JAZZ EDUCATION NETWORK

Intercollegiate Community College Honors Vocal Jazz Ensemble

The Intercollegiate Community College Honors Vocal Jazz Ensemble celebrates the incredible talent emerging from community college jazz programs across the nation. Outstanding students are selected through a competitive audition process to rehearse and perform together at the 2027
JEN Conference. Bringing together the top community college performers from across the country, this dynamic ensemble showcases the artistry, creativity, and future of jazz—highlighting the vital role community colleges play in shaping the next generation of jazz vocalists and musicians.

 

photos by Frances Scanlon 

The 2027 Jazz Education Network Conference in Louisville will proudly debut the first-ever JEN Intercollegiate Community College Honors Vocal Jazz Ensemble (ICCHJVE) — a groundbreaking new performance opportunity created to spotlight the extraordinary talent thriving within community college vocal jazz programs across the country.

The 2027 ensemble will be led by Kansas City Kansas Community College’s John Stafford II, who was selected through a competitive application process earlier this year. Professor Stafford has earned numerous DownBeat Student Music Awards as a director, he is an award-winning composer, and he currently serves as the national Vocal Jazz Repertoire & Resources Chair for the American Choral Directors Association.

This premier ensemble will feature 16 outstanding vocalists, supported by a 3- or 4-piece rhythm section, coming together for an unforgettable performance at the national conference. Students will be selected through a blind audition process in Fall 2026, ensuring an equitable and excellence-driven selection. Application information is contained below, and the student nomination window will be open August 1 – September 30. All currently enrolled community college students are eligible to be nominated.

This new honors ensemble represents JEN’s continued commitment to access, excellence, and opportunity — celebrating the power of vocal jazz while elevating the vital role of community colleges in shaping the next generation of artists and educators.

DIRECTOR APPLICATION WINDOW

April 1 – May 30

 

PERFORMER NOMINATION WINDOW

August 1 – September 30

Click HERE for membership info

2027 STUDENT NOMINATIONS OPEN AUGUST 1
DIRECTOR application guidlines
  • The director will be selected through an application process each spring.
  • The application window will be open April 1 – May 30.
  • All applicants must be current JEN members, Full Individual or higher.
  • Any vocal jazz director is welcome to apply.
  • Director applicant must be a JEN Full Individual member in good standing.
  • Applicant must be have a background in vocal jazz ensemble directing

Application Information Required:

  • Name, address, phone, email
  • Employment Information
    • Name of Community College
    • Faculty Position
  • Website and/or Social media Info (not required)
  • Resume/CV
  • Short bio
  • Any guest artists with whom you might be able to arrange to perform with the ICCHVJE 
  • Five charts you would potentially program with this ensemble, and your rationale for your selected charts.
  • Short narrative describing why you want to direct the ICCHVJE.
  • (optional) Original compositions or arrangements
  • Three (3) audio/video recordings of an ensemble under your direction. Video is preferred. One may be of your own composition/arrangement.
  • No fee required to apply to direct the ensemble
  • Travel and expenses are the responsibility of the ICCHVJE Director.
  • Directors are required to stay in official JEN conference housing, linked HERE.
  • Director will receive a complimentary conference registration.
PERFORMER NOMINATION guidlines
  •  The student nomination window will be open August 1 – September 30.
  • Nominating director must be a JEN member, Full Individual or higher.
  • Students must be nominated by their community college director.
  • Students cannot nominate themselves.
  • Student nominee must be currently enrolled in classes.
  • Each nomination requires a $35 application fee.

 

  • Information contained below may be downloaded HERE.

    Audition Application Requirements:

    Singers will submit four separate recordings in mp3 format only, each labeled with the following format: VoicePart_FirstNameLastName_School_TrackTitle. Examples for how to label will be provided below.

     

    • Track 2: Each singer will record two or three vocalises demonstrating the full extent of their vocal range.
      • Instructions and examples can be found on the sheet Vocal Range Audition – Score.pdf.
      • If sopranos and altos have had proper training and can belt with healthy technique, they may record a vocalise of their choice that demonstrates the upper end of healthy belt range. This is completely optional.
      • All range demonstrations should be combined on one mp3 file. An example of how to label this mp3 would be VoiceBass_ JustinBinek_KCKCC_VocalRange.

     

    • Track 3: Each singer will record two choruses of improvisation (scat singing) on either 12-Bar Blues in Bb (mm=150) or Rhythm Changes in Bb (mm=200).

