It turns out the joke just may be on Tinley Park High School band director Vincent Aiello.
Aiello hid a tape recorder in the band’s practice room. When the honors jazz ensemble rehearsed, the 44-year-old director pressed play.
He recorded the group for several days. Then, he compiled the best of the rehearsals on a disc and submitted it to the Jazz Educators Network Conference. Aiello said he thought he would just get some feedback on how the group could improve, not a congratulatory letter inviting them to the conference.
“I said, ‘This should be fun to see how we do,’ and then I get this big congratulations letter, and I’m like, ‘wow,’ ” Aiello said.
He said the group, made up of 23 students, will perform with other high school, college and professional jazz bands at the three-day conference in late May in St. Louis.
The mostly upperclassman ensemble will perform about six to nine songs for an hour, Aiello said.
When the students heard of his “deceit” they were far from angry.
“I thought it was funny,” senior trombone player Terry Pallanti said. “I definitely didn’t think we sounded that good during rehearsal (to make the conference).”
Pallanti, who has been with the group for four years, said he isn’t worried about the other schools and is confident the Tinley Park ensemble will hold its own.
“We’re going to go out there and show what we got,” he said.
Senior Chris Taylor also has been with the band for four years. The drummer, who has been playing since fifth grade, started by practicing on pots and pans.
“We work extremely hard, and for me, it proved that our hard work pays off,” he said.
Aiello said the trip will cost about $150 per student, and to raise the funds, the band will host the fourth annual Jazz Cafe. The all-day event will be in March.
Despite knowing how hard they’ve worked, Taylor said being invited to the conference doesn’t mean they get to relax.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” he said.
IF YOU GO …
What: Jazz Cafe
When: 2 p.m. March 28
Where: Tinley Park High School cafeteria
Cost: $8 for adults and $6 for senior citizens
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services