Many of the students marching on the football fields as a part of Spirit of Jupiter (SOJ) marching band spend their off season practicing as a part of Jupiter High School’s (JHS) Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band. On Sat. April 18, 2026, JHS’s bands held their winter concert in the auditorium. 

The concert itself was different from expected as it had two guest conductors, two student conductors and students in the Independence Middle School (IMS) bands showcasing their talents. IMS’s Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band played five pieces total, followed by an introduction to guest composers Michael Markowski and Brian Worsdale. 

“You know, when people hear composers, they think Beethoven and Bach, and they’re long dead. So for people to get eyes on a composer and talk to a composer and hear from a composer, I think it’s a really cool thing,” Ryan Ross, JHS’s Band Director, said.

Markowski is a composer as well as a conductor, having composed the pieces Elixir, Ekklesia and Desert Sage, all performed by JHS’s Wind Symphony to end the concert. 

“[The guest composers] definitely opened me up to a new world of music, like they were talking about their experiences and why they joined band or the music industry. It just inspired me to keep going with band,” Ava Orlando, junior and French horn player in the Wind Symphony band, said. 

Bringing in established names helps give the band its own credibility and adds to their reputation as a band.

“We try to have conductors come in when we play pieces for us to have a name to us. It’s a big thing for us to have people come in,” Brenna Engelman, sophomore and trombone player in the Wind symphony, said. “Especially for these famous composers, and then we can publish our pieces and put them online.”

JHS’s Wind Symphony played a total of five pieces, having practiced them for two weeks prior. With only two rehearsals with the composers, they produced a quality performance, as stated by audience members and reflections of the musicians in the band. 

“I think we improved because it’s like being able to get the perspective of an outside person, or even the composer who knows the music. [This experience] allowed us to see why stuff was written, how it goes with other parts,” Lilly Martin, sophomore and Clarinet in the Wind symphony, said. 

One piece titled Desert Sage, was conducted by two student conductors, Addison Daversa and Connor Murphy, both drum majors in the marching band. 

“I think they conducted the pieces very well. They really grew as conductors,” Martin said. 

The concert was a representation of growth for both the JHS Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony. It introduced upcoming talent from IMS and showcased their expertise by working with experienced conductors.