Dos Pueblos High School’s Jazz Choir placed second at the LPPA California Jazz Choir Championships on April 24-25 after advancing from the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival with top scores from judges.
The DPHS team competed against 60 other ensembles from California. They competed on two different stages, each time performing their repertoire: “Well Loved,” arranged by Kerry Marsh; “The World Will Keep you Waiting,” arranged by Darmon Meader; “Killing Me Softly,” arranged by Gene Puerling; and “Just One of Those Things,” arranged by Kerry Marsh. After initial scoring, they advanced to the finals on Saturday evening.
“I’ve never been so anxious about it,” choir director Courtney Anderson said. “I think it’s just because they worked so hard and they deserved it. When [the competition directors] pulled out the board [to announce the finalists], and I saw that they were gonna go, I was just over the moon. The job was done — it didn’t matter what happened after that.”
The ensemble began preparing their show in August 2025, initially practicing eight songs. Throughout the year, they worked to refine and individualize the songs. Anderson said their creativity was most evident in their dynamic choices, including variations in volume and timing.
“In ‘Well Loved,’ we added a section where everything just stops,” Anderson said. “Then we come back in. It adds that moment of anticipation, of waiting for the base to drop.”
Lillian Joiner (10) described “Well Loved” as her favorite song to sing, citing the variety in styles as the most fun part.
“The message is a celebration of being well-loved, as the title suggests,” Jake Betancourt (12) said. “It showcases our choir so well; it really plays to our strengths. The second day, when we had our second performance, everyone agreed that it was the best we had sung that song. It’s just awesome to have a performance without knowing it’s your last one of that song, and that it was also your best.”
The ensemble attributed this year’s success to strong team dynamics. Betancourt said members “care about each other” and share a strong work ethic.
“This is one of the best environments and communities out of any of the jazz bands I’ve been in,” Noelle Hadsall (11) said. “Everybody really loves each other. Everybody’s friends, and everybody had the work ethic and was willing to put everything that they had into it.”
Three of the four songs the choir performed were combos, meaning they were accompanied by live piano, bass, and drums. This year, they met the musicians accompanying them the night before performing.
“We had a rehearsal the day before with our combo,” Betancourt said. “We subbed in a pianist last minute, so we had to reallocate some solos, and we didn’t really know how it would go. But after that rehearsal and spending two hours working on our music, we felt very comfortable, ready, and prepared.”
Throughout the year, the team balanced competition preparation with other performances, including fall concerts, Halloween songs, and over 30 Christmas carols. Anderson said she noticed students increasingly taking initiative and preparing on their own.
“We worked so hard the past few months. We brought in so many coaches, and we rehearsed so much,” Joiner said. “We rehearsed after school, we rehearsed every day during the third period, and we put in as much as we could. Getting second place feels just so huge. We’ve been stuck with third place for the past few years, and [this year] we got a record at Santa Cruz, and we got a record at Folsom.”
“Well Loved” featured soloists Sarah Martiny (10), Kay Kay Kuhlman (10), and Sol Garcia Guevara (9). “The World Keeps You Waiting” featured Sarah Martiny (10) and Lillian Joiner (10). “Killing Me Softly” featured Amanda Gorman (11) and Jane Gibson (10). “Just One of Those Things” featured Sarah Martiny (10), Kirby Widger (10), Lillian Joiner (10), and James Kono (10).