     

    • Track 4: Each singer will record a performance of one 32-bar jazz standard (mm=132).
      • The singer will use one of the accompaniment tracks provided HERE.
      • The performance should follow the following format:
        • Sing the head as would be done typically on a gig, presenting the melody with a minimum of melodic alteration/ornamentation and with straightforward lyrical phrasing.
        • Sing a 16-bar scat solo over the first half of the form.
        • Sing the lyric out on the second half of the form, this time with more freedom in terms of melodic alteration/ornamentation and lyrical phrasing, but doing so within common stylistic practice.
      • The following standards are available to choose from, along with available keys, and notes about intros and outros on the tracks:
        • Autumn Leaves: keys of Gmi, Emi, Cmi; intro last 8 bars, 2-bar break leading into the scat solo; 3x tag outro on the last 4 with classic hits
        • But Not For Me: keys of C, Bb, Ab; intro last 8 bars; 2-bar break leading into the scat solo; no tag outro, Basie ending
        • How High The Moon: keys of G, F, Eb; intro last 8 bars; 2-bar break leading into the scat solo; 3x tag outro on the “until you will, how still my heart” turnaround, plus Basie ending
        • It Could Happen To You: keys of G, F, Eb; intro last 8 bars, no break leading into the scat solo; no tag outro, Ellington ending
        • Lullaby Of Birdland: keys of Emi, Dmi, Cmi; 8-bar intro on a 1-6-2-5 vamp in minor; no break leading into the scat solo; no tag outro, singer does the standard “we’re in love” short ending
        • There Will Never Be Another You: keys of Eb, C, Bb; intro last 8 bars; no break leading into the scat solo; 3x tag outro on the “there will never, ever be” turnaround, followed by a clean 2-5-1 ending.
      • An example of how to label this mp3 would be VoiceBass_JustinBinek_KCKCC_JazzStandard

    NOTE: All recordings will be relabeled to ensure anonymity before being sent to the selection committee.

    If there are any questions at all, please direct them to the ICCHVJE coordinator, Dr. Justin Binek, at either [email protected] or [email protected]!

    Application Deadline: September 30, 2026 @ 11:59pm ET

$35 fee for each application submitted

  • Travel and expenses are the responsibility of each ICCHVJE Selectee.
  • ICCHVJE Ensemble members are required to stay in official JEN conference housing, linked HERE.
  • Each performer will receive a complimentary conference registration.

Intercollegiate Community College Honors
Vocal Jazz Ensemble
Coordinator

DR. JUSTIN BINEK

Dr. Justin Binek is an internationally recognized jazz and classical singer, pianist, clinician, and composer/arranger.  Justin is a co-author of the third edition of Richard J. Lawn’s Experiencing Jazz textbook; he is also a contributing author to Diana Spradling’s Jazz Singing: Developing Artistry and Authenticity and Katrien Van Opstal’s Vocal Jazz Technique: The Mixing Table Model. A renowned scat singer and teacher of vocal improvisation, Justin is a featured clinician in Michele Weir’s ScatAbility iOS app. Justin’s compositions and arrangements are available from Kerry Marsh and Anchor Music, and his original jazz-inspired mass, Missa Lucis, made its Carnegie Hall debut in June 2022.

 

A 2022 and 2023 GRAMMY Music Educator Award Quarterfinalist, Justin serves as an Associate Professor of Music Theory and Commercial Music at Kansas City Kansas Community College, where he directs the DownBeat Student Music Award-winning Blue Devil Funk Band, teaches applied voice and piano, and coordinates the Kansas City Jazz Summit, the college’s annual educational jazz festival. He also teaches on the faculty of the Belgium’s Halewynstichting Jazz Workshop. Justin has presented clinics and performed at the JEN, IAJE, IJVC, and ISME Conferences, he has twice served as a guest artist/clinician at the National Youth Jazz Festival in Makhanda, South Africa, and he has served as the director for numerous All-State and region-level honors ensembles.

 

Justin is an active performer in the vibrant Kansas City jazz scene, and lives in Olathe, KS, with his wife, Claire, an accomplished vocal pedagogue and middle school choir director, and their daughters, Cora and Iris. Justin previously held teaching positions at the University of the Arts (Philadelphia) and the University of Mary (Bismarck, ND), and holds degrees from the University of North Texas (DMA), Western Michigan University (MM), and the University of Mary (BS and BA). For more information, visit www.justinbinekjazz.com.

Have questions?


Contact Dr.  Binek at
[email protected]