October 20, 2011                                                                                              

 Laura Secord Students Jazz It Up With Manteca  

Students at Laura Secord Secondary will be getting a crash course in music making with Toronto based new-world jazz band Manteca during the band’s residency at the school. Beginning October 26, students will take part in a number of engaging workshops, including music arranging, instrumental performance, show creation and navigating the arts in Canada.

The residency culminates in Manteca’s performance at Brock University’s Centre for the Arts on October 27. Students from Laura Secord will play roles in the lead-up to the concert, including sound check and will be featured in the performance itself.

This is only the band’s second residency in its 33 year history.

“It is a great honour to welcome back these internationally renowned musicians. This who’s who of jazz offers a wealth of performance, composition and directing experience and they are genuinely interested in helping our young musicians. We are very excited about this opportunity,” says Dave Sisler, head of music at Laura Secord.

Manteca’s first residency also took place at Laura Secord back in the early 1990’s. “The first event was such an inspiring experience for both us and the students, that a kind of link was formed between the band and the school. Dave Sisler would often bring students to our shows years after the workshops and this new residency really gives us a chance to go deeper with the students and bring them inside what we do and see how we can help them on their artistic voyage,” says band leader Matt Zimbel.

Founded in 1979, Manteca has released nine albums, with its most recent in 2008. Manteca is comprised of nine musicians and features a battalion of woodwinds, brass, drums, percussion, keyboards and bass.

Choreographer Lynn Tremblay working with the members of the school's string quartet

Manteca composer Doug Wilde working with the Laura Secord jazz choir.