Registration

Updated for the 2025/26 School Year

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Event Basics

Registration & Scheduling Information

This year's student event is March 7th, at Bainbridge High School.
If you want to join our mailing list, click here.
TO REGISTER YOUR GROUP(S), CLICK HERE.
- Performances times are assigned based on order of enrollment, accounting for division and splitting up bands from the same school as well.
- Registration and payment do not need to occur at the same time.
- Groups that pay late might be dropped for a group wait-listed.
Payments are due by February 23rd.
Preliminary schedule will be released by February 24th.
After publication, the schedule will be linked [HERE.]

REGISTRATION FORM

Festival Rules

Ensemble Focus

Ensembles focussed on individual expression.

Jazz Combos
NOLA Style Brass Bands
Other non-big band jazz groups
Vocalists ARE allowed

Big Bands ARE also allowed, but know judging and feedback is weighted on the interaction and not on the arrangements.

We often will have vocalists perform with jazz combos. Sometimes these students are dedicated vocalists, and sometimes they are instrumentalists who sing on a tune or two. Our NOLA Brass Bands will often involve their members in singing, too. Singing is great. We're all for it.

Literature Selections

Play something that lets the musicians interact.

Lead sheets, The Real Book, The Real Easy Book, Originals, etc...

Play the head and let the musicians work it out. This is a festival that focusses on live interaction - not on rehearsed arrangements.

Don't play a big band arrangement with missing parts if you can avoid it.
The bulk of each performance should be improvisation; live interaction between soloists and rhythm section.

Festival Information

The following will happen during the morning and afternoon of the festival.

Admission to preliminary performances is free and open to the public
Please check the schedule once it is published.
Each group will be assigned a designated storage area
- Although a festival volunteer will watch the room throughout the day, the Bainbridge High School Band Booster, members, staff, or BISD assume no liability for lost or damaged goods or equipment.
30 minute warm-up
15 minutes on stage
30 minute clinic
60 minute masterclass with a guest artist
60 minute headliner concert at the end of the day

All-Star / Off-Campus Ensembles

Groups not associated with a particular school music program MAY register for the festival as alternates.

If there is room in the festival, they will be added to the official schedule. If there is a viable division in these registrations, there will be an addition to the finals lineup. Any non-school related group that performs at finals must be made entirely of students that are also participating in their school jazz programs - so long as they have a jazz program at their school (of any kind) to be enrolled in.

Cost & Competition Info

Ensemble Registration Fee:

$290

Masterclass Hour

Our headliner will lead a masterclass for all festival participants. This masterclass will feature each member of the guest band in a live and interactive session where each professional will share their unique perspectives as a professional musician.

Our headlining artist will also teach all of our festival participants the encore piece that will be performed at the end of the finals concert (outstanding soloists from prelims will be invited on stage to perform a solo on this tune with the guest band to close out the festival).

Outstanding Soloists

Each school will be awarded at least one Outstanding Soloist Award.

If a school has more than one ensemble, only the students in their top ensemble will be considered.

These students will be announced at the end of the afternoon masterclass.

These musicians will be invited to perform the encore piece at the end of the night with the guest band and headliner. They will also receive a fancy certificate commemorating their hard work and musical acheivements at the festival.

Finals Competition

Finalists will have up to 10 minutes on stage, INCLUDING getting on and off stage.
Finalists may perform a work they performed earlier in the day, or something new.
Student groups performing in finals must be made up of members from one school (no all-star groups).
Schools that send more than one group to the festival may not have more than one group in finals.

Finals Schedule

Finals Lineup

7:00 - BiHS Jazz9 in Exhibition
7:10 - School Finalists
8:00 - Headliner Performance
8:45 - Final Awards
8:50 - Encore (oustanding soloists)
9:00 - Festival Concludes

(in plenty time for the 9:45 ferry)

Each ensemble that registers for the festival will be offered free admission to the finals concert during registration (all students + 2 adults.) This is a fundraiser, so we do appreciate additional guests purchasing concert tickets. Thank you.

If a group does not request finals seats during registration, but then decides to stay, they will be let in for free (students + 2 adults), but only as space allows at 6:55.

Scoring

Prelims

Click HERE for the scoring rubric.
We've kept the scoring categories fairly broad, in an effort to allow the adjudicators to adjust their feedback to each band as they see fit. Let us know if you have concerns (far in advance), and we'll will consider adjustments to the scoring system.

Finals

Judging at finals will be a collective decision by all of our guest artists at the finals concert, not just the three adjudicators from prelims. All decisions are final. Please respect the professional opinions of each of our guests.

Equipment

Please bring your own:

Sticks
Mallets
Instrument cables

Drums / Cymbals:

We use Grombals on all of our cymbals, so if you are bringing your own cymbals, you'll also need to bring your own felts and washers.

Provided for Warm-ups:

Guitar amp
Bass amp
Piano
Drum set
Vibes
8 music stands
4 band chairs

Provided on Stage:

PA with 4 solo mics
Guitar amp
Grand Piano
Nord Piano 2
Bass amp
Drum set
Vibes
8 music stands
4 band chairs

Provided for Clinics:

Guitar amp
Piano
Bass amp
Drum set
Vibes
8 music stands
4 band chairs

Taking the Ferry?

If you are coming to our festival via the WSDOT ferry, check out the WSDOT school discount page:

https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries/rider-information/groups-events/school-groups
Nowadays, youth all can board the ferries for free. Please give the WSDOT page a once over.

Your district might have a card for ferry travel. If not, make sure you plan for the vehicle fares prior to the event.

Seattle - Bainbridge Ferry Schedules:

http://www.wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/ScheduleDetailByRoute.aspx?route=sea-bi
If you're catching the ferry after the concert, please plan on taking the 9:45 boat back to Seattle after the headliner concert and awards presentation concludes at 9pm.

Other Details

Parking

Parking at Bainbridge High School on Saturdays is free and first come, first served. There is a loading and unloading near the performing and check in areas on Martin Luther King Lane, which is off of High School Road.

Food

There are several local food establishments within walking distance of Bainbridge High School; mostly in the Safeway plaza. Winslow (downtown Bainbridge) is a 30 minute walk or a 5 minute drive from BHS, and there are many more good options there, too.

Merchandise

Instrument Repair

The festival will not have a repair technician on site.

Recordings

Jim Stevens will be on site to record the festival's peformances.

Judges tapes or written commentary will also be provided.