning rehearsal.

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Apr
8

Iowa Jazz Championships

The Iowa Jazz Championships, held on Tuesday, April 8 at Stephens Auditorium on the Iowa State campus, features the best fifteen 4A bands from across Iowa. The Northwest Jazz Orchestra will perform at 4:15 p.m. We would love to have your support in Ames on that Tuesday afternoon. A full schedule for the day can be found at the Iowa Jazz Championships website.

There are three ways for you to purchase tickets for the Iowa Jazz Championships. 

  1. Visit Iowa Jazz Championships Tickets prior to March 31 and enter code EARLYBIRD to purchase tickets for $12.

  2. Visit Iowa Jazz Championships Tickets between April 1 and April 6 and enter code ADVANCE to purchase tickets for $15.

  3. Purchase tickets at the door for $20 with CASH ONLY.

All tickets will get you a wristband that allows entry in all four performance locations. Children under 5 who sit on a lap are free. NO REFUNDS will be given for any reason. If you're not sure you can attend, tickets will be available at the door on the day of the event at regular price. Checks and credit cards will not be accepted at the door. 

Find additional information on Iowa Jazz Championship’s website here.

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Mar
29

IIMA Waukee Indoor Marching

This is the 2025 IIMA State Championships!

This event features Indoor Drumlines and Colorguards from around central Iowa. It is being held at Waukee High School as a joint effort between the Waukee and Northwest Band programs.

Event Schedule

I&E (solos and duets) early-afternoon
Full performances mid-afternoon & evening

Location
Waukee High School
555 SE University Ave.
Waukee, IA 50263

Spectator Tickets

$20 - General Admission
$15 - Students/ Ages 65+
Children 5 and Under - FREE

Volunteer

We need your help to make to make this event happen! If you are available to volunteer to help this event happen, please click on the following link to sign up. Waukee Winter Showcase Volunteer Sign-Up

Visit IIMA’s website for additional information and tickets here.

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Mar
26

Jazz Orchestra Performance at Noce Jazz Cabaret

Come out and listen to the Jazz Orchestra at Des Moines’ coolest jazz venue!

The Northwest Jazz Orchestra will once again perform at Noce Jazz Club. Located at 1326 Walnut downtown, Noce is one of the finest jazz venues in the Midwest.

The Des Moines Big Band, of which Mr. Page and I are both members, performs every Wednesday night from 7-9 p.m. Each week, a different area high school is invited to come down and perform during the set break of the big band. So if you find yourself free tonight, please consider coming down.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.nocedsm.com/. Although tickets are available at the door, please consider purchasing your tickets early, as these nights do have a tendency to sell out. 

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Mar
14
to Mar 22

St. Patrick's Day Parade Trip

Ireland here we come!!!

Tentative Itinerary

  • Friday, March 14 - Travel Day

  • Saturday, March 15 - Arrive/Rehearse at the Gaelic Athletic Association Grounds

  • Sunday, March 16 - Visit the city of Kilkenny and Kilkenny Castle

  • Monday, March 17 - March in the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Parade

  • Tuesday, March 18 - Visit the city of Galway and the Cliffs of Moher

  • Wednesday, March 19 - Tour Dublin, visit the EPIC Emigration Museum and The Jeanie Johnstion: An Irish Faminie Story

  • Thursday, March 20 - Visit Belfast and tour the Titanic Museum

  • Friday, March 21 - Visit Causey Farm with Dinner and Show at Taylors Three Rock

  • Saturday, March 22 - Depart

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Mar
11

Northwest Jazz Showcase

The Northwest Jazz Showcase will highlight the musical talents of all NWHS Jazz bands, ranging from 7th grade and up. Join us for a spectacular evening celebrating the incredible journey of budding jazz musicians contributing to the vibrant musical community at Northwest High School.

This concert is open to the public and free of charge. Doors will open at 6:45 pm, so come early and enjoy an unforgettable night of jazz performances.

