Osceola County School for the Arts, Kissimmee Florida
The Osceola County School for the Arts (Kissimmee, FL) Jazz A Band, directed by Jason Anderson, won first place at the 31st Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival in 2026, held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. This marks another national championship for the school, which also secured top honors in 2022 and 2023
The OCSA Jazz curriculum fosters leadership, creativity, and the concept of ‘unique perspective’ through collaboration and teamwork. Each band studies the music of the great Jazz Masters, such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thad Jones, as well as the great musical contributions of Latin-Jazz masters: Machito, Ray Santos and Mario Bauzá.
The OCSA Jazz program has been transformative for many of their students, as several of them have been awarded scholarships to some of our nation’s most prestigious universities and conservatories. Two of their graduates recently received full-tuition scholarships to attend the legendary Juilliard School in New York.
Impressive!
