Courtyard jam session

Darnysha Mitchell '17

Kenton Kiser ’18 fronts Boise Noise in the courtyard.

The musical groups of Jones gather in the courtyard to showcase their talents to celebrate the end of the school year.

Boise Noise, Snack Time, Corn On My Dinner Plate, Jeris Girll, and a solo performance by Semira Truth Garrett ‘18 were the main acts for “Jones Jam”,  the first ever spring concert that took place during academic lab. From rock songs to rap versus, students enjoyed the variety of musical talents displayed by their fellow classmates as the school year winds down.

“It’s really cool to see everyone out here listening to these great Jones bands,” said Stephanie Koll ‘17. “I never knew that so many people at this school was so talented. It’s so fun to watch.”

English teacher Theodore Grossman, the sponsor for the concert, was pleased to see the bands put together a show to close out the end of the school year during the school year for the first time.

“The students wanted to have a concert in the spring,” said Grossman. “I thought it was a great idea and it really is. It’s a nice day for Jones’ kids to show their musical talent. [The courtyard] is a beautiful setting that most people don’t take advantage of very often. It’s a great way for all of us to get together, especially at the end of the year.”   

Putting on an eye-catching performances isn’t new for Jones’ musicians due to their reputation for impressive school musicals and performing at local venues outside the classroom. For Miranda Poedtke ‘17, member of the girl group Snack Time, it was her first time performing her talents in front of an audience. However, she found her debut performance to be a great experience.

“It was pretty exciting,” said Poedtke. “I didn’t really feel nervous. The vibe was really chill and [the audience] is my classmates, so I didn’t have to worry about anything.

Poedtke also reveals the message that the group Snack Time wants to send through their lyrics.

“It’s mostly about female empowerment and getting girls together to play music is big itself,” said Poedtke. “The music industry is mostly dominated by men. There’s definitely a lot more women musicians now, but there’s still certain genres [of music] that’s still male-dominated.”

Principal Dr. Joseph Powers praises the students of the bands for organizing an event for their classmates.

“I was glad it was a student-initiated activity,” said Powers. “We had a good variety of things going on. We had four or five bands going on, the organization [of the event] was good, and the weather couldn’t have been better.”

Powers also approves of the “Jones Jam” becoming a permanent tradition for the students who wishes to showcase their talent.

“Back then, when students would host performances, it was held after school because we didn’t have AcLab,” said Powers. “AcLab is intended for the purposes that we use them for. But as we get to the end of the year, it’s good to use that time and flexibility to have something special like this. If people are willing to get [the concert] organized, get a faculty sponsor, and get the talent on board, it’s a fun activity. It was a sunny, bright afternoon and we had a nice crowd out there.I think it’s terrific.”