Jazz band smoothly carried home the award for the best rhythm section overall at the 43rd annual Central Michigan University(CMU) Jazz Weekend festival.

“We have a lot of upperclassmen who have just been working so hard for so many years, it just kind of culminated in having a good group,” jazz band instructor Christopher Traskal said.

The band was reviewed by judges in the Class AA band category and competed against 20 other high schools on Feb. 5 in the CMU music building.

“They did a lot of after school rehearsals and some extracurricular things outside the school day, which helped a lot,” Traskal said.

The band rehearsed their song arrangements from the beginning of Sept. to the day of the festival in Feb.

“We just worked really hard and we wanted it the most this year,” senior Brennan Brown said. “I couldn’t believe we won at first, but I just felt good about it and I was really proud.”