STATE JAZZ FESTIVAL RULES AND REGULATIONS
Revised July, 2026
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 sightreading chart, and is one of the 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 in scoring value to the preliminary round.
Following are the rules and regulations governing the festival as approved by the NJAJE State Board of Directors:
1. All jazz bands from any high school (public or private) in the state are eligible to participate, provided their director is an active member of NJAJE. Directors must choose one of the dates and locations listed on the electronic application at http://www.njaje.org. Festival membership is $300 for the first band; $225 for a second or third band.
2. Each site is limited to the first nine applications received. Bands will not be permitted to perform unless full payment or a school purchase order is received prior to the festival date.
3. The festivals are open to the public with the admission price of $10.00 for Adults and $5.00 for Students/Senior Citizens.
4. As the festival approaches, bands will be sent information regarding specific information as to performance times, directions, etc. by their host schools. Performance times for preliminaries will be determined by a random drawing done by the Executive Director of NJAJE.
5. On the day of the festivals, all bands are to arrive at the location by the start time of 5:00 pm – NO EXCEPTIONS! The intent of this policy is to ensure that all bands have an equal opportunity to an audience of peers. Directors should encourage their students to spend appropriate time listening to other ensembles.
6. There will be instructions from the Host Band director as to location of storage of instruments, etc. Students are to sit in the Auditorium with their own school ensemble while the other bands are performing.
7. Each band will have a total of 20 minutes to perform – from first note of first selection to last note of last selection inclusive of time between numbers. A penalty will be imposed for overtime performances. The penalty is .5 for every minute over 20 minutes and every minute thereafter. Additionally, each band will receive 5 minutes to set up on stage (and sound check) as well as 5
minutes to exit the stage (for a total of 30 minutes stage time). The penalty phase is for both preliminaries and finals.
8. The program should be no more than 3-4 selections containing a variety of contrasting jazz styles.
9. There are to be no duplications of players on the same instruments between students from an “A” band and a “B” band from the same school.
10. There is a limit of three (3) bands allowed to register from the same school. Additional bands will be allowed to register after the deadline on a space-availability only.
11. Three professional adjudicators will evaluate each performance, each utilizing a digital recorder, the official NJAJE score sheet, and clarifying rubrics to ensure consistency of scoring. Each band will receive judges’ comments via a Google Drive link given to directors. Performance adjudicators will score the bands at each prelim and those scores will determine the bands that are selected for finals. The order of performance at finals will be the reverse order of preliminary results (i.e. the band
placing first in prelims will go on last in finals; the band placing second will go on next to last, etc)
12. After the performance, each band will proceed to the sight-reading room. Students will be given 6
minutes to look over the piece (without playing) before playing it in its entirety. Sight-reading in both the preliminaries and the finals will count as 15% of the final score. There will be one clinician in the sight-reading room. Improvisation is incorporated into the sight reading adjudication sheet utilizing the changes in the sight-reading chart. Directors may pass the solos around the band (except for drums) regardless of where the solos changes are in written.
13. Awards to be presented are:
➢ Outstanding Section (Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, Rhythm) Prelims and finals
➢ Outstanding Soloist (Four awards regardless of instrument) Prelims and finals
➢ The Rick Kerber Soloist Scholarship (Senior majoring in music) Finals only
➢ The Richard A. Graham Outstanding Sight Reading Award (Trophy) Prelim and finals
➢ Rating plaque (Gold, Silver, Bronze) Prelims only
➢ 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place or finalist (Trophy) Finals only
14. Finals grouped by school enrollment will all be held according to the NJAJE Calendar (usually the last
Saturday of April) and require an additional $250 registration fee. School enrollment is further defined
as:
a. Division I: Larger public schools and all private, charter, and magnet schools
b. Division II: Moderate sized public schools
c. Division III: Smaller enrollment public schools
d. Enrollment for the purpose of the festival is grades 10-12
e. Dividing lines are drawn relatively; not by specific cutoff numbers
NOTE: The State Jazz Festival is always looking to grow and improve. Please look for surveys and pending
changes that may occur during the school year.
