Jazz Band awaits approval

The MHCC Jazz Band has two concerts scheduled for this year.
Director Susie Jones says the band has two end-of-the-term concerts planned: one Dec. 8 for the end of fall term, and the other March 6 at the end of winter term.

All other gigs are awaiting administrative approval, Jones said.
This is a result of several setbacks the program has faced, Jones said. “We no longer have talent grants, our program is not listed in the catalog [and] classes are cut without notice.”

However, she said she refuses to let the odds define the department. “We’re doing our best, in spite of that, for students who have chosen MHCC. The main mission is to prepare students for careers.”

Jones added, “I’m continuing to do everything I can to make the music department successful.”

She promised that the Jazz Band is “a great band and a lot of fun to watch,” and that one will never forget the “talent level and the enthusiasm MHCC students play with.”

Jones wants viewers and readers to remember “the enthusiasm for jazz. It’s all about the art form. Jazz is America’s gift to the world.”