A bus full of Michigan Tech students traveling hundreds of miles to perform is not out of the ordinary—if the travelers are athletes. But would you expect that bus to be full of musicians?
Michigan Tech’s Jazz Lab Band just returned from a regional tour they’ve done every year since 1969. This year, they played in Iron Mountain, Mich., and Suring, Freedom, Pulaski, Sun Prairie, Stevens Point and Rhinelander, Wis., all in just four days. More than 3,000 people heard these performances, and the band averaged 200 miles per day on the road.
Mike Irish, director of the 18-piece ensemble, lauds the Jazz Lab Band’s legacy. “Our students are passionate, excited and dedicated road warriors who have a 40-some year tradition to live up to,” he said. “They have unsurpassed zeal for spreading the ‘word’ about jazz as America’s only original musical art form. The quality of their music-making is very high, especially since we have no music majors at Tech.”
In the early years, students used their own vehicles to get from place to place. Now, the self-funded ensemble uses a charter bus. “It is very expensive,” Irish said. “Each year we have to do extensive fund-raising to continue our efforts.
Some of the communities where the band played face similar challenges. The Rhinelander school district, in particular, is facing a loss of arts and athletics programs due to a budget shortfall. “The school district is facing a February referendum to raise $1.5 million to fund their school system,” Irish said. “The Rhinelander school district stands to lose all of its arts programs—even basic ones—and athletic programs unless they pass this referendum to raise their own tax money.”
Constance Piasecki is band director at Rhinelander High School, where the Jazz Lab Band not only performed, but also mentored their student band. She said the “outstanding ensemble began their visit by working directly with the Rhinelander High School jazz ensemble students, helping us prepare our festival music… I am very appreciative of Mike Irish and his band coming to Rhinelander.”
For the full story, see http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2013/february/story84805.html.
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