Lisbon Jazz band finished third at the Iowa Jazz Championships this year.

Band director Joseph Arch noted that Lisbon has been competing as a Class 2A band over the past several years, and has improved their placement at the Iowa Jazz Championship from eighth in 2023 to fifth in 2024 and now third this year.

“It has been an incredible experience over the last couple years to see students up their standards in order to compete at the 2A level,” Arch said.

During a pep rally for the entire school on Tuesday, April 15, Arch highlighted that members of the Lisbon Jazz band have participated in many of the opportunities at Lisbon schools, including softball, volleyball, basketball, football, speech, drama and many different clubs and organizations. All while maintaining that focus as a Class 2A jazz band extra-curricular.

“If they can do it, you can all do it as students, too,” Arch said to younger classmen in attendance.

Arch also noted some of the accolades the band has received this year, including Bryce Boots being recognized as a NEIBA alternate for Iowa Jazz Band, Sawyer Feldman being recognized as an honorable mention soloist at Coe College and Ethan Hoekstra being named to the All-State Jazz Band. During the season, the Lisbon Jazz Band earned a Division I at the Iowa High School Musical Association competition, won Lisbon Jazz Fest, won Coe Jazz Summit, won NEIBA District Jazz and placed third at the jazz championships.

“I think the performance that has most stood out to me was our very first jazz band performance this year,” Arch said. “It was not good. The important part was that the students understood it was not good. From that point on they began to work hard to improve, which paid off as the season went on.”

“Placing as high was we did at the Iowa Jazz Championship is a huge accomplishment for our band,” said Sarah Dietsch, senior and four year jazz band member.

Dietsch said her favorite competitions to be a part of have been at Coe College.

“We always have such amazing judges at those competitions and a lot of fun,” Dietsch said.

Ryan Winders, a four year jazz band member in his junior year said that watching the band progress as they’ve been at the Class 2A level has been something he has loved.

“We’ve improved at the jazz competition every year now,” Winders said.

For Winders, the best performance has always been at the Iowa Jazz Championships where the band gives it their all.

“The NEIBA Jazz performances are always great, too,” Winders said.

On top of the accomplishments for the Iowa Jazz Championship, the Lisbon Concert Band has been selected to perform at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference May 16.

Arch explained that bands who want to apply have to send in a tape in January, and then judges will determine which the top group in each class is in the state.

“This essentially makes this a state championship in band, since it is the highest honor a band can receive in the state of Iowa,” Arch said. On the other hand, it differs from a state championship in that IBA reserves the right to not award a winner if the quality of applicants is not deemed high enough.”

Both Winders and Dietsch said that the win for the concert band is a testament to how much Arch has pushed the band to improve in the past several years.

“It shows how hard we have been working to improve our performances,” Dietsch said.

“I’m really happy we were able to do that and get Arch the recognition for all the work he has put into this band these past six years,” Winders said. “He has pushed us to improve every year.”

Lisbon will be performing May 16 at 3 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel Convention Center in downtown Des Moines. The performance is free to the public.

The Lisbon Marching Band also won Bands Across the Prairie this year and received a Division I rating at Iowa High School Music Association Contests