2025 class got brass
Competition: Saturday, March 29 at 2:00pm
Deadline to apply: January 6
Class Got Brass presented by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation is an initiative of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation to support music education in the schools while promoting the traditional music of New Orleans.
About class got brass:
Class Got Brass presented by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation will return to Armstrong Park on Saturday, March 29, 2025. The popular event will be part of the 2025 Congo Square Rhythms Festival. We invite middle schools and high schools in Louisiana to create a New Orleans-style brass band of up to 12 members – and then to enter a competition in the form of a “second-line” parade with a who’s who of celebrity judges. At stake are more than $50,000 worth of instruments and other supplies for the winning schools’ music programs. We have two categories of competition: Beginners and Advanced.
Trombone Shorty Foundation Collaboration:
This year, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is teaming up with the Trombone Shorty Foundation to pair brass band musicians with Band Directors/Schools for in-school clinics leading up to the competition. We’re offering a 30-minute consultation with the Band Director via Zoom or in person, and a 60-minute in-person session for the band during practice. This initiative is designed to better prepare participants for Class Got Brass!
Run of Show:
Check-in begins at 11:00am
All Bands must be at Armstrong Park no later than 1:00pm.
All Bands Photo: 1:15pm
Bands Lineup: 1:30pm
Competition begins at 2:00pm
Advanced Category:
- First place prize is $10,000
- Second place prize is $7,000
- Third place prize is $5,000
the Beginner Category:
- First place prize is $5,000
- Second place is $4,000
- Third place is $3,000.
Competitors that don’t place in either category will receive a stipend of up to $1,000.
Prizes may be utilized for hiring clinicians, acquiring instruments, instrument repairs, or obtaining other supplies to support the winning schools’ music programs. Consistent with our mission, these resources must be spent within Louisiana to foster a cycle of local reinvestment.
Band Director Resources
Class Got Brass Guidelines
A competition open to public and private middle schools and high schools in Louisiana.
- This competition is open to public and non-public accredited middle schools (grades 6-8) and high schools (grades 9-12) in the state of Louisiana.
- All competitors must perform one dirge and one up-tempo song from a list of recommended songs.
- Competitors will have four (4) minutes in which to complete their performance. Time is subject to change based on the number of participants.
- Band Size: Band may have no fewer than five instruments and no more than 12. All members must adhere to the guidelines that emphasize brass band tradition.
- All performers – whether band members or accompanying dancers or grand marshal – must be students currently enrolled in the school.
SHEET MUSIC AND resources
Our partners at the Preservation Hall Foundation are providing additional resources to help band directors prepare their students for the competition. There is a resource-rich web site with instructional materials covering songs in the traditional brass band repertoire.
For each song, there is sheet music to download, with arrangements for all brass band instruments: trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone, tuba, bass drum and snare drum. There are also classic recordings demonstrating the proper tone and style.
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Jazz & Heritage Archive Resources
This year, to support Class Got Brass, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Archive has taken a step in promoting music education by offering access to a collection of media resources. The collection offers archival footage of Jazz Fest second lines, panel discussions, and parades, all aimed at supporting band directors in nurturing and inspiring their students. With events like the Class Got Brass competition requiring participants to embrace and embody the jubilant nature of New Orleans brass band culture, these archival materials are intended to serve as educational tools. The password to view the collection is “class”.
Questions? Contact the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation by calling (504) 558-6103, or sending an email to programs@jazzandheritage.org
Gia Maione Prima Foundation
The Gia Maione Prima Foundation has been instrumental in supporting programs that preserve and promote Louisiana’s musical heritage while fostering opportunities for the next generation of musicians. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation proudly announces that GMPF has committed to $25,000 in support of Class Got Brass initiative.
Gia Maione Prima Foundation, Inc. (the “Foundation”) was established by the late Gia Maione Prima with the assistance of long-time friend and counsel, Anthony J. Sylvester of Sherman Atlas Sylvester & Stamelman, LLP. Gia was a singer and widow of famous jazz musician, singer and composer Louis Prima. Gia was also an artist and a devotee of the fine arts. The Foundation shall make donations that serve religious, charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes by making distributions which are not classified as “taxable expenditures”. *The Foundation’s purposes include, but are not limited to, making donations to other tax-exempt organizations that support and encourage an appreciation for American jazz, American popular music and jazz performance, as well as the fine arts.
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