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 sightreading chart, and is one of the 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 in scoring value to the preliminary round.
Following are the rules and regulations governing the festival as approved by the NJAJE State Board of Directors:
1. All jazz bands from any high school (public or private) in the state are eligible to participate, provided their director is an active member of NJAJE. Directors must choose one of the dates and locations listed on the electronic application at http://www.njaje.org. Festival membership is $300 for the first band; $225 for a second or third band.
2. Each site is limited to the first nine applications received. Bands will not be permitted to perform unless full payment or a school purchase order is received prior to the festival date.
3. The festivals are open to the public with the admission price of $10.00 for Adults and $5.00 for Students/Senior Citizens.
4. As the festival approaches, bands will be sent information regarding specific information as to performance times, directions, etc. by their host schools. Performance times for preliminaries will be determined by a random drawing done by the Executive Director of NJAJE.
5. On the day of the festivals, all bands are to arrive at the location by the start time of 5:00 pm – NO EXCEPTIONS! The intent of this policy is to ensure that all bands have an equal opportunity to an audience of peers. Directors should encourage their students to spend appropriate time listening to other ensembles.
6. There will be instructions from the Host Band director as to location of storage of instruments, etc. Students are to sit in the Auditorium with their own school ensemble while the other bands are performing.
7. Each band will have a total of 20 minutes to perform – from first note of first selection to last note of last selection inclusive of time between numbers. A penalty will be imposed for overtime performances. The penalty is .5 for every minute over 20 minutes and every minute thereafter. Additionally, each band will receive 5 minutes to set up on stage (and sound check) as well as 5
minutes to exit the stage (for a total of 30 minutes stage time). The penalty phase is for both preliminaries and finals.
8. The program should be no more than 3-4 selections containing a variety of contrasting jazz styles.
9. There are to be no duplications of players on the same instruments between students from an “A” band and a “B” band from the same school.
10. There is a limit of three (3) bands allowed to register from the same school. Additional bands will be allowed to register after the deadline on a space-availability only.
11. Three professional adjudicators will evaluate each performance, each utilizing a digital recorder, the official NJAJE score sheet, and clarifying rubrics to ensure consistency of scoring. Each band will receive judges’ comments via a Google Drive link given to directors. Performance adjudicators will score the bands at each prelim and those scores will determine the bands that are selected for finals. The order of performance at finals will be the reverse order of preliminary results (i.e. the band
placing first in prelims will go on last in finals; the band placing second will go on next to last, etc)
12. After the performance, each band will proceed to the sight-reading room. Students will be given 6
minutes to look over the piece (without playing) before playing it in its entirety. Sight-reading in both the preliminaries and the finals will count as 15% of the final score. There will be one clinician in the sight-reading room. Improvisation is incorporated into the sight reading adjudication sheet utilizing the changes in the sight-reading chart. Directors may pass the solos around the band (except for drums) regardless of where the solos changes are in written.
13. Awards to be presented are:
➢ Outstanding Section (Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, Rhythm) Prelims and finals
➢ Outstanding Soloist (Four awards regardless of instrument) Prelims and finals
➢ The Rick Kerber Soloist Scholarship (Senior majoring in music) Finals only
➢ The Richard A. Graham Outstanding Sight Reading Award (Trophy) Prelim and finals
➢ Rating plaque (Gold, Silver, Bronze) Prelims only
➢ 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place or finalist (Trophy) Finals only
14. Finals grouped by school enrollment will all be held according to the NJAJE Calendar (usually the last
Saturday of April) and require an additional $250 registration fee. School enrollment is further defined
as:
a. Division I: Larger public schools and all private, charter, and magnet schools
b. Division II: Moderate sized public schools
c. Division III: Smaller enrollment public schools
d. Enrollment for the purpose of the festival is grades 10-12
e. Dividing lines are drawn relatively; not by specific cutoff numbers
NOTE: The State Jazz Festival is always looking to grow and improve. Please look for surveys and pending
changes that may occur during the school year.