Lincoln’s outstanding Jazz Band conquered at the 29th Annual Santa Cruz Jazz Festival on March 20th.

Lincoln was performing with 32 other schools and still managed to receive a unanimous superior. For those of us who lack knowledge in music, a unanimous superior is when all I’s are received from the judges, including the sight reading judge.

This grand achievement did not go unrecognized by Lion Tales so we went out and asked Jazz Band’s Jared Cruz what this whole experience has meant to Lincoln’s Jazz Band.

“I’ve been in the Lincoln Jazz Band for 3 years and the program has skyrocketed,” explained Cruz. “And since Mckenzie’s first year there has been so many improvements among the level of musicians and dedication of all his groups.”

The dedication of students in Lincoln’s music program is so remarkable that they have been scheduled to take part in some great opportunities.

Lincoln’s Jazz Band is headed to a Disneyland tour from April 12th to 14th. They are also scheduled to play at the San Jose Summer Jazz Festival in July, multiple school events such as the Finale concert, and, thanks to their unanimous superior score at the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival, were eligible to apply to the Monterey Jazz Fest where all the top schools from the state gather.

The excitement of the new experiences coming up for Jazz Band is phenomenal, but it’s also bittersweet as the class of 2015 is preparing to walk the stage at graduation. There is never a shortage of performers, though.

Cruz explained, “The band is only going to get better with the rising number of students coming to the lincoln band program and the amount of talent as well.”