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Dan Davey
Director of Jazz/Music Instructor
503-491-7010
​[email protected] ​
Thank you for volunteering on the Staff of the Northwest Jazz Band Festival! You are the face of Mt. Hood Community College's Music Department to our nearly 1000 student musicians, their directors, families, and guests. Please be welcoming and accomodating and help to ease any anxiety they may have. 

Below are your responsibilities and schedule. Please make sure Kelly has your lunch order. If you need to fill one out, please download one here. 

There are four performance sites on campus and each one runs like a separate festival with a separate staff. It is extremely important that you work as a team to keep each site on time and flowing smoothly between bands. 

On Friday, the setup will begin at 9am for sound equipment. 

The dress for the day includes your festival t-shirt (available in the Performing Arts Office) and nice jeans. 

Be prompt on Saturday morning. If you are running late, call in. There will be a staff meeting at 7:30am in the Choir Room. 

Lunch will be delivered to the Performing Arts Office for your lunch break. Please take your food and then find a place to eat outside of the Performing Arts Office. The office will be reserved for adjudicators to eat. If you would like water, please be sure to bring your water bottles to fill up.

After your venue is finished for the day, you can begin tearing it down. The assignment sheet has your breakdown responsibilities. Please restore all rooms to their original state and return all music equipment to its proper place. Site managers will have more information about this. When you are done with your venue, go to the College Theatre to either watch awards or help tearing that space down. 
Click here to download the Staff Volunteer Schedule. 

Site Manager
Your primary job is: 
  • Make sure your room stays on time! Bands have 30 minutes to setup, perform, have a clinic, and breakdown. When a band finishes performing, let the clinician know how long they have before they start. Give them a 5-minute warning before they finish. If there is no time for a clinic because the band played for too long, let the judges know.
  • Make sure your room is set before each band (see setup charts).  Each group has sent a setup chart in advance and you will have those in a folder at the start of the day. If they did not submit it in advance, ask your Ensemble Guide if they submitted one upon their arrival. If not, you may ask the director if there are any specific setup needs. 
  • Manage the clean-up/breakdown of your room on Saturday. All equipment belonging to the Music Dept. should be returned to its appropriate place by the staff of that room. 

Remind the Director: 
Remind the director before they begin that they have 20 minutes to perform. This will be followed by a short clinic. After they are finished, they should return to Vista Dining Center to collect their cases. Tell the director you will introduce them but not the pieces or soloists. They should announce those to the audience.

Ensemble Guide
Your job is to 
  • Meet each band at the Vista and bring them to their warm up room. Each band will have a table in the Vista, listed alphabetically. Find your group and bring them to their warmup space. Arrive 10 minutes early any time you need to move the band. Directors may have questions or be nervous about when to move. 
  • Bring bands from their warm up room to the correct venue ON TIME! Have them move to the performance venue 5 minutes ahead of their performance time. They may want their rhythm section to go even earlier and that is ok! 
  • Give directors a 10 and 5 minute warning as their warmup is wrapping up and they need to move to the performance venue. Check in with the performance venues to make sure they are running on time. 
  • Remember festivals can be very stressful for directors and students. Be as friendly and nice as possible. You are the direct link between the directors and our department. Their festival experience is largely influenced by your professionalism. 

Sound Technician
Your only job is to make sure each group gets a perfect audio recording on their CD. When you have finished their CD and have "finalized" it, place it in a sleeve to be picked up by a runner. You will have a schedule and might want to prelabel your blank discs. Make sure to write school, ensemble name, and time on each disc.

Judge Runner
After each group is finished, pick up their packets from the judges’ table, get the CD from the sound table, and bring it all to the Performing Arts office. 

If your judges are doing an audio commentary, pick up their recorder at the beginning of lunch and bring it back before their groups begin again.

Also, check in with each judge in your venue and bring them water, snacks, etc. Ask if they need pencils sharpened and sharpen them in the Performing Arts office if needed. 

Check in with Registration Desk regularly for any forms that need to be distributed.

Registration Table / Info Table
Your job is to: 
  • Check bands off the master list as they arrive and check in with you. 
  • Provide directors with a packet as they arrive. You will have one packet per school to be handed to the director. 
  • Collect any outstanding 1) announcement forms, 2) stage setup plans, 3) checks/purchase orders (although this would be rare).  The Judge Runners or Floaters may take these forms to the appropriate destinations.
  • Review the flow of the day for them and include a description of where to find the Vista (for instrument storage and where they will meet their Ensemble Guide), the warmup room, and their performance venue. 
  • Remind directors that soon after their band performs, their performance packet will be delivered to the registration desk to be picked up by the directors. They will want these right away but it might take 40 minutes or more before they are finished. 
  • Sit at a table in College Theatre. Answer questions, point people in the right direction, and hand out pre-ordered t-shirts. 

