After years of hard work and fine-tuning practicing trumpet, Bridget Keel was selected as the first chair of the Minnesota All-State Jazz Band playing in the Trumpet Section. Keel has been playing the trumpet since the fifth grade.

The organization that Keel plays for is the Minnesota Music Educators Association and she plays for a subcommittee called the Minnesota All-State Jazz Band Orchestra. Keel comments on the Minnesota Music Educators Association saying, “There are quite a few ensembles within the organization, and it’s really neat because you can play pretty much any instrument you can think of and be a part of one of the groups.” The Jazz Band is audition-based, and players audition in the early spring. If they get accepted, they move on to a summer camp where they play their instrument of choice for 12 hours each day. The following February the Jazz Band plays at the Midwinter convention. Keel has been playing in All-State groups since the eighth grade.

The director of the Jazz Band group is Scotty Barnhart. A two-time Grammy winner, Barnhart has been playing the Trumpet his whole life and has been playing with the Count Basie Orchestra since 1993 and is now the director. Keel comments on Barnhart as a musician saying “Scotty is a super talented musician and is incredible to learn from, and wonderful to listen to. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to play for him.”

Gallery • 1 Photos

Thomas Kovarik

ALL TOGETHER. Senior Bridget Keel playing with her band in the Mid-Winder Conventions.