New Orleans held the annual “Class Got Brass” competition on April 2 at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center. The event featured middle and high school students from across Louisiana who participated in a New Orleans brass band ensemble parade that was judged by a panel of well-known musicians. The celebrity judging panel included Christie Jourdain and Veronique Dorsey of the Original Pinettes Brass Band, Erion Williams of the Soul Rebels, Glenn Hall of Lil Glenn & Backatown, Kevin Louis of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Leslie Cooper of WWOZ 90.7 FM. 

The competition winners were announced, with the Abramson Sci Academy taking the first prize in the Advanced Category, receiving $10,000. L.B. Landry High School took second place, receiving $7,000, and George Washington Carver High School received $5,000 for third place. Additionally, several other schools in the Advanced Category received $1,000 for participating in the competition. GEO Next Generation High School received the first prize in the Beginners Category, earning $5,000. Mildred Osborne Charter School took second place, receiving $4,000, and Fannie C. Williams Charter School received $3,000 for third place. Other schools in the Beginner Category received $1,000 for participating.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation presented the competition in partnership with the Preservation Hall Foundation. The Class Got Brass competition allows students to showcase their talent in New Orleans’ musical heritage to perpetuate the traditions of brass band music in New Orleans in younger generations.