Council honors jazz ensemble for championship

Township council honored the Deptford High School jazz ensemble at its June 2 meeting for winning the championship at the 2025 New Jersey Association for Jazz Education finals at Metuchen High School on May 3.

It is the ensemble’s fourth straight championship, won after it competed against eight other schools from across the state. The Deptford musicians also won awards for best sightreading band of the night, best soloist in drums and bass and best rhythm section.

Each ensemble member – for both individual accomplishments and as a whole – were presented with a certificate by council. Also honored was the band’s director, Carl Cox, whom council named citizen of the month in Deptford. He was also noted for his contributions to the school district.

“I’m lucky enough to teach jazz band during the day at Deptford High School,” Cox said. “I’ve been doing it for 21 years and I have the great fortune of teaching these fine young musicians, traveling up and down the state of New Jersey on their weekends. Taking their Fridays, taking their Saturdays and doing all these competitions with a variety of schools all across the state, including the National Jazz Festival.”

That festival was separate from the state championship and took place on March 22 at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Deptford placed in the top three for that event, according to Cox.

” … Everybody knows when we come to the festival, (it’s) ‘Oh boy, here comes Deptford, we better look good,'” Cox noted. “It just makes us so proud that we can represent the community and our program in the highest fashion possible.”

Council posed for photos with the ensemble members as friends and family looked on. Each student had their name announced, and the group earned a loud round of applause.

“Thank you to the moms and dads, aunts and uncles and grandparents for supporting the students,” said Mayor Paul Medany. “I know that’s a tough job, too, just getting them there.”