NJAJE State Jazz Festival

Preliminary Festival Locations (5:00 PM)
Monday, March 3, 2025 @ Liberty Middle School
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 @ Bridgewater-Raritan High School
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 @ Wayne Valley High School
Thursday, March 6, 2025 @ Steinert High School
Friday, March 7, 2025 @ Southern Regional HS

Finals Locations for Saturday, May 3, 2025 (5:00 PM)
Division I @ Edison High School (NEW LOCATION)
Division II @ Princeton High School
Division III @ Metuchen High School
The New Jersey Association for Jazz Education is presenting an opportunity to participate in the official jazz festival sponsored by your state organization devoted solely to jazz education.

The festival occurs in two phases:
  • A preliminary round of all participating ensembles, regardless of school size, held at five locations on consecutive nights and adjudicated by the same three professionals. Sight-reading is required and is scored as 15% of the total score in the preliminary round. Improvisation is also required as part of the sight-reading chart, and is one of the new components of the sight-reading adjudication sheet.
  • A final round held at three locations; each of the top nine scoring bands from the preliminary round is grouped by school enrollment. Sight-reading and improvisation are required and are identical to the preliminary round.

To participate in the NJAJE Jazz festivals, please fill out the NJAJE Festival, Conference, and Membership Application form and follow the appropriate instructions.

Downloads for the State Jazz Festival:
State Jazz Festival Rules and Regulations (Revised for 2024)
State Jazz Festival Attendance Policy
Scoring Rubrics
​Performance Adjudication Sheet
Sight Reading Adjudication Sheet
Sight Reading Adjudication Procedures
2025 Divisions for Finals (Updated 2/19/25)
​Advice from adjudicator Wilbur Wittemann

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

2024 Festival Results (Click here for the Festival Archive)

Division I (Largest School Populations)
1st Place        Newark Academy Chameleon
2nd Place      Edison Jazz Ensemble
3rd Place       JP Stevens Jazz Ensemble

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Cherokee High School Jazz Ensemble
Eastern Regional Jazz Ensemble
Morristown Spectrum Jazz Ensemble
Newark Academy "NA Big Band"
PCTVS Jazz Band
West Orange HS Jazz Ensemble I

Section Awards
Saxophone    Newark Academy Chameleon
Trumpet         Newark Academy Chameleon
Trombone      Edison 
Rhythm          PCTVS

Solo Awards
Samar Munigala, Trumpet, JP Stevens JE
Nick Thorpe, Piano, NA Big Band
Vanessa Fang, Trombone, NA Chameleon
Akshay Khatry, Flute, Edison

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Jacob Tolentino, Trumpet, NA Chameleon

​Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Cherokee High School
Division II (Moderate School Populations)
1st Place      Princeton Studio Band
2nd Place     Scotch Plains-Fanwood Moonglowers
3rd Place      Shawnee Jazz Ensemble

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Elizabeth Jazz Band
Moorestown Honors Jazz Band
North Hunterdon Jazz Ensemble
Princeton Jazz Ensemble
Randolph Jazz Ensemble I
SPF Jazz
Steinert Jazz Band

Section Awards
Saxophone     SPF Moonglowers
Trumpet          Princeton Studio Band
Trombone       Shawnee Jazz Ensemble
Rhythm           SPF Moonglowers

Solo Awards
Peter Eaton, Trombone, Princeton Studio Band
Michaela Colas, Trombone, Elizabeth
Daniel Wong, Alto Sax, SPF Moonglowers
Audrey Coyne, Bass, SPF Moonglowers

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Jared Berkoff, Alto Sax, Moorestown

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Princeton Studio Band
Division III (Smallest School Populations)
1st Place        Deptford Jazz Ensemble
2nd Place       Sterling Jazz Band
3rd Place        Metuchen Jazz Band

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Bordentown Regional HS Jazz Ensemble
Delaware Valley Golden Blues
Highland Regional HS
Pascack Valley Jazz Band
Ramsey High School Jazz Band
Seneca High School Jazz Ensemble

Section Awards
Saxophone     Metuchen
Trumpet          Deptford
Trombone       Sterling
Rhythm           Bordentown

Solo Awards
Kevin Morrison, Drums, Sterling
Xavier Bartra, Synthesizer, Highland
Katherine Meyer, Vocalist, Metuchen
Faith Sandig, Keyboards, Deptford

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Rachel Schiaritti, Clarinet/Alto Sax, Bordentown

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Deptford High School