Since 1995, James Bovinette, associate professor in music and theatre, has worked with his students in Jazz Ensemble I to bring out their best in musicianship.

“Each student has their own goal,” Bovinette said. “So my goal is to help them reach their goals, to make better consumers of jazz.”

Jazz Ensemble I, one of two jazz bands at Iowa State, is an ensemble consisting of mostly upperclassmen. The one-credit class meets 2:10 to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays to rehearse material for upcoming concerts. Many of these students are also music majors as well, but other majors are represented in the ensembles.

“For music education majors, being in jazz ensemble gives them the knowledge to teach jazz bands themselves when they become teachers,” Bovinette said. “Performance majors want to improve their playing. It’s a vehicle for non-majors to play in an ensemble.”

For Nick Jaegers, senior in chemical engineering, that vehicle is exactly what he needed when he played in the ensemble for several years.

“I really enjoyed playing in jazz band in high school,” Jaegers said. “It was something to get away from engineering classes and enjoy myself with a different subject.”

Although Jaeger could not participate in Jazz Ensemble this semester, due to a lab at the same time as the class met to practice, he loved the time he spent playing and learning more about jazz music. While he also has participated in marching, concert and symphonic band, Jaeger admits there is something unique about being in the jazz band.

“I enjoyed the feeling for jazz,” Jaeger said. “It’s the variety of tunes, the excitement of the tunes.”

In addition to Jazz Ensemble I and a second ensemble, Iowa State also has jazz combos for members of their ensembles. Bovinette explains that one of the purposes of the three current combos to improve on student’s individual abilities, including improvisation and expression.

“Band and combos are very different in what they play,” Bovinette said. “With a combo, they are communicating with their own ideas, not reading off of a chart.”

As for the music they play, Bovinette says that while styles have changed to be influenced more from pop culture and world music, the standards will always be remembered.

“It can have Broadway, Afro-Cuban influences, great songs from the American Playbook,” Bovinette said. “Jazz is the melting pot and an American art form.”