Op/Ed: Why OHS needs a jazz band
By Paige Purifoy
Photo of the Jazz Ensemble and Quartet performing provided by Kaden Marshall
It has been said that grief is love with nowhere to go. There are many Owasso students with a shared love and nowhere to express it, and that love lies in the absence of a jazz band. Year after year, talent is wasted and chances are missed.
Without a doubt, Owasso is strong in the arts and the All-State choir and band groups are always heavily populated with OHS students. However, there is a gaping absence in our programs, and that is the absence of a jazz band.
Owasso bands have accomplished a wide range of achievements. For 47 consecutive years, the Pride of Owasso marching band has achieved First Divisions in OSSAA (statewide music competition) marching competitions. The prestigious band hall is decorated with framed pictures of All-Staters and new additions are added to the wall every year.
Our school also has many other musical talents that might not necessarily be in band. Guitar Club has regular attendance, the choir program is exceptional and both Music in Society as well as AP Music Theory classes are full of engaged and educated students. But with all the highschoolers investing their lives in band, and all the other enthusiastic musicians doing what they do best, there is still not a jazz ensemble for them to come together. When talking to any of these students, the passion they have for music and the grief they have over their missed chances are clearly visible.
A jazz band would take Owasso’s already thriving musical stature to a higher level. Students with limitless ability and potential would have a place to collaborate on fresh and new pieces. The emphasis on improvisation that comes with jazz is something our band members don’t get to explore, and they would thrive with this freedom.
Concerts would be elevated with unique art, emotional depth and never-seen-before student expression. Also in this band, they would have the chance to audition for All-State Jazz Ensemble. The Ensemble is the absolute best in Oklahoma and OHS rarely has students climb the ladder high enough to perform in it. With the preparation and specialized focus on jazz music our band would bring, we would undoubtedly increase our amount of students that make the Ensemble.
Kaden Marshall is a senior at OHS as well as a skilled pianist and bass guitarist. As one of the top three Bass 1s in Oklahoma, he made the All-OCDA All-State Jazz Choir as well as the Jazz Quartet: two distinguished musical groups that are highly exclusive. Over 300 students auditioned for the Jazz Choir in 2024, and only 24 were chosen to participate. In the quartet, Marshall had the opportunity to sing with the All-State Jazz Ensemble.
“Owasso already has such a strong emphasis in Band, ... and with how much money that is getting put into the Fine Arts Section, it would only make sense to have a jazz band as a standout,” Marshall states emphatically.
Marshall goes on to bring to light to how Owasso is a 6A school with a remarkable reputation for Fine Arts. It strikes many as odd that we don’t have a jazz band already, and it’s even more peculiar when smaller schools have more All-Staters than we do. Metro Christian, a school in the 2A division, had four people make the Ensemble, and they give all the credit to their jazz band. It’s almost impossible for students with no instructor to make All-State.
“There’s no world where a 16-year-old who doesn’t have a jazz instructor is making Jazz All-State,” Justin Hale, a junior at OHS, says earnestly.
Justin Hale and Karstin Baker are both OHS students who want to pursue music in their college careers. Neither of them participate in the Pride of Owasso, but both of them desire the avenue of a jazz band to cultivate their musical talents. They also want to pursue music in college and the band would increase their likelihood of receiving scholarships and prepare them for their futures.
“I'm missing out on opportunities in college, and I'm also missing out on opportunities to learn jazz without paying for college,” Hale says when discussing how the lack of a jazz band is a disadvantage to musical students. “I am going to [be playing] music in college and learning scales ... and different inversions and stuff would be useful.”
Baker shares similar opinions and ambitions, saying, “It’s hard to get into a jazz band at a college level without having … prior ... experience. It’s like signing up for college basketball and never playing basketball beforehand,” He says decidedly, “I want to do jazz band at TU ... so I would like that opportunity. I want to get a Masters or PhD in music, and it’s really, really hard to get scholarships for those expensive programs without having prior experience.”
It is clear where our Fine Arts Department is lacking, and this improvement would enrich the lives of so many Owasso students. These three students are just examples of the many musicians in our community that yearn and grieve for such an innovative venue of expression. Regardless of the time or resources it costs to establish a long-lasting program like this, there are indubitably highschoolers who would be thrilled at the possibilities a jazz band would bring. Introducing one would provide us with lively pieces, more talented musicians, numerous All-Staters and set our future musicians up for success. People who aren’t in band or choir would become involved in the arts and have a blast improvising and making beautiful things together. We need a jazz band, and it’s time for the OHS student body to stop grieving. Let’s give love a place to go at last.