Welcome to DCA Jazz!

DCA Jazz Ensemble Tradition

“It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that swing!”

Over the past 16 years, the DCA Jazz Ensemble has matured and become one of the premiere high school jazz bands in the country. The band’s style and swing are built on a foundation of a thorough knowledge of styles and performance techniques of varied contemporary and jazz literature and developing strong listening skills. Mr. Dorsey has engaged his students in the history and artistry of jazz, thus building a foundation on which the students can grow and thrive.

Under the leadership of Mr. Dorsey, the DCA Jazz Ensemble is consistently represented in prestigious honor jazz ensembles at the district, state and national levels. Our students have been selected into the All County Honor Jazz Bands, The Florida All State Honor Bands, The Grammy Band, and the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Band just to name a few.

One of the premier national competitions is the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival is, held each May in New York City at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Fifteen bands are selected as finalists from hundreds of recorded submissions from bands across the US and Canada. The three-day festival allows students, teachers and musicians to participate in workshops, rehearsals and performances, concluding with an evening concert and awards ceremony featuring the three top-placing bands.

Another premier high school jazz event held each March in Savannah, Georgia, is the Swing Central National Jazz Competition. The DCA Jazz Ensemble placed First in 2010, 2011 and 2012; Second in 2008 and 2009. The band presented a workshop/clinic with famed trumpeter and jazz educator Wynton Marsalis at The Midwest Clinic in 2013.

Our students also earn scholarships to some of the most prestigious jazz camps in the nation, including: The Vail Jazz Workshop, Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop, Michigan State University Jazz Camp and Stanford University Jazz Camp, among others.

The DCA Jazz Ensemble regularly performs in major venues for South Florida audiences. Each year, the Old Dillard Museum Foundation sponsors two concerts, featuring the DCA Jazz Ensemble notable guest artists at the DCA Main Theater. One of the highlights of the year is the annual Sweet Dillard Jazz fundraising concert held in April. The jazz ensemble has recorded three CD’s and performed for a variety of music education seminars.

Graduates of the performing arts program go on to attend some of the top colleges and conservatory programs in the United States, including the Juilliard School of Music, Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and Columbia University.

Mission Statement

Mr. Dorsey’s mission is to teach life skills through Jazz and to create opportunities for his students to be recruited to the nation’s top schools and conservatories.