The annual Dessert and Jazz fundraiser, presented by the Madison Music and Arts, will take place on Saturday, February 6th, at 6:30pm, here at Madison High School. This year, the event is titled “The Magical World of Music”, in honor of the MHS music department’s iconic trip to Disney World this coming May. Admission is $20 per person, and reservations can be made on the MMA’s website,  www.madisonpublicschools.org/mma. The event is one of the largest fundraisers and is expected to sell out, as it has in past years.

There are two portions of this wonderful night celebrating the young musicians at Madison High School and Madison Junior School. The first portion is a cabaret-style performance setting, featuring smaller acts from high school students, singing or playing jazz pieces or pieces done in the jazz style. This portion is an excellent way to highlight individual performers within the music department. Auditioned performers of all grades include numerous singing acts, a saxophone quartet, and a tap dance. Sophomore Billy Hughes will be emceeing the cabaret portion.

After sitting in the elegantly decorated cafeteria for the individual acts and delicious desserts, audience members make their way to the auditorium for the concert-like setting jazz band program. The Madison High School jazz band will play songs from their recent winter concert. They are conducted by Mr. Batsch, the band teacher at MHS. The band features select students from the MHS music program, including senior Grace Van Cleef, who, in addition to playing trumpet, sings one of the jazz band’s selections. The Madison Junior School jazz band, under the direction of Leo Sabatino, who teaches band at MJS, will perform as well.

Other students who wish to be involved in the fundraiser can volunteer as servers for the cabaret portion. There are service hours offered for serving desserts. Those students who want to participate are encouraged to sign up on the A-Hall music and arts bulletin board. More information is available there.

The Dessert and Jazz night is a fundraiser to benefit the Madison Music and Arts, which is the only parent organization supporting the music and art programs in the Madison school district as well as the only parent organization supporting both curricular and extracurricular programs. It is $20 to become a member of the organization, and the money earned from membership dues goes to supporting the music and arts for grades K-12, such as buying instruments and art supplies, and their partnership with Madison groups such as the Downtown Development Committee (DDC) and the Madison Arts and Culture Alliance (MACA). All of their efforts go to supporting kids who participate in the music and arts programs in the Madison schools. For more information about the MMA, visit their website: www.madisonpublicschools.org/mma.