Stage Band

Stage Band

The ‘Iolani Stage Bands offers students an opportunity to perform a wide variety of music styles, ranging from the classic sounds of the big band era to Latin, Rock, Funk, and Rhythm and Blues.

The program includes three levels of stage bands, a jazz combo, and a rhythm section fundamentals class. Instrumentation includes Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, Bass, Guitar, and Drums. A student who does not play a specified instrument, but who wishes to participate in the stage band, may learn to play a secondary instrument. Many who do this are very successful at it!

Currently, the program has an enrollment of 93 students from grades 7 through 12. They have entertained audiences in places such as Australia, Japan, Singapore, Mexico, New Orleans, and at jazz festivals in Hawai‘i, California, Texas, Nevada, and Kobe, Japan.

The stage bands have also hosted numerous world-class jazz clinicians, and have featured notables such as saxophonists Frank Morgan, Ronnie Cuber, Gabe Baltazar, Andy Suzuki, bassist Rufus Reid, the Tower of Power rhythm section, trombonist Conrad Herwig, the University of Texas at Arlington jazz faculty, and the Grammy Award -winning Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra under Arturo O'Farrill as guest artists.

The Stage Band Rhythm Section Fundamentals class offers students pursuing their interest in Bass, Drums, Guitar, and Piano a great introduction to the related music styles. The three different levels of performing ensembles are Stage Band 1 (beginning), Stage Band 2, (intermediate), and Stage Band 3 (advanced). The Jazz Combo, made up of selected students, meets once a week after school.