About Us
Homestead Jazz Ensemble 1 is the premier jazz ensemble at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The jazz program at Homestead expanded in 2015 with the addition of a second jazz ensemble. Jazz Ensemble 1 and 2 began performing at jazz festivals in 2018, and a third jazz ensemble was added in 2021. All jazz ensembles at Homestead are co-curricular and have corresponding combos. Homestead Jazz Ensemble 1 earns top honor band recognition at local and state jazz festivals and has advanced to the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) State Jazz Finals six times since the event's inception in 2016. The band advanced most recently in 2025 for their fourth consecutive appearance, where they received the Outstanding Rhythm Section Award and Outstanding Rhythm Section Soloist awards in Indiana. Homestead Jazz Ensemble 1 also performs annually at the Ball State University Larry McWilliams Dimensions in Jazz Festival and the Purdue University Jazz Festival where they have earned top honor band recognition in recent years. In 2022 the band performed at the Indiana Music Educators Association (IMEA) Professional Development State Conference as a featured ensemble.
The Homestead Instrumental Music Program consists of over 250 students, offering a robust music curriculum with three concert bands, chamber ensembles, three jazz ensembles, three jazz combos, the 220-member Spartan Alliance Marching Band, three concert percussion ensembles, indoor marching percussion, three winter guards, and a symphony orchestra. The Homestead performance ensembles consistently receive superior ratings at ISSMA festivals, Indoor Percussion Association (IPA) events, Indiana High School Color Guard Association (IHSCGA) events, and the Spartan Alliance Band has advanced to the ISSMA State Marching Band Finals for 38 consecutive years. The Spartan Alliance Band is a six-time ISSMA State Champion, a five-time Bands of America Grand National Finalist, a three-time Bands of America Regional Champion, and a six-time Bands of America Super Regional Finalist.
Fort Wayne, Indiana, has a unique jazz scene each spring where local high schools host jazz festivals, dating back to the 1970’s. Through the years, the Fort Wayne area high school jazz festivals have brought in guest artists, clinicians, jazz educators, and featured performances from such jazz legends as the Buddy Rich Big Band, Stan Kenton Orchestra, Louie Bellson, Woody Herman and His Thundering Herd, and The Count Basie Orchestra, to Denis DeBlasio, Byron Stripling, Mike Tomaro, Bobby Shew, Wayne Bergeron, and Antonio Garcia, to Indiana local jazz musicians such as Larry McWilliams, Mark Buselli, Bethany Robinson, Rob Dixon, Tom Walsh, and Sean Imboden. The students in our community have developed great appreciation and respect for this important genre of music because of performances in their outstanding high school jazz ensembles and with these outstanding jazz musicians.