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Jazz band rarely toots its own horn

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Michael Mathis

They have won countless awards and accolades, and they pack a full house at every concert.  Yet they are rarely on Good Morning Staples, or have posters hung up around school enticing you to go to one of their performances.

The Jazz Band is the best kept secret at Staples, not counting the secret bathroom and the fact that room 2044 is never above 20 degrees fahrenheit, of course.

But unlike room 2044, the Jazz Band is a pretty hot commodity in the Staples music world.  “You have to audition for the band at the beginning of the year, and it is a pretty selective group,” Jackson Ullman ’14 said.  Once the first round of auditions are over, the selected group unfortunately does not get handed a golden ticket by Randy Jackson and go to Hollywood.  Instead, the selected band members are informed by Mr. Mariconda, the band director, and practices begin every Thursday for three hours.

“We spend that time working on around six to eight Big Band pieces that we use for competitions and performances,” Jackson Ullman ’14 said.  Ullman ’14 is a senior member of the band, and a huge contributor.  In fact, instead of going down the route of some musicians and going to Hollywood, Ullman ’14 will take his trumpet and piano skills to Nashville, Tennessee, where he will be doing a joint program with the Music School at Vanderbilt University.

“Nashville is one of the biggest music capitals in the world.  Many artists are coming through the city, and I think that it will give me many opportunities to perform, and I’ll also get exposure to the music world,” Ullman ’14 said.

Other Jazz Band musicians like Ian Hubbell ’14 and Chris Copeland ’14 plan on continuing their music career in college, which was developed in the Staples Jazz Band.

The talented Jazz Band’s practices will soon come to an end, and the group is looking to see some Staples students in the crowd at their next concert.

“I know there is a number of people that have never heard us play, and I would like them to get a chance to,” Ullman ’14.

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About the Contributors
Jenna McNicholas, Staff Writer
Jenna McNicholas ’15 is a charming girl with an equally stunning personality. She is both a good student and athlete, as well as a good friend and competitor. But finally she is the girl next door that you brag about going to school with. She has a drive that she not only uses towards her writing for Inklings, but also uses in her sport, lacrosse. Now committed to Middlebury, she spent her summer on the field battling for a spot on both Middlebury’s lacrosse team as well as in their classes. "The process was stressful so I am happy to get back to school for the start of my senior year,” said McNicholas. Being on the varsity girls lacrosse team, she has a very limited amount of free time, yet she continues to add more to her plate by writing for Inklings. When asked what made her want to write for Inklings, she said that it was due to her fellow peers and the witty and rather funny writing that is demonstrated in the opinion section. Which just so happens to be her favorite type of article to write. “My favorite part of writing opinion pieces is being able to write my voice into the pieces as well as express her opinions in a place were it has a chance at influencing others,” McNicholas said.
Michael Mathis, Web Opinions Editor
On any given day, Michael Mathis, Staples senior and Inklings’ Web Opinions Editor, is campaigning for governors, in the Inklings room editing stories, or on-stage, performing a stand-up comedy act. Mathis started journalism as a sophomore and, ever since then, seamlessly meshed his three passions: political activism, stand-up comedy, and Inklings. As Web Opinions Editor, Mathis is a column-generating machine.  He also edits students’ articles, and helps students brainstorm. Michael says that he enjoys combining his skills and interests, especially for humorous columns. He described one story that stood out about the importance of this generation not growing up too fast, saying, “I always felt that I was in two different worlds with my stand-up and my journalism, but I was able to incorporate my humor and I felt like I had crafted a stand-up routine in a column.” His background in politics also helps with journalism, as the two hobbies share similar values. Mathis says that the traits that create an effective political leader -- like his favorite politician, Teddy Roosevelt -- are similar to those of a journalist’s. Mathis said that whether it be a leader or a journalist they, “Are not afraid to say the unsayable and roll up their sleeves,” adding that the common thread throughout his stand-up comedy, political experiences, and journalism is “not following the limits of authority or society.”

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