Big Band

Jazz

Academy

Rehearse. Listen. Solo. Play out.

Register for Fall 2026

Join the band

Three steps to the bandstand.

$300

REGISTER HERE for the Fall 2026 semester

1

Join the Band

Sign up and pay online. $300 covers the fall semester. You'll create your member login along the way

REGISTER HERE for the Fall 2026 semester.

2

Log in. Fill out the forms.

The Members Area has rehearsal times, season updates, and the forms we need before day one.

3

Show up and play.

Come to your first rehearsal. Our faculty hears you play and places you in the band that fits.

Based on your form answers, we may ask for a short audition first. We'll reach out if so.

Register for Fall 2026

Need-based scholarships are available.
Contact us.

Fall 2026

The details.

When

Mondays
6:00–7:30 PM

Season

Sept 28–Dec 14
2026

Where

Arundel High School
1001 Annapolis Road
Gambrills, MD 21054

Who

Middle & High School Musicians ready to play

A young boy playing the saxophone during a musical performance on stage with a band of children, some holding instruments like a trombone and a guitar, in a venue labeled 'NAPTOWN JAZZ KIDS.' An adult man is standing to the side, possibly conducting or guiding the performers.

Inside the Academy

Monday nights. All semester.

Classic charts. New charts. The whole big band tradition.

Students work on what makes jazz swing. Improvisation. Time feel. Section playing. Listening hard. Along the way they dig into Armstrong, Ellington, Basie, Miles, and Coltrane.

Our faculty don't just wave a baton. They sit in the section and play right alongside the kids. Guest artists and pros from D.C.'s military jazz bands drop in too.

Every semester ends the same way. On stage. In concert.

Placement

One program. Three bands.

You join the Academy. We find your chair. Placement is based on where you're playing right now: your form answers, your first rehearsal, and what our faculty hear.

A young woman with glasses playing the trumpet on stage in black and white.

Young Lions

EMERGING BIG BAND

Where the foundation gets built. Swing feel. Section playing. First solos. The language of jazz from the ground up.

Group of young musicians, including a boy playing trumpet, a girl playing saxophone, and others playing instruments, possibly during a band rehearsal or performance.

Jazz Ambassadors

Advanced BIG BAND

Our premier big band. Harder charts. Longer solos. Advanced players pushing each other higher.

A young man playing the saxophone during a musical performance, wearing a 'NAPTOWN' t-shirt and headphones around his neck.

Honors Combo

Select Small Ensemble

Small group. Big ears. A select combo drawn from the Academy, out in the community as NJK's ambassadors.

By Invitation

Two young boys sitting with saxophones, one giving a thumbs-up, in a music practice space with chairs and drums in the background.

Auditions

Sometimes we'll ask to hear you first.

Not a hurdle. A conversation.

If your forms leave us with questions, we'll set up a short, informal audition. On Google Meet, or in person before rehearsal. We'll contact your family directly.

Returning player? We already know your sound.

Good questions

Before you join.

  • No. Curious is enough. Prior jazz or improvisation experience is not required.

  • Nope. You join the Academy. After your first rehearsal, our faculty places you where you'll be challenged, not buried.

  • Big band instruments: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and rhythm section. Openings vary by instrument and semester. Not sure? Ask us.

  • Skip the student profile. We know your playing. Update the family and medical form only if something has changed.

  • The full fall semester: weekly Monday rehearsals and the end-of-semester concert.

  • Yes. Need-based scholarships are available. Contact us and let's talk.

  • By invitation, from within the Academy. When a player is ready, our faculty reaches out to the family.