Salem High School Jazz Band Earns Gold Medal at MAJE State Final
SPS percussionists place first at NESBA Winter Percussion & Guard Competition
SALEM (Mar. 18, 2026) – The Salem High School Jazz Band received a gold medal for its three-piece performance last Saturday at the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (MAJE) Festival state final at Norton High School.
The honor is the latest in what has been an award-filled season for SHS student musicians, who preceded Saturday’s performance with a gold medal effort at the MAJE Senior District Festival Mar. 4 at Reading High School.
With the performance, the SHS Jazz Band will perform at the MAJE Gold Medal Showcase Sunday, May 3 (time to be announced) at the Hatch Shell in Boston.
“These kids genuinely love to play,” said Ben Chertok, Coordinator of Music at SPS. “I look at them and I am so impressed by their musical curiosity and maturity. We push each other to grow our craft and that’s something I don’t take for granted.
“A core value of our music department is that success is defined by your best performance,” he added. “That being said, it’s always nice to perform and receive commentary from adjudicators that validates the effort that the students put in towards their achievement.”
Additionally on Saturday, SHS percussionists, under the direction of Instrumental Music Teacher Jabari Tovar ‘12, placed first at the New England School Bands Association (NESBA) Winter Percussion and Guard Competition at Salem (N.H.) High School.
The SHS Jazz Band performed “Basie Straight Ahead,” arranged by Sammy Nestico; “The Mooche” by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills as arranged by Mark Taylor; and closed with a traditional New Orleans second line arrangement of “Lil’ Liza Jane,” arranged by Chris Sharp.
Soloists in “Basie Straight Ahead” included senior pianist Lucas Fox and senior tenor saxophonist Gavin Ryan. “The Mooche” featured the trio of seniors Eden McClain on alto saxophone and Wyn Stevick on trumpet along with junior Finn Hanger on trombone (Mr. Hanger and Mr. Ryan both performed solos as well).
“Lil’ Liza Jane” featured a front line Dixieland trio with senior Camryn Franklin on clarinet, junior Ethan Roses on trumpet, and Mr. Hanger on trombone.
“For me personally, it’s a full circle moment because this group of juniors and seniors are my first students who I’ve directed at both the middle and high school levels,” said Mr. Chertok. “Together, we evolved and created what is now the JV (junior varsity) Jazz Band at the middle school in order to open up more opportunities for students interested in jazz to keep playing.
“The model had worked where I grew up and what has resulted is a hybrid middle school/high school group where there is simultaneous development of skills and peer to peer mentorship happening,” Mr. Chertok added. “I think that has certainly been one of several driving factors in the “varsity” group’s ability to raise the bar for the past few years.”
For Salem’s NESBA percussionists, Mr. Tovar singled out stellar efforts by freshmen Nina Buono and Connor Franklin, junior Immanuel Romero, and senior Kaiser Sklar.
The honors are the latest in what has been another special season for SHS musicians. In February, five student musicians – Mr. Hanger and Mr. Ryan among them – were accepted into the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) All-State Festival and will perform Saturday, Mar. 21 at the Hanover Theater in Worcester.
In November, nine SHS student-musicians were selected to the MMEA Northeast Senior District Festival, with the aforementioned five recommended for the Mar. 21 All-State Festival.
On Nov. 2, the SHS marching band and colorguard captured the New England School Band Association (NESBA) Division 4 state championship following a perfect season of competitions.
The Salem High School Band, Chorus and Orchestra will perform at the All-City Concert next Tuesday, Mar. 24 (6:30p.m.) and Thursday, Mar. 26 (6:30 p.m.) at the SHS M. Ruth Norton Auditorium.
About Salem Public Schools
Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts, a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens through which we view our work. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff unconditionally serves each of our 4,000 students across 11 schools regardless of ability or language.
