TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Highlighters jazz band is adding another national honor to its already crowded trophy case. The Highlighters, Temple High School’s top jazz ensemble, have been named Commended Winners in the Mark of Excellence’s National Jazz Honors Project.
The Highlighters are under the direction of Marcos Duran and are one of just five jazz bands from across the country to earn Commended Winner honors in the Mark of Excellence project. There were a total of 450 entries from across the nation throughout the different categories in the competition. The top 25 percent of performers receive the highest award of National Winners, with the next group being awarded Commended Honors. This is the third time the Highlighters have earned Commended Winner honors, and the ensemble is also a four-time National Winner honoree in the Mark of Excellence National Jazz Honors Project.
“This is a great way to celebrate a band of tremendous talent,” Duran said. “I could not be any prouder of their commitment to tackling pro-level charts and performing these musical selections with such soulfulness, artistry, and spirit. The kids deserve all the credit for any success earned. Winning awards is always great for a program, but I continue to believe that success is a byproduct of students fully investing themselves in America’s original art form.”
The submission process requires bands to submit 2-3 selections of prepared music that demonstrate the highest levels of musical artistry. For this year’s event, the Temple Highlighters submitted two selections for consideration from their 2023-2024 repertoire. These submissions included Charles Mingus’s Children’s Hour of Dream and Thad Jones’s arrangement of The Groove Merchant. Featured soloists in submissions included Adan Torralva (flute, soprano sax, tenor sax), Gabriel Espinal (trombone), Sebastian Diaz-Campos (trombone), and Makale Edwards (soprano sax).
National and Commended Winners are recognized in regional and/or national publications and at national and regional conventions. All participants will receive valuable feedback from expert adjudicators. The adjudicator for the 2024 National Jazz Honors Project is University of Northern Colorado Professor of Jazz Composition Drew Zaremba.
“I think it is awesome that we all worked together as a band to all achieve this recognition,” said Aaron McCarty, senior tenor saxophonist for the Temple Highlighters. “It takes individual effort, but it is also a group effort and I’m glad we were able to accomplish this on both fronts. This is fantastic music to play, and it is great to live up to the standards of this program.”
“Getting recognition for something like jazz feels really good because it feels like people are actually seeing every part of what we do and not just what is so visible with marching band for example,” added Lily Cortez, senior trumpet player for the Temple Highlighters. “Everything we do in Highlighters always feels special because we always play these historical pieces. It is nice to be able to point to a trophy and say that I was a part of that.”
The Highlighters tradition of success dates back to the 1950’s, as Temple High School is home to the oldest high school jazz band in the state of Texas. The Highlighters also received Commended Winner honors in 2014 and 2016. The ensemble took National Winner recognition in the National Jazz Honors Project in 2012, 2013, 2017, and 2021.
“Listening back to the recordings, it felt so good to hear all of the parts sounding almost professional,” said Dinah Towell, senior alto saxophonist for the Temple Highlighters. “It feels great, and we’ve worked so hard through my three years in this program.”
“Once we finished the recording, you could just feel that this was a really good recording and might have a chance at winning,” added Kristal Soto, senior drummer for the Temple Highlighters. “Earning this recognition is a really great reward, especially for our senior year.”
This year’s honor not only adds to the rich history of the Temple Highlighters jazz band, but it also gives the musicians a boost towards potentially pursuing music as a career once their high school experience is completed.
“It was so exhilarating to put together the recording and this makes me feel like this is something I might be able to do one day,” said Brayden Slay, senior trumpet player for the Temple Highlighters. “It gives me the confidence to pursue the goal of becoming a professional musician because I can take this success and possibly build on it later on.”