The GMG High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Mr. Dan Lastovka, will be participating in class 1A at the 40th Annual Iowa Jazz Championships. The event will be on Tuesday, March 31st. The GMG will perform at 8:30 A.M. in the Community Choice Credit Union@Veteran’s Memorial in Des Moines. The public is invited to attend. Admission is $10. Musco Lighting from Oskaloosa, Iowa sponsors the event in cooperation with Iowa Jazz Championships, Inc., Jazz Educators of Iowa, and the Iowa Music Educators Association. The Iowa Jazz Championships are considered to be a unique event nationally due to the format and caliber of performances. The annual state championship event invites the top 15 jazz ensembles for each class 1A-4A (60 bands total), bringing together many of Iowa’s finest young jazz musicians to compete in one of the largest one day festivals in the nation. Jazz Bands qualify for the Iowa Jazz Championships through district and independent qualifying festivals. Each jazz ensemble performs a twenty-minute set before a panel of three judges during the morning and afternoon competition. The top two performing jazz bands from each class will then compete that evening in the Des Moines Civic Center for the Iowa Jazz Championship state titles.