Each year, the men of the Upsilon Phi chapter of Phi Mu Alpha plan a weekend centered around their passion for jazz music. The 48th annual Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival offered students a hands-on learning opportunity to improve the music abilities of themselves and others.
Music professor Tim AuBuchon, director of jazz studies and the jazz festival adviser, says the main goal of the festival is to help students learn more about their performances by setting up clinics. AuBuchon says for each of the clinics, a judge sat in on the group’s performance and gave feedback.
AuBuchon says 21 groups performed at the festival, but some visiting high schools and middle schools had more than one group. He says more people registered this year than last year. He says he thinks part of the reason participation increased was the decision to remove the competition aspect from the jazz festival.He says he decided to remove the competition aspect because he wanted to focus more on the clinics.
AuBuchon says another reason the committee removed the competition aspect was because the event at Truman State is early during the festival season and students might benefit more from a festival that focuses on improving their music abilities.
AuBuchon says one of his responsibilities as an adviser for the jazz festival was booking the guest artist. This year, he says he
was able to bring Ron Miles to Truman for the festival. Miles is an internationally known jazz musician, composer and songwriter from Denver.
“It’s just nice to get new information and a point of view from someone who is a professional jazz musician and does it all,” AuBuchon says. “They’re going to have a more in-depth knowledge of the field.”
For more information about the jazz festival, pick up a copy of the Index or read online through Issuu.