NJAJE State Jazz Festival

Preliminary Festival Locations (5:00 PM)
Monday, March 2, 2026 @ Liberty Middle School
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 @ Bridgewater-Raritan High School
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 @ Wayne Valley High School
Thursday, March 5, 2026 @ Steinert High School
Friday, March 6, 2026 @ Sterling High School

Finals Locations for Saturday, April 25, 2026 (5:00 PM)
Division I @ JP Stevens High School
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.

2025 Festival Results (Click here for the Festival Archive)

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

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Cherokee High School Jazz Ensemble
Edison High School Jazz Ensemble
JP Stevens High School Lab Jazz Band
Livingston High School Lancer Jazz Band
Newark Academy "NA Big Band"
West Orange HS Jazz Ensemble I

Section Awards
Saxophone    PCTVS
Trumpet         Newark Academy Chameleon
Trombone      JP Stevens Jazz Ensemble 
Rhythm          Newark Academy Chameleon

Solo Awards
Javier Ramon Brito, Piano, PCTVS
Zach Crawford, Trombone, Edison
Ted Crall, Bass, NA Chameleon
Ayan Chaudhuri, Guitar, Livingston

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Giacomo Messina, Guitar, NA Chameleon

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

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Elizabeth Jazz Band
Moorestown Honors Jazz Band
Morristown Spectrum Jazz Ensemble
Mount Olive Jazz Ensemble
Shawnee Jazz Ensemble
Southern Regional Jazz Ensemble

Section Awards
Saxophone     Morristown Spectrum
Trumpet          Princeton Studio
Trombone       Southern Regional
Rhythm           SPF Moonglowers

Solo Awards
Lucas Comsana, Trumpet, Princeton Studio Band
Keyshla Castellanos, Drums/Percussion, Elizabeth
Ellie Agnello, Piano, SPF Moonglowers
Alex Kaeser, Alto Sax, Moorestown
​
Rick Kerber Scholarship
Audrey Coyne, Bass, SPF Moonglowers

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        Ramsey Jazz Band

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Delaware Valley Golden Blues
Highland Regional High School Jazz Band
Holmdel High School Jazz Band
Metuchen High School Jazz Ensemble
Pascack Valley Jazz Band
Wayne Valley High School Jazz Ensemble

Section Awards
Saxophone     Sterling
Trumpet          Holmdel
Trombone       Metuchen
Rhythm           Deptford

Solo Awards
Brianna Jimenez, Piano, Sterling
Carolyn Veit, Trumpet, Pascack Valley
Griffin Englehardt, Sax, Delaware Valley
Gino Antonelli, Drums, Deptford

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Pierce Godshall, Bass, Deptford

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Deptford High School