Hours of practicing have officially paid off for a South Florida high school jazz band that’s punching their ticket to the Big Apple. The New World School of the Arts’ jazz ensemble filled their classroom in downtown Miami with their smooth tunes, but soon they will be taking their talents fr om the Magic City to New York City. The ensemble was named one of the top high school jazz bands in the country and will be competing in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 30th annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival in May. “I’m super excited for this competition. We spent a lot of time working on this music, and it’s very rewarding to be able to go to New York and perform our music,” said student Ryan Kaplin. The school previously performed at this competition back in 2020 and will once again take the stage for the special anniversary, which features 30 bands from across the world this year, instead of the usual 15. “So we’re just really, really excited to participate again,” said Jim Gasior, a jazz professor at New World. “It’s an incredible competition hosted by Jazz Lincoln Center. It’s incredibly educational.” Not only will they be competing with other schools, but they will be taking part in workshops and clinics with professional musicians, such as jazz drummer Steve Fidyk. And, while they do have some jitters about the big stage, these students told 7News they’re more than ready. “I, you know, a little bit, but I feel like we’ve done well to prepare, and I’m more excited than nervous,” said Kaplin. “We’ve all been practicing really hard. We’ve been listening to all the tunes, and we’ve just been trying really hard to get this on track and do really well in the competition,” said student Eva Rodriguez. Members of the jazz ensemble have been spending several hours each day immersed in the world of blues. “So we have rehearsal, anywhere between an hour and a half to three hours a day, then recently, we’ve been running a lot of after-school sessionals to prepare ourselves,” said Kaplin. “We live and breathe this music all year round, so we celebrate this music from August through June and through the summer,” said Gasior. “It’s an incredible opportunity to really just share it with others, to share it with friends and family” It’s a special moment for these students, as they share their skills with peers from as far as Japan and learn from top talents to follow their passions. “I am proud of them, and we work hard, and some of the students just are so, so committed to the music,” said Gasior. “It’s actually great to see the young men and women being committed to something and working hard towards long-term goals. It’s really great to see.” These students will be performing at the Essentially Ellington competition between May 7 and 11. If you want to watch their performance, be sure to catch the event as it will be livestreamed online. ...read more read less