IJEA All-State Bands
2027 IJEA All-State Jazz Bands
January 14-15, 2027
IJEA is proud to host the All-State and Junior All-State Jazz Bands in conjunction with the Indiana Music Education Association State Conference in each in January. Directors need to first register their school to allow auditions to be accepted and then students are able to then submit their auditions online.
Students are selected in a blind audition and evaluated by experts on their particular instrument. Selected students will then rehearse in Ft. Wayne starting in the evening on Wednesday January 13th and will continue to rehearse until their performance in the amazing Embassy Theater. The performance is open to the public and is attended by family, friends, and music educators from across the State of Indiana.
Mike Kamuf
2027 All-State Conductor
Mike Kamuf holds Bachelor of Music degrees in both Jazz Performance and Music Education from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University (Youngstown, OH) and a Master of Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting from George Mason University (Fairfax, VA). Mike’s compositions and arrangements have been performed by numerous jazz artists and ensembles including the Woody Herman and Glenn Miller Orchestras, the USAF Airmen of Note, the US Navy Commodores, James Moody, Eddie Daniels, Sean Jones, Terell Stafford, Bill Watrous and Nick Brignola to name a few.
Mike is an exclusive writer for the Belwin Division of Alfred Music Publishing with titles in their jazz, orchestra and concert band catalogs. He also has compositions for jazz ensemble published by UNC Jazz Press, the Neil A. Kjos Music and the FJH Music Company. Many of Mike’s published jazz ensemble arrangements have become standard literature for young jazz ensemble and he currently has over 100 publications in print.
Mike has served as a jazz faculty member at Youngstown State University and Montgomery College (Rockville, MD). Mike has presented professional development sessions for music educators at the Midwest Clinic, Jazz Education Network Conferences and at numerous regional and state music education conferences. He has become an in-demand arranger, clinician, guest conductor and adjudicator for schools, conferences and music festivals across the country.
Matt Pivec
2027 Junior All-State Conductor
As a performer of jazz and popular music, Matt Pivec has worked with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Ana Gasteyer, Dave Rivello, Bob Brookmeyer, MariaSchneider, Julia Dollison, Melvin Rhyne, the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, Steve Allee, Ana Gasteyer, The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Pops Orchestra, and the national touring companies of Hairspray, 42nd Street, and The Producers. Asa band leader and soloist, Matt has performed at jazz festivals and venues throughout the United States. He has three albums to his credit, Live at Snider Hall, Psalm Songs and Time and Direction.
Currently, Matt is the Director of Jazz Studies at Butler University where leads the Jazz Ensemble and teaches courses in the jazz studies curriculum. Since his arrival in 2008, Butler ensembles have performed with world-renowned guest artists such as Cécile McLorin-Salvant, Sullivan Fortner, John Clayton, Benny Golson, Stefon Harris, Maria Schneider, Kurt Elling, Christian McBride, Bobby Sanabria, Donny McCaslin, Fred Sturm, Melvin Rhyne, Steve Allee, Ted Poor and the Wee Trio. Under his direction, in 2020, the Butler University Jazz Ensemble won the Downbeat Student Music Awards Undergraduate Large Ensemble Category.
Matt received the Doctor of Musical Arts (Saxophone Performance and Literature) and Master of Music (Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media) degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. While at Eastman, Matt studied with Ramon Ricker. He performed with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Eastman Graduate Saxophone Quartet, and served as lead alto saxophone of the Eastman Jazz Ensemble. Matt received the Bachelor of Music Education degree with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
All-State Audition Information
Audition Procedure
- Directors must be members of IJEA in good standing. Directors will start a school entry form by logging into the IJEA website.
- Students are to read the detailed audition instructions provided below and must have all of the audio files and information ready to go before starting to fill out the audition online form.
- Students will pay the $16 auditon fee online as part of the audition online form.
- At the close of the audition window, experts will complete a blind audition process to select the bands.
Audition Instructions (coming soon)
Online Forms (coming soon)
All-State Timeline
October 1, 2026 - Audition Window Opens
October 19, 2026 - All State Auditions Open
November 6, 2026 - Last Day for All-State Auditions
November 20, 2026 - All-State Results Posted on indianajazz.org
January 14-15, 2007 - Thurs AM Arrival in Ft. Wayne, Friday Early Afternoon Performance