    T-shirt Sales:
    T-shirts ARE for sale on the day of the festival while supplies last for $20 (cash or check only). 

    Checks may be made payable to MHCC Music. 

    You will also have information about MHCC and registering for classes in case students or parents are interested. 

Stage Hand
Help groups get their performance venue set up correctly. Setup charts will be in the site binder. If the director did not send it ahead of time, your Site Manager or Ensemble Guide will give you a set-up sheet from that day and direct you on how to accomplish set up as quickly as possible.

Please be quick and efficient so the site doesn’t fall behind! ​

Floater
Be available through The Performing Arts Office to assist where needed. Check in regularly with Site Directors to see if they need additional help, etc. 

Check in with Registration Desk regularly for any forms that need to be distributed. 

Tabulator & Packet Coordinator
  • Check the judges’ math on their score sheets. If there is an issue, contact Dan immediately. 
  • Enter scores on the database.
  • Assemble finished packets.
  • Take the packets to the check-in table in College Theatre. Each packet must include: 
    1. A score sheet from each judge, and 
    2. The performance CD. 
    3. It may include musical scores or sealed notes to the director if the judges included them. 
    4. Note: If the packet is not complete, do not send it to the check-in table. It is better for it to be late than have parts missing. 
  • Help assemble 1st and 2nd place awards. Place a post-it note with the school’s name on the appropriate plaque.
  • Print off Outstanding Musicianship Awards using the template on the computer in the PA Office. Judges will recommend names for these student musicians. 

Overview of Festival Flow
A.    Visiting schools arrive via buses near the Mountain Fountain, usually 1-2 hours prior to their performing time where they are welcomed by a Greeter. 

B.    Buses should be met by the “Greeter” who will welcome them to the festival and direct the group’s director to the registration table in the College Theatre Lobby. Students may unload to the Vista Dining Hall (no security provided) via closest stairway to the buses. The freight elevator should not be accessed (unless with a MHCC staff present). Handicap access to the College Theatre is through the doors next to the Loading Zone. Handicap access to the 2nd level is through the Student Union elevator. 

C.    The registration table will be in the College Theatre Lobby.  Upon check in, the registration table needs to collect any outstanding 1) announcement forms, 2) stage setup plans, 3) checks/purchase orders.  The Judge Runners or Floaters may take these forms to the appropriate destinations.

D.    ALL GROUPS PROCEED TO THE VISTA FOR STORAGE (bands provide their own security). Each school has their own labeled table in the Vista. Wally’s Music will also have an exhibit table there. 

E.    5-10 minutes before the warm-up time, directors should meet their Ensemble Guides at their designated table in the Vista. Ensemble Guides will take the bands to their assigned warm-up space (see the schedule for room numbers and times).  Check maps for the flow of ensembles to/from warm-up and performance rooms.

F.    5-10 minutes before performance times, Ensemble Guides will escort their schools from the warm-up room to the stage for performance then back to the Vista Dining Hall to put instruments back in cases.  At this point the students will go either to hear other groups, attend workshops, or to get food.

G.    Once the last school has arrived, the registration table shifts to distributing performance packets. After directors collect their packets, the registration table may be dismantled.

H.    All performance sites should observe standard concert decorum. No one should be allowed into or out of the performance site while groups are performing.

I.    A Mt. Hood music student will be acting as site manager/host and making all announcements and band introductions. Directors will announce specific songs and soloists. Site Managers should ask directors for any difficult pronunciations. 

J.    There will be one Award Ceremony to follow the final performance featuring Mt. Hood student and faculty musicians as well as the guest artist (check schedule for times). 

K.    Outstanding musicianship awards will be presented to musicians from each division as appointed by adjudicators. Scholarships to attend Mt. Hood may be awarded to some outstanding musicians. Oregon bands who place in the top two of their division will be recommended to participate at the next level of competition, the OMEA State Jazz Competition. 

L.    After the final performance in each venue, the site is cleared/cleaned, equipment put away, warm-up classrooms put back in order, the Vista Dining Hall cleared, and the Registration Table dismantled and materials returned to the PA Office. Sound equipment should be returned to the Sound Storage Closet. Instruments should be returned to 2102 or other appropriate location (drum closet, etc.).

It takes many people to make this day successful and the music department is extremely grateful for everyone’s help!

Flow Directions for Bands & Maps

Questions
Please direct any questions to Dan Davey, the Director of Jazz at Mt. Hood. 
Email: [email protected]
​Phone: 503-491-7010
Participants with disabilities:  to request accommodations please contact the Disability Services Office
​at (503) 669-6923 or (503) 667-7670 (TDD) at least two weeks prior to the event.
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