A local middle school jazz band plans to leave audience members in awe with its award-winning skills during this summer’s final Point Loma Concerts in the Park finale Aug. 12. Students from the Correia Middle School Jazz Ensemble will take the stage at 5:30 p.m. to deliver an hour of their smooth sounds before the ever-popular Rockola band closes the annual event. They plan to enthrall listeners with traditional jazz standards, as well as selections from the rock and funk genres. Teacher/director Marc Dwyer has guided the ensemble as it has undergone tremendous growth for five years. In festivals, playing against other groups, the Correia group has consistently brought home ratings of “excellent” and “superior.” This year has seen the musicians rise to new heights, earning “unanimous superior ratings” at the California Association for Music Education (CMEA) /Jazz88 Festival, the San Elijo Jazz Invitational and the Music in the Parks National Competition. At the CMEA event, solos were performed by students Spencer Gedestad, Thomas Herrin, Cole van den Helder, Dalton Omens, Erich McMillian and Daniel Benham. The Correia kids were honored earlier this year to perform with legendary trombonist Bill Watrous. But being in the company of professional musicians now seems routine for this group. Dwyer has invited a range of accomplished artists to sit in during rehearsal sessions to inspire and instruct his students. Those locals include frequent visitors John Rekevics, Glen Fisher and Tim Nunnick. But nationally recognized pianist Rob Mullins and Grammy-winner Brian Lynch have sat in as well. The Correia students have managed to accomplish all this despite shrinking school budgets. Since 2007, there has been no money allotted to purchase or repair instruments for aspiring students districtwide. The summer concert board has adopted Correia’s instrumental music program for the next three years — however, grants and donations from community members are always welcome. Dwyer limits his group to a traditional “big band” format with four trumpets, five saxophones, four trombones and four rhythm instruments (guitar, piano, bass and drums). Students must commit to several before-school rehearsals each week. Interested persons will find an information table set up at the concert by ensemble parents. A trombone player himself, Dwyer received a bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School in New York City and a master’s from Northwestern University. He still plays professionally and with the La Jolla Symphony Orchestra. Other groups featured at this summer’s concerts were the Recreational Music Center, Monarch School’s Steel Drum Band, The Blonde Brothers and Glen Fisher’s First Friday Kids.
