Students honored by Illinois Music Education Association

Grace Halpert Entertainment Writer

Seven music students performed at the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) festival last week from Jan 25-28. Performers included sophomore Mia Buchheister and senior Alex Wille in band; sophomore Lucy Hassman and seniors Kyungsoo Chon and Tim Nelson in orchestra; and seniors Finley Pullano and Maren Nazar in choir.

“ILMEA is a large music teacher conference and performance festival that thousands of people from around the country attend,” orchestra director Mr. Matthew Nix said. The festival concludes with a performance from each group.

The ILMEA festival honors students who excel in orchestra, choir, and band. Students auditioned in the fall, and selected students attended their respective concerts this past November. The top players from the November concert were then invited to travel to Peoria in January.

Students were given music over the summer and uploaded their audition videos for the ILMEA festival to Youtube, minimizing the stress of the audition process.

Even with a seamless audition process, musicians still had to put in many hours of work to prepare for their auditions.

“Since it is such a competitive audition process, students practiced their scales and excerpts for months,” Mr. Nix said. “Students refined their performances and submitted the best video auditions possible.”

The ILMEA Festival on Nov. 12 was an educational experience that gave students the opportunity to work with talented musicians and accomplished directors.

“I feel that we were all pushed to be the best musicians we could be that day,” Buchheister said. “There was so much effort put into this one day and it was amazing. Everyone felt so connected and got a deeper appreciation for music.”

The best players from the November Festival— typically the first rows of players from each district in Illinois—are invited to participate in one of the All-State ensembles.

“After the November Concert, the strongest players from the orchestra are selected for the ILMEA All-State Orchestras,” orchestra director Mr. Matthew Nix said. “There are two State Orchestras: the All-State Orchestra and the Honors Orchestra.” The state band and choirs follow a similar format.

All members of ILMEA All-State ensembles rehearse and perform together as part of the ILMEA festival. Selected All-State students will meet skilled musicians and bring back new musical knowledge.

“It’s not every day that you can gather up all the best high school musicians in the state and spend three days making music,” Buchheister said.

Students were grateful to partake in such a unique experience.

“At the ILMEA District Festival, we got to meet students, musicians, and conductors from across the district,” Chon said. “[ILMEA] was a great opportunity to learn from them and improve my own skills.”