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Mar
8

Northwest “Blue Note” Jazz Festival Set-Up

We are hosting our annual Northwest Blue Note Jazz Festival on Saturday, March 8th.

It's going to be an exciting day with 45 bands performing in three centers around the building. This festival will be an opportunity for us to support jazz music, bring in some great clinicians, and raise money for the band parent organization - which will benefit all of our band students. 

Please visit the Blue Note Jazz Festival page for detailed information.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

We have lots of volunteer opportunities available! (Jazz students will have specific jobs assigned to them, so these students should not sign up.)

If you would like to sign up to help, click the link below:

Northwest Blue Note Jazz Festival Volunteer Sign-up

Non-band students can also sign up and earn Silver Cord hours.

Thank you for your help!

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Mar
8

Northwest “Blue Note” Jazz Festival

This is the third annual Northwest Blue Note Jazz Festival! Our festival has grown substantially this year and will feature 45 bands performing throughout the day for ten clinicians in five competitive classes.

Not only will this be a great event, but it will also be a strong fundraiser for our program. Soon, we will send out a volunteer signup for this event.

Doors open at TBD

Schedule / Performance times:

1:10 pm - Jazz Lab - Auditorium
7:50 pm -Jazz Orchestra - Auditorium

Full Schedule here.

Ticket Information:

Click here to purchase event tickets.

Volunteers are needed to help make this a successful event.
Sign up here.

Non-band students can also sign up and earn Silver Cord hours.

Thank you in advance for your help!

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Mar
4

NWBPO Meeting

The Northwest Band Parents Board will meet on March 4 at 6:00 PM in the NWHS Seminar Room. All band parents are invited to join us!

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Mar
3

Ireland Trip Meeting (following band concert)

We will hold a (brief?) meeting for all traveling students and families on Monday night immediately after our concert. Please make sure you have this meeting on your calendar, as this will be your chance to get the final details for the trip and ask any last minute questions you may have.

If you have specific questions that you want to make sure that we answer, please submit them below.

If you have multiple questions, please submit a separate form for each question.

Dublin Trip Meeting Questions

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Mar
3

Winter Band Concert

Our winter band concert is coming up on Monday the 3rd at 7:00 with the 9th grade band from Prairieview. The auditorium will be a little more full than normal, so please plan accordingly. Also, please help us make the Prairieview families feel welcome. We are excited to have them all at the high school with us next year!

Concert dress is the same as December and All-Iowa. We plan to have our concert uniforms for the April performances, however for Monday, we ask that all students adhere to the following guidelines:

Preferred concert attire

  • Black suit with a white shirt and a tie and black dress shoes

  • Black dress that extends beyond your knees when seated and covers your shoulders

Acceptable concert attire

  • Black slacks with a black long sleeve collared dress shirt

Unacceptable concert attire

  • White shirts without a jacket *** This is a change from past years

  • White shoes

  • White socks

  • Short sleeved shirts 

  • Jeans or leggings

  • Torn or distressed clothing

  • Sneakers or athletic shoes

  • Short skirt that expose your knees when you sit

  • Blouses or shirts that expose your shoulders

Please note that in order to improve the uniformity of our ensemble, we prefer that students no longer wear a white shirts without a jacket.

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Feb
22

Perry Band Olympics

The Perry Band Olympics solo and ensemble contests.

More information will be sent out to participating students and their families through a separate ParentSquare group.

This is an all day event.

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Feb
21

Tall Corn Jazz Festival

  • University of Northern Iowa - Bengtson Auditorium (Russell Hall) (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

On Friday, February 21, Jazz Lab and Jazz Orchestra will head to the University of Northern Iowa for the Tallcorn Jazz Festival.

NW PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Jazz Orchestra will perform at 3:00.

Jazz Lab will perform at 5:00.

ITINERARY

Find the event itinerary here.

You can find additional information here.

Purchase tickets here.

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Feb
18

NWBPO Meeting

The Northwest Band Parents Board will meet on February 18 at 6:00 PM in the NWHS Seminar Room. All band parents are invited to join us!

