Five area students participated in the Pennsylvania Music Education Association District 5 Jazz Festival held Friday and Saturday at Slippery Rock University.

The bands were made up of students who auditioned in December. District 5 includes Mercer, Lawrence, Beaver and Butler counties. About 100 students participated.

Local students participating included Stephen Marks, a junior at Hickory High school, playing percussion instruments; Jeff Keeling, a senior at Commodore Perry High School, playing trumpet; Justin Powell, a junior at Lakeview High School, playing trombone; and Nick Samson on trumpet and Rick Powers on trombone, both seniors at Greenville High School.

Some of the arrangements the jazz band performed were music by John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.

The guest directors of the festival were Jeffrey Hellmer, director of jazz studies at the University of Texas at Austin; and Dr. David Glover, assistant professor of percussion at Slippery Rock University. The host director was Stephen Hawk, music professor at Slippery Rock University.