Essentially Ellington

Launched in 1995, Essentially Ellington is a free program for high school jazz bands that aims to elevate musicianship, broaden perspectives, and inspire performance. EE provides high school and college band directors with resources for the study and performance of big band music. Any high school or college-aged jazz ensemble can join the EE network by registering in our EE Members Only portal, free of charge. Upon doing so, the ensemble remains a member going forward.

Membership benefits for high school and college aged jazz bands include:

• FREE printed or instant downloads of nine big band charts
• FREE rehearsal guides for band leaders
• Professional feedback of student performances of the charts along with much more!

The annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival is one of the most innovative jazz education events in the world. Each year, high school musicians from across North America travel to New York City to spend three days immersed in workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals and performances at the “House of Swing,” Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

In the spirit of honoring our jazz heritage, we seek to enrich high school-aged jazz band programs by launching the Essentially Ellington Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative. The mission of this Initiative is to develop and support jazz programs in under-served and/or underrepresented communities that show outstanding promise. Each submission will receive thorough qualitative feedback from Jazz at Lincoln Center clinicians in accordance with the Essentially Ellington rubric.

Selected Participants Receive: participants will receive: 

• continued support from Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) Education staff.
• access to sheet music from previous years in the Essentially Ellington
• workshops in your band room with JALC-sponsored and local clinicians.
• full tuition scholarship to the 2027 Band Director Academy in New York City; and
• the opportunity to attend a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra sound check while on tour (as available)

To qualify for this program, bands MUST: 

• Be a member of the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Program. To register for FREE please click HERE.
• Have an existing jazz band that meets at least once a week during the academic year.
• Be a Title 1 school OR at least 40% of band members qualify for free or reduced lunch.
• Have 70% of jazz band students from underrepresented backgrounds as demonstrated by a variety of factors, including but not limited to: socioeconomic background, cultural heritage, race, ethnicity, and geographic origin; and
• Submit an application that includes two video recordings of your band performing live – no editing.
  • One video must feature your band performing a work from the Essentially Ellington Library (over 200 tunes)
  • The other video may include any tune from your band’s existing repertoire. Choose pieces that best display the strengths of your band.
  • The video recordings should be of the best quality possible; however, professional capture is not required;
  • iPhone videos will be accepted.
  • Audition materials should be submitted through the online portal: Acceptd.
  • Acceptable video file formats include MPEG, MPG, MP4, OGG, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V, VOB, FLV.
  • For assistance uploading content to your application, please visit Acceptd’s helpdesk webpage.

If accepted to the Initiative program, bands must either apply for the 2027 Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival OR submit recordings through our Comments Only program.

*Finalist bands for the Competition & Festival are limited to 25 participating students. Previous Competition & Festival finalist bands and international ensembles are not eligible to apply.

All submissions must be submitted by Monday, November 6, 2026 by 11:59pm.

For more information or if you have any questions concerning your entry, please feel free to contact Oliver Beardsley at 212-258-9861 or ee@jazz.org.

In addition to the Competition & Festival in New York City each May, Essentially Ellington co-produces non-competitive, education-focused festivals designed to offer high school jazz bands of all levels the opportunity to perform the music of Duke Ellington and other seminal big band composers and arrangers at various locations across the country. Participating bands receive professional feedback from JALC clinicians and other jazz professionals in their own backyard.

ESSENTIALLY ELLINGTON REGIONAL FESTIVALS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON.

Essentially Ellington Complete Library List
A complete list of all published EE charts with grading, style, and features/soloists.

Blood Count Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Blood Count, featured in the 2012-13 program year.

Bonga Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Bonga, featured in the 2012-13 program year.

Chinoiserie Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Chinoiserie, featured in the 2013-14 program year.

Notes on Conducting Jazz Ensembles
Transcriber and Ellington authority, David Berger, provides useful tips for conducting your jazz band.

Duke Ellington Lead Sheet
A quick guide to Duke Ellington’s prolific career.

Coaching Your Ensemble
Advice from JALC Managing and Artistic Director, Wynton Marsalis, on how to coach your jazz ensemble.

Echoes of Harlem Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Echoes of Harlem, featured in the 2012-13 program year.

EE 2009-10 Repertoire Guide
A quick guide to the repertoire featured in the 2009-10 program year.

EE 2011-12 Repertoire Guide: Dizzy and Duke
A quick guide to the repertoire featured in the 2011-12 program year.

Duke Ellington 101
A beginner’s guide to Duke: stats, bio, the Ellingtonians, resources, and more.

Feet Bone Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Feetbone, featured in the 2009-10 program year.

Flirtibird Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Flirtibird, featured in the 2013-14 program year.

Gerald Wilson Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to the Gerald Wilson charts featured in the 2013-14 program year.

I Like the Sunrise Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to I Like the Sunrise, featured in the 2013-14 program year.

Instrumentation and Changing Arrangements
JALC clinicians weigh in on making informed choices when changing solos or adding introductions.

Jumpin’ Punkins Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Jumpin’ Punkins, featured in the 2006-07 program year.

Lightnin’ Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Lightnin’, featured in the 2012-13 program year.

Perdido (arr. Ellington) Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Perdido (arr. Ellington), featured in the 2008-09 program year.

Notes on Playing Ellington
David Berger’s notes on performing the music of Duke Ellington.

Prelude to a Kiss Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Prelude to a Kiss, featured in the 2010-11 program year.

Recording Your Band
Tips on how to set your ensemble for a recording.

A Night In Tunisia Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to A Night In Tunisia, featured in the 2011-12 program year.

Royal Garden Blues Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Royal Garden Blues, featured in the 2012-13 program year.

Second Line Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Second Line, featured in the 2012-13 program year.

Swingin’ the Blues Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Swingin’ the Blues, featured in the 2010-11 program year.

Uptown Downbeat Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Uptown Downbeat, featured in the 2013-14 program year.

Walkin’ and Swingin’ Repertoire Guide
A comprehensive guide to Walkin’ and Swingin’,featured in the 2009-10 program year.

“What is Jazz” by Loren Schoenberg
Jazz Museum in Harlem’s Executive Director, Loren Schoenberg, discusses the importance of teaching jazz.

“Why Teach Jazz” by Wynton Marsalis
An excerpt from Wynton Marsalis’ keynote address at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s inaugural Band Director Academy in June 2000.