On March 7th, Friday Night, Walkersville hosted the annual Jazz Festival, where neighboring schools come to showcase their musical talents. Schools of all sizes from Frederick County and even schools like Musselman High School all the way from Inwood, West Virginia, came together to play their own selection of jazz songs. Students from George Mason University’s jazz band also came to perform and close the night with a few vocal charts. Though these students all came from different backgrounds and experiences, they all have one thing in common: their passion for the performing arts.
Hours prior to the actual event, many dedicated Walkersville students stayed after school to help prepare for the festival. They prepared classrooms, printed flyers, set up concession stands, and organized the stage. Senior and trumpet player Cooper Heller described set up: “We arrange classrooms as clinic areas where bands can work with incredible jazz instructors to help further their understanding of the music in front of them.” Since Heller now has four years of jazz under their belt, they have made plenty of memories that will last a lifetime: “Jazz fest brings together amazing people from all around the region as a way to share our passion for music with each other and the community.”
Known for its laid back atmosphere and chill environment, people of all ages and generations come to listen, even if they have no association with Walkersville High School. Junior and Trombone player Sydney Howell, when asked about her thoughts on Jazz Fest, said, “Our Jazz Fest is an amazing event that brings together all sorts of different people. It creates important bonds in our different music programs. People from all over the state of Maryland and even West Virginia come to perform at our festival. We have amazing clinicians that give great critiques to help us further our love and our education in music. For just one night we transform our small high school into a music extravaganza! We get to listen and enjoy jazz on a level like no other. There aren’t many opportunities for high school jazz bands to perform and I was honored to help run one of them!” The festival is known as an important event for WHS jazz members, used for promoting publicity, allowing students to branch their music reading, soloing, and performing skills, and allowing both performers and instructors to chat. 
The festival began at 5 pm, with schools first beginning to arrive at 4 pm, warming up in their designated classrooms, performing on stage, and going to a clinic to get tips from jazz professors. Food trucks were also there to help earn profits for the music department, with “Glamour View Creamery” selling various cold treats such as custard and milkshakes, and “Grilled Cheese Please” selling, you guessed it, grilled cheese sandwiches. The schools that attended were Westminster, Urbana, Musselman, Linganore, Catoctin, South Hagerstown, and Walkersville, with George Mason’s band playing as the closer. The event went on until 10 pm, with Walkersville students showcasing their dedication to the music industry and showing support until the very end.
