By: Audrey Chan
On April 22, Syosset held its annual jazz festival, gathering elementary through high school jazz bands from across the district. Groups representing Syosset High School included Jazz Ensemble, Stage Band, and Vocal Jazz. Students showcased their hard work and range of musical abilities through pieces like “Tank!” and “Welcome to the Jungle,” a jazz rendition of the classic rock song by Guns N’ Roses. One new element of this year’s jazz festival was the inclusion of South Grove’s jazz band, representing one of the seven elementary schools in the Syosset Central School District. The art fair, happening simultaneously in the lobby, also created a pleasant atmosphere for students and parents to enjoy.
Mr. Paul Caputo has taught band at Syosset High School for the past 18 years. He has also advised Stage Band since he began teaching and has directed Jazz Ensemble for the past six years. He said, “My favorite part is always when my groups perform. I love hearing the audience and the little guys watch the high schoolers play. I think ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ was pretty cool. It was a great show-ender. And it’s one shot, no stopping and trying again. When you get to that moment in the concert, it’s like, let’s just do it.”
Students in the jazz groups also gave input on the songs they wanted to play. This year, Jazz Ensemble performed “Tank!” from the animated series Cowboy Bebop. Mr. Caputo said, “Every year, a student will recommend a song, and if I can find an arrangement, I’ll do it. Josh, Jazz Ensemble’s drummer, had recommended that song last year. We recommended it so late that we didn’t get a chance to throw it in, so we put it on the program for this year. It was a lot of fun to do. I like doing this big rocker, funk, jazzy kind of arrangement. It’s cool to do stuff that the audience recognizes sometimes, because they kind of get into it a little more, like incorporating it into jazz.”
The festival was a culmination of the hard work students had put into preparing for the concert. Junior Adrian Yang played trombone in Jazz Ensemble. Adrian said, “I thought it was pretty special. A lot of people I know, it’s their last jazz festival, so playing with them was memorable and very fun. I liked our whole repertoire…‘And Then I Knew’ by the Pat Metheny Group was very good too.” Freshman saxophone player Arjun Rajajopalan also enjoyed performing at the festival. He said, “It was really fun. I liked the music, and some of it was challenging, so I had to really practice it.”
Syosset’s music community welcomes all students interested in expressing their creativity. Whether students want to play rock, jazz, or create a group of their own, Syosset offers opportunities for everyone. Reflecting on being a music teacher at Syosset, Mr. Caputo said, “At the end of the day, it’s extremely rewarding. It has made me a better person and made me want to be a better teacher. I always get pushback, like ‘hey, let’s do more, let’s do more.’ The more we can do as a music community, the better it is for all of us.”