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Feb
17

All-Iowa Concert Band Festival

The All-Iowa Concert Band festival is held on Monday, February 17 at Johnston High School. Both bands will perform.

The Concert Band will perform at 3:15 PM.

The Wind Symphony at 4:30 PM.

Find the event itinerary here.

Attendees

Admission is free for this event if you would like to make the drive out to Johnston to support the bands! 

Audience members should park in the north lot and enter through the Auditorium Entrance (Door 23).

Find the event website here.

Concert Dress

We want to look as good as we sound, so please adhere to the following guidelines:

Preferred concert attire

  • Black suit with a white shirt and a tie and black dress shoes

  • Black dress that extends beyond your knees when seated and covers your shoulders

Acceptable concert attire

  • Black slacks with a black long sleeve collared dress shirt

Unacceptable concert attire

  • White shirts without a jacket *** This is a change from past years

  • White shoes

  • White socks

  • Short sleeved shirts 

  • Jeans or leggings

  • Torn or distressed clothing

  • Sneakers or athletic shoes

  • Short skirt that expose your knees when you sit

  • Blouses or shirts that expose your shoulders

Please note that in order to improve the uniformity of the ensemble, white shirts are no longer allowed without a jacket.

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Feb
13

Basie Straight Ahead, Jazz Orchestra Theme Concert

Jazz Orchestra will be holding our first ever theme concert on Thursday evening, February 13 at 7pm in the Northwest Auditorium.

Since the first of the year, we have been digging into the music of Count Basie, and specifically into the music from the 1968 album “Basie Straight Ahead.”

On the 13th, we will be performing that entire album. It has been a great opportunity for us to learn about one of the cornerstones of jazz music.

We hope you can join us!

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Feb
4

Drake University Honor Jazz Band Festival

  • Drake University - Harmon Fine Arts Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Students are placed in ensembles according to their grades 9-12.

The event is held in Performing Arts Hall in the Harmon Fine Arts Center on the Drake campus.

Schedule:

  • Rehearsal from 9:30am-3:30pm

  • Clinics from 3:30pm-4:30pm

  • Concert with Drake Jazz I at 7:00pm in the Performing Arts Hall of the Harmon Fine Arts Center.

Find additional information here.

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Feb
3

Perry Band Olympics Prep Night

Perry Prep Night is our in-house test run in preparation for Perry.

This year’s event will be held after school on Monday, February 3.

Each student who is participating in the Perry Band Olympics will be assigned a 10 minute time slot where they will come in and perform their solo or ensemble for a hired clinician.

For those of you who went through the All-State Mock Auditions, this process will be very similar. Students will perform and then receive feedback to help them prepare for Perry.

Students do not need to wear anything in particular for this event, and are only required to be here for their performance time. Students will not perform with their accompanist for this event.

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Jan
24

Simpson Jazz Festival

  • Simpson College - Lekberg Hall in the Amy Robertson Music Center of Simpson College (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Jazz Bands will perform at the Simpson Jazz Festival.

Northwest Jazz Lab will perform 9:30 AM

Northwest Jazz Orchestra will perform 1:30 PM

Band itinerary here.

Full performance schedules

Thursday Schedule

Friday Schedule

There is NO admission fee for family and friends.

You can find additional information on Simpson College Jazz Fest’s website.

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Jan
21

NWBPO Meeting

The Northwest Band Parents Board will meet on January 21 at 6:00 PM in the NWHS Seminar Room. All band parents are invited to join us!

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Jan
11

SCIBA Honor Band

Congratulations to the following students who were selected to perform in the SCIBA Honor Band!

Congratulations to the following students who were selected to perform in the SCIBA Honor Band on January 11!

Drew Burggraaf, trombone 1

Chloe Gilbert, alto sax 2

Xavier Lago, tuba

Larry Li, oboe 1

Makenna Sheffield, trumpet 3

Josiah Webb, percussion

Concert time is TBD.

Visit SCIBA’s website for additional information.

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