Junior Kelsey Sweet has hit a high note by securing the second highest score at the NHMEA Jazz All-State festival, an auditioned festival for high school jazz musicians all over New Hampshire to perform complex jazz music with other strong high school musicians. Sweet also placed into the honors level jazz choir.

This achievement showcases her talent and hard work while also proving the passion that drives young musicians in this community.

Sweet started taking jazz classes at the high school during her sophomore year, but auditioned for this festival each year.

“I didn’t make it as a freshman or sophomore, so this year, I went into it with a negative outlook,” Sweet said. “I still wanted to do it to show that I’m committed, but I had a fear that I wasn’t going to make it.”

So what did she do to prepare differently?

“I have always auditioned on soprano, but this year I auditioned on alto,” Sweet said. “I listened to the tracks all day, every day. I would go to my voice coach and I would drill it with him until I couldn’t any more.”

Music teacher Danielle Loschiavo shares that Sweet’s “determination and drive” helped her throughout her audition process.

“She is one that always puts 150 plus percent into everything she does,” Loschiavo said. “There’s a lot of personal initiative you need with something like this, a lot of outside practice, work, and preparation, so her ability to manage her time and to do all of that definitely helped to play a role in her making the ensemble.”

Loschiavo said the hardest part about jazz is that it is “so subjective.”

“It’s very perceptive based on the adjudicator,” Loschiavo said. “You could have two different judges that may say two different things to the same student for the same type of rendition of the song.”

Sweet agrees with Loschiavo by saying “no interpretation is wrong in jazz.”

“It’s all dependent on what the judges think,” Sweet said. “That’s why I feel like artists get so down on themselves when they don’t make it, because the judges think that they weren’t correct, but really, judges might be looking for different things.”

With all the preparation that goes into this competition, Sweet feels that people don’t look at this competition as an important event.

“It is understandable, but the amount of time that you have to put into it, you have to take all the material they give you and interpret it as your rendition of how you think a jazz singer would sing it is a lot,” Sweet said. “Making Jazz All-State is just such an important thing because you’re so anxiety ridden as you’re competing with the best of the best in the state.”

Music Director Serge Beaulieu is always proud of students who decide to audition for this festival.

“I’m always happy with the kids that try out and don’t make it,” Beaulieu said. “I think it’s still a really great experience for them, and it takes a lot of courage to go through something like that, it’s very nerve wracking.”

Beaulieu compares auditioning to interviewing for a job, as both require you to get yourself in front of people.

“Auditioning is no different, it builds character,” Beaulieu said. “It really is a great way for students to learn how to get through it, because that is a part of life.”

Sweet uses the complexity of jazz to share a life lesson she has learned this whole process.

“The only way you can be wrong in jazz is if you don’t trust yourself and your decisions you want to make as a musician,” Sweet said. “You have to take a step outside of your comfort zone or you’ll never achieve the things that you want to achieve.”