Jazz Hands: Music Department Rebuild At Suttons Bay High School Makes Big Gains

For the second time this year, a high-level jazz ensemble from Michigan State University (MSU) is heading north to perform at Suttons Bay High School. And this time, local students will be performing alongside the college group.

The event is scheduled for 3pm Sunday, November 10 and will feature Suttons Bay High School band students in concert with the MSU Jazz Nonets and famous jazz guitarist Dan Wilson. All proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the Suttons Bay band program.

In March, the Leelanau Ticker reported on another alliance between Suttons Bay Public Schools (SBPS) and the MSU jazz program. SBPS Band Director Dante Billeci graduated from MSU and cut his teeth as part of the college’s prestigious jazz program. Now in his second year at SBPS, Billeci is working to establish an ongoing relationship with his alma mater, in hopes of inspiring a new level of enthusiasm and musicianship among his students.

“The Suttons Bay band program used to have really strong student jazz orchestras,” Billeci says, noting that those programs declined due to a mix of the district’s dipping enrollment and the pandemic, which dealt a devastating blow to school music programs nationwide. “My background is in jazz, so that’s something I’d really like to bring back to SBPS. We’re in the early process of doing that.”

SBPS, in general, is rebuilding its arts programs. The district started that process in 2022 with hires around theater, choir, and elementary music. A band director was the next priority, and Billeci filled that slot starting in fall 2023.

Billeci says students weren’t quite ready for the challenges of playing jazz music during his first year, at least not at a high level. A March visit by another MSU ensemble – the Be-Bop Spartans – teased jazz to Billeci’s students, but didn’t give Suttons Bay High School musicians a chance to perform side-by-side with the nationally-revered 19-piece college jazz band. Because that concert took place during Spring Break, many of Billeci’s pupils also didn’t get a chance to see it. But he says the event made an impression.

“We did have several students come to that concert, and they were just blown away,” Billeci says. “I had students who were talking about it for the rest of the year as a highlight.”

This year, Billeci’s big goal is to build upon that inspiration. The upcoming MSU event is a key piece of that puzzle.

“I’ve been, over the past couple of months, introducing students to jazz improvisation and the jazz style,” Billeci tells the Leelanau Ticker. “We’ve been preparing one tune that they are going to play with the MSU Nonets. So, once MSU arrives, the students at Suttons Bay will have a couple of hours to have their own private master class with MSU members, and then we'll have a rehearsal with the college bands as well.”

MSU’s jazz program has four “nonets,” or small nine-piece jazz ensembles that “blend the sounds of big band with small-group performance.” According to the MSU Jazz Studies website, the smaller group settings give musicians more opportunity to “showcase their improvisational skills” than larger jazz orchestras. MSU’s top two nonet groups – featuring “the most advanced students of MSU’s Jazz Studies area” – will be a part of the visit to Suttons Bay.

They’ll be joined by Dan Wilson, a professional touring jazz guitarist who happens to be spending that week working with MSU’s jazz program. Wilson will lead a master class at MSU on November 5 and will perform with the Jazz Nonets on MSU’s campus November 8. He’ll then join the MSU students on their weekend trip to Leelanau County.

Beyond the educational value students will get from “performing alongside professionals,” Billeci hopes the community will get something out of this concert and other future collaborations between SBPS and MSU.

“There’s a really strong arts community here in Leelanau County,” Billeci says. “Even beyond our school community, people really came out for the concert we did in March. I think we sold close to 300 tickets. So, while this event is obviously about showing our students what’s possible in music, it’s also about bringing the arts to Leelanau County and giving community members – whether you’re a part of the school, or just more broadly – a chance to go see exceptional musicians in your own backyard.”