Band + Jazz News

The Lake Washington High School Marching Kangs stepped off the football field and into the heart of downtown Kirkland on Sept. 19 to lead the Mini Belonging Parade at City Hall for All, the City’s annual celebration of what makes Kirkland a welcoming place for everyone. Held during Welcoming Week and honoring Hispanic Heritage Month at Kirkland City Hall, City Hall for All brought together more than 40 City departments and community partners, a children’s business fair, the f

The LWHS Marching Kangs took the field at Husky Stadium on Sept. 12 for the 73rd Annual UW Husky Band Day. The Kangs band performed alongside the Husky Marching Band and more than 2,300 high school musicians from across Washington. Husky Band Day is the longest-standing mass band day of its kind in the country. Prior to 1985, the LWHS Marching Kangs were regular participants in this extraordinary event. What a moment for our students—and for a marching band in only its secon

19 music outstanding students from LWHS choirs, bands, and orchestras were selected by audition for seven 2026 All-State Ensembles. Congratulations to these musicians who auditioned for WMEA All-State last fall and performed at the WMEA Convention in Tacoma on May 30. Audition materials for WMEA 2027 will be available this summer at www.wmea.org, with jazz and national ensemble auditions due in October, and All-State/All-Northwest auditions due in November. Congratulations t

Rising 9th graders -- join us at LWHS for an introduction to Marching Band on Thursday, May 28! 5:30 to 8 PM LWHS Bring your instrument & a marching lyre Wear athletic shoes We will play pep tunes and learn marching fundamentals! We'll also hang out and have some pizza! Scan the QR code to sign up! PS. If you didn't sign up for Band but you are still thinking about it, come! Registration opens for changes on Aug. 21 and you will have a couple days to add Band to your high sch

There's still time to register and audition for a variety of amazing summer band + jazz camps FORGE JAZZ CAMP Registration is open NOW for a new jazz summer series for middle and high school trumpet and saxophone players who are ready to take their playing somewhere new. Hosted on the University of Washington Bothell campus, the camp runs Tuesdays and Thursdays from July 6 through July 30, 2026, with a final performance at Bothell Unity on August 1. Taught by renowned Seattle

Marching Band Camp is ON for the 3rd week of August! Mark this in your calendar for your high school career! Yes - for those who have Cross-Country practice in the morning - you can start after practice. Marching Band Camp is FUN and participation is strongly encouraged! What to do: Submit your info for Band Camp HERE Watch for email updates Follow @lwhskangsband on Instagram for band news and reels Follow @forte.athletics on Instagram for marching fitness tips and exercises

Amazing two hours with Reggie Thomas, jazz educator and pianist with the Count Basie Orchestra, on April 2, 2026. "Your job is not to play the right notes and the right rhythms, but to find the music in the notes and the rhythms. Your goal is to make the audience dance.," Thomas told the students." 24 LWHS Jazz students (about 50%!) caught an impromptu April 2 big band clinic with renowned jazz artist Reggie Thomas. Several said it was "life changing!" Big thanks to Mr. Krus

Jonathan Yang, a sophomore in the LWHS Jazz Band, wrote a feature on Interim Director John Northey for the February 2026 Greet Kirkland Magazine.