Jazz at Enloe

Jazz is America’s greatest musical contribution to the world, and at Enloe, students have the chance to dive into it during the school day.

Our Enloe Jazz Ambassadors are the top ensemble—an award-winning big band that performs at concerts, competitions, and special events. Alongside them, Enloe Jazz Band and jazz combos provide exciting opportunities for all students to explore jazz performance at every level.

The focus of our jazz program is on what makes jazz truly special: communication, creativity, and improvisation. Students don’t just play notes—they learn to listen, respond, and create music in the moment.

While reading music is important, the heart of jazz is communication—  eye-to-eye, ear-to-ear, and in the moment. That’s exactly what students experience in our Jazz Ensemble course.

Students are divided into small combos, each rehearsing independently to explore jazz tunes and develop their skills. With growing interest, the class has expanded to four combos, keeping each group small and focused.

Space allows only two combos to rehearse each day, so we  rotate rehearsal days with listening days, giving students time to observe, reflect, and learn from one another. Beyond learning tunes, the most important skill students take away is non-verbal communication within their combo, creating music that is alive, interactive, and uniquely theirs.

Great improvisation starts with strong music theory skills. Students learn to read chord symbols (like Dmi7, G7, Cmaj7) and create melodies based on them, building a foundation that requires focused individual study.

Once students reach a certain level, they can bring their ideas into their combos, experimenting and interacting with their peers. When every member is prepared, rehearsals become synergetic, exciting, and fully collaborative—the exact experience that keeps students passionate about jazz!