Submitted photo The Big Band Sound of Packard will be joined by five area high school jazz ensembles for an April 16 concert at Packard Music Hall.

Ensembles from five area high schools will join the Big Band Sound of Packard for its annual Jazz Appreciation Month Big Band Jazz Festival.

The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History led the effort to establish April as Jazz Appreciation Month to draw attention to jazz as both a historical and living treasure.

April was picked because it’s near the end of the school year and student ensembles can showcase what they’ve learned and play at their best. It’s also the birth month of many jazz luminaries, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Tito Puente and Herbie Hancock.

This year’s participating high school groups and the selections they’ll play are:

The Austintown Fitch Jazz Band, directed by Jeremy McClain — “Brass Machine,” written by Mark Taylor; “Got to Get You into My Life,” arranged by John Wasson; and “Whiplash,” arranged by Erik Morales

West Branch Warrior Jazz Ensemble, directed by Billy Sheak — “Honk,” written by Jeff Jarvis; “You’re Still a Young Man,” written by Kupko-Castillo and arranged by Paul Murtha; and “Getaway,” written by Cor-Taylor and arranged by Paul Murtha

Warren G. Harding Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Reid Young and Heather Sirney — “Grill and Chill,” written by Doug Beach; “This Masquerade,” written by Leon Russell and arranged by Rick Stitzel; and “Blue Skies,” written by Irving Berlin and arranged by Chris Sharp

Boardman Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Timothy Tuite — “Haitian Fight Song,” written by Charles Mingus and arranged by Andrew Homzy; “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” written by Van Heusen-Cahn; and “And Rachel,” written by Sammy Nestico

The Lakeview Blues, directed by Nathan Sensabaugh — “Late in the Quarter,” written by Mike Dana; “Silver Rush,” written by Jessika Smith; and “Doran Dance,” written by Mat Montgomery

The Big Band Sound of Packard, led by Daniel Carioti, will close the evening with a program featuring the music of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Billy Strayhorn, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and others.

The concert starts at 6 p.m. April 16 at Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW, Warren. Admission is free, and funding is provided by the W.D. Packard trust.