The Senior Jazz Ensemble is a traditional big band and performs grade IV-V arrangements of jazz standards with a strong emphasis on improvisation. Auditions for the ensemble are held in mid November and the ensemble then rehearses throughout the remainder of the school year.  The ensemble rehearses twice a week for a total of three hours a week and performs at school concerts, district events, and in the community as well as at state, regional, and national festivals.  Traditionally the band performs with a guest soloist/clinician at the Spring Jazz Gala held each year in early May. Past guest soloists include Phil Thompson, Roger Pemberton, Ray Codrington, Jim Stacks, Wally West, Rick Simerly, and Bobby Militello. The band has also performed with nationally acclaimed jazz artists Bob Mintzer, Robin Eubanks, and Steve Smith.   The Senior Jazz Ensemble consistently earns superior ratings at the SCBDA Jazz Festival and has also earned superior ratings at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Jazz Festival; the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Jazz Festival and the Tidewater Music Festival in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition, the band has also appeared at the New Trier High School Jazz Festival in Chicago, Illinois; the SCMENC Convention in Charleston, South Carolina; and at the North Texas Jazz Festival in Addison. Members of this ensemble participate in the South Carolina All State Jazz Bands each year and several recent graduates have gone on to perform in collegiate ensembles throughout the Southeast.  Directors are Mark Yost and Bill Stowe