Jazz and pancakes were on the menu when Zachary High’s Band of Blue hit a proverbial high note concluding an active school year and starting a new chapter of leadership. The Band of Blue Foundation’s Jazz and Pancakes fundraiser, held May 10, gave families and community groups an opportunity to applaud and support multiple band ensembles.
Retiring Band of Blue Director Jason Venable will be passing the baton to longtime jazz band director Donny Alexander, who expressed humility in stepping into the role once held by esteemed directors like Venable and David Phillips. “There's some incredible shoes that can absolutely never be filled,” Alexander said. “It is also humbling because I'm home. This is where I grew up. This is the band that made me come to school every day. It made me who I am. It made me. It made me love music.”
Alexander, who has been teaching for 24 years, is in his 18th year “back home” in Zachary.
He has witnessed the growth of the jazz program, which has expanded from one ensemble to three — including lab bands and a traditional jazz ensemble “Within the last three or four years, our number doubled, almost tripled,” he said. “We counted yesterday and there's 61 kids in the jazz program.”
The Jazz and Pancakes fundraiser expanded to a standalone event this year. Venable explained the program has held a very successful mattress sale that usually included the jazz brunch at its conclusion. This year, the mattress sale was held earlier and the jazz brunch drew an additional packed house to the school cafeteria.
A retirement celebration for Venable will be held Saturday in the Zachary High Band Room from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. For information, visit .
