The Greene County High School jazz choir enjoyed a special week.

The Jazzatonics qualified for a seventh year to the Iowa Vocal Jazz Championships, which will be held on March 26th. Director David Heupel says the night he found out was also the same night that some of his jazz choir students performed the National Anthem to open the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union State Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. He explains how you qualify is that they had to submit a recording of their songs to be judged.

“We sang well on the recording that we had to submit. But I didn’t feel like the recording was the best quality. So I was kind of on the fence I didn’t know if we had pulled it off or not. And it’s getting harder and harder because they have so many groups that are trying to get in and they only take eight per class. So to be one of those eight is pretty exciting.”

As for performing at the state girls basketball tournament, Heupel says school districts submit a request to perform and whenever they get chosen to do so, it’s always an honor.

“Personally I’m a pretty big sports nut myself so it’s a lot of fun for me to go to those events and have the kids perform there and then they get the Greene County name out there a little more. And it’s really fun because especially the first rounds of the tournament all those fans are so excited to be there anyway and they’re so excited to get the game going. We always get a lot of really great applauds and excited fans. So it’s an exciting atmosphere to be apart of.”

Heupel adds that 11 of the 13 members of the jazz choir performed at the state tournament.