The Argument
Halloween week in Jackson has no shortage of haunted houses, but it has exactly one haunted concert hall — and admission is free. On Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 7 p.m., the Jackson College/Community Concert Band and the Jazzy Jets fill the Harold Sheffer Music Hall at the Potter Center with Spooky Dissonances – Resolve!, a fall concert that runs from Queen and Bruno Mars to Morton Gould’s “Halloween” and the music of Harry Potter. It is a community band in the fullest sense — college students and neighbors of various ages on one stage — playing a program built to be fun first and impressive second. Bring the kids; leave the wallet closed.
The Program
FACT (Jackson College): The fall concert builds on a variety of musical styles, from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might” to the spooky sounds of Morton Gould’s “Halloween” and music from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
FACT (Jackson College): Other selections include “Ride of the Valkyries,” “Suite of Old American Dances,” “Zoot Suit Riot,” and “The Gallant Seventh” by John Philip Sousa.
The People on Stage
FACT (Jackson College): Vocalist Alana Tuckey, soprano with the Jackson Chorale and chair of Jackson College’s Mathematics Department, will join the performance, and retired Jackson College instrumental music faculty member Ron Douglass will guest conduct a piece.
FACT (Jackson College): Professor Dan Bickel, director of instrumental activities at Jackson College, directs the Concert Band and Jazzy Jets, and the ensembles bring together college students and community musicians of various ages, creating opportunities for people to make music together.
COMMENTARY: Only a community-college band produces a credits list like that: the math department chair singing soprano, a retired professor back on the podium for one piece, students beside retirees in the same section. That mix is not a compromise — it is the institution’s whole argument, performed. A town that can hear its own neighbors play Wagner and Sousa in the same hour owns a piece of cultural infrastructure no streaming service ships.
Free — and an Open Door Afterward
FACT (Jackson College): The concert is free and open to the public.
FACT (Jackson College): Community musicians interested in joining the Concert Band are welcome, and rehearsals for the next cycle begin Tuesday, November 3, at 7 p.m. in Jackson College’s Instrumental Music Studio.
COMMENTARY: That rehearsal line is the most Jackson sentence in the release: the concert doubles as an invitation. If a band instrument has been sitting in your closet since high school, October 27 is the audition-by-listening — hear the band, and if the Sousa makes your fingers itch, November 3 is when the next cycle starts. Few Halloween events end with a way to join them; this one does, seven days later, same campus.
COMMENTARY: Timing does the rest of the marketing. The concert lands on the Tuesday of Halloween week, four days before the holiday itself, which makes it the rare seasonal event that costs nothing, ends at a reasonable hour, and works for both the grandparent who loves Sousa and the kid who only showed up for Harry Potter. Two ensembles share the bill — concert band and jazz band — so the night moves between the spooky dissonances of the title and the swing of “Zoot Suit Riot” without ever settling into a single mood. Arrive curious; the program is built to reward exactly that.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is Spooky Dissonances – Resolve!?
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at 7 p.m. in the Harold Sheffer Music Hall, Potter Center, at Jackson College (FACT: Jackson College).
How much are tickets?
None — the concert is free and open to the public (FACT: Jackson College).
What music will be played?
Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Bruno Mars’ “I Just Might,” Morton Gould’s “Halloween,” music from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, “Ride of the Valkyries,” “Suite of Old American Dances,” “Zoot Suit Riot,” and Sousa’s “The Gallant Seventh” (FACT: Jackson College).
Can community members join the band?
Yes. Community musicians are welcome to join the Concert Band; rehearsals for the next cycle begin Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 7 p.m. in the college’s Instrumental Music Studio (FACT: Jackson College).
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