iroquois BANDS
6 Friday, October 21, 2016
Iroquois County Bands
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COUNTY
2016
A special publication of the Iroquois County Times-Republic
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Iroquois County Bands
Friday, October 21, 2016
Small but mighty Donovan band entertains By CARLA WATERS, Managing Editor cwaters@intranix.com Band members at Donovan High School have fun and love to entertain the crowds, especially at basketball games. Band Director Kelly Gifford said the band is made up of approximately 40 members. The majority of the band takes part in the class time rehearsals. There are about four who participate in band though they couldn’t work the actual class into their schedule. This is also the first year that the sixth-grade students are performing with the high school band. She said the younger students are doing well as they get acclimated to the high school music, and the older students are welcoming the younger ones. Earlier this month the band performed at the music department’s fall concert. The concert band performed “The Batman Theme”, arranged by Michael Story, and “Dr. ROCKenstein”, arranged by Steven Hodges. That concert, she said, let the students show off their skills after a month-and-a-half of rehearsals. During that time the band students practiced and perfected their concert band numbers. Soon the attention will be shifting gears a bit. As fall sports are coming to an end, the athletes and community will begin to work on pep
band music. The pep band is an important part of school events, Gifford said. It plays at the boys basketball games. “Pep band is a big deal to Donovan,” she said, noting that because of that the students work hard to do their best for the team and the community. But the work doesn’t stop there. While they are learning, practicing and performing pep band songs, the students will also be working on music for their Christmas concert. That performance will be at the beginning of December, she said. Gifford is in her first year of teaching at Donovan, and said she is really enjoying working with the students. She teaches kindergarten through 12th grade at Donovan. “I really want to enhance their skills,” she said, “and challenge them in their learning.” The Clifton native said the main focus is, of course, the students. “I love these kids. They are such good kids.” She said teaching the younger students as well as the older ones is a positive aspect for the program. In doing so the students are focused on the same skills throughout their years in the music program. Once the holiday concert is through the students will have more to work on. A spring concert in May, solo and ensemble contest in March and organizational contest in April are also on the books.
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Iroquois County Bands
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CHS’ band filled with wealth of talent By CARLA WATERS, Managing Editor cwaters@intranix. com There’s a wealth of talent at Central High School in the music department. Some of those students are able to quench that thirst for music through the band program, led by Martin Kohn. Band is an integral part of school life and students’ education. Kohn is in his 31st year of teaching at CHS. Students in the Central school district can join band as early as fifth-grade. This year there are 42 fifth-graders Kohn works with. Once they complete their fifth-grade year, the students migrate to the middle school band, where they hone the skills they learned in fifthgrade and continue to learn more about their instruments and playing together as a band. There are 43 students in the
middle school band this year. The high school band has 53 members and six color guard members. “This year’s band works very well together,” Kohn said via email. “They have encouraged their friends to stay in the program and have recruited some friends who have never been in band before to join. I try very hard to create a family type atmosphere where the students and parents are comfortable and where they feel respected. The band members are appreciated in the community and the school for how they play and for what they do to help the school.” Kohn said his bands are very busy during the school year. Performing for football games, the marching band is an integral part of the fall school year. “We start with marching band and then progress to con-
Music Is What Feelings Sound Like
cert and pep band,” Kohn said. “ We will start jazz band right after our Nov. 2 concert. We also include solo and ensemble activities and, at regular intervals, performance trips. Our next trip is to Disney World in the spring of 2018. We performed in St Louis last year.” The trips are a good way for the students to get more experience playing together and playing for other people. The Central band members enjoy working together and many have made friends in other bands in the area. “We respect the other programs in the county,” he said. “Some of my students
invite their friends from other schools to come and sit in with our basketball pep band and sometimes with our playoff football pep band. I want other schools to have a positive attitude towards our program based on our performance, work ethic and attitude.” Kohn said though the school year is still relatively young, the band members are doing good work, and enjoying themselves in the process. “I really enjoy this group,” he said. “They are a hard working band and I enjoy being around them. I appreciate their loyalty and dedication.” Originally from
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Iroquois County Bands
Friday, October 21, 2016
High school band
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Bands, community support each other at Iroquois West By CARLA WATERS, Managing Editor cwaters@intranix.com The approximately 170 students involved in Iroquois West’s band program keep director Steven Kurk busy. That’s the way he likes it. There are 38 band members in the sixth grade band, 68 in the seventh- and eighthgrade band and 60 in the high school band. As do so many of the local bands in the area, the Iroquois West band performs at halftime of home football games. The students work on those songs during the fall, but the focus isn’t always on just marching band. The students rehearse the marching routine during non-school hours. “Most of the marching band rehearsal is done before school,” Kurk said. Band camp in August is where the students start to learn their marching band songs and shows. The students spend time on team building and getting to know one another. These are important aspects to help get the students working as one unit, he said. Once the marching season is over, the band shifts to pep band, concert band and jazz band. Jazz band is popular at Iroquois West High School, with about 30 students participating, Kurk said.
The Iroquois West school district has talented and dedicated students. To help foster those qualities, last year the Tri-M Program was initiated. Kurk likened it to a National Honor Society. The program is for upperclassmen who “go above and beyond”, he said. Throughout the year, Kurk said, there are several activities for the band members. After fall sports are finished, the band begins to work on pep band music. They will play for four girls basketball games and four boys basketball games. The band members participate in solo and ensemble contest, and work begins on those pieces in January. The band also focuses on the spring trip, which they take each year. This year is a trip to St. Louis. To help students raise money for the trip, Kurk said they have four big fundraisers. They have sold Krispy Kreme Donuts, the band has a fall fruit sale drive. Kurk said both are supported well in the community.
The community also supports the Jingle Bell Sing, which the jazz band performs. Raider Idol is also conducted after the first of the year. This program is based off the television program of a similar name. The community turns out for the events, Kurk said, which is very much appreciated. Kurk said, “We have a really supportive community. They take pride in the department and are aware of what we are doing.” Because of that, Kurk said, the band also tries to serve the community. They perform in several parades. They also take time to perform at Memorial Day services. “They are supportive of us so we try to be supportive back,” he said. Kurk is in his second year of directing bands at Iroquois West. He earned his music education degree from Eastern Kentucky University. He said he is happy to be in the school system and working with the students.
7th and 8th grade band
6th-grade band (inset)
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Iroquois County Bands
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Photos contributed
coming performances. The band will have a concert in December and another in May.
Junior high band
By CARLA WATERS, Managing Editor cwaters@intranix.com There’s talent in the Cissna Park High School Band. Director Diantha Strylowski is proud of the students in her bands. “I’m blessed with very talented kids,” she said. “They have a great work ethic. I’ve found a gem. “My goal is to create independent musicians,” she said. “I want them to have lifelong music appreciation. I want my kids to always appreciate music, even if they don’t always perform.” The band is working on pep band and concert band songs. The pep band will play for junior high and high school ball games. The concert band is also preparing for performances. There are two concerts a year. That gem is supported by the Cissna Park community, too, she said. The community turns out for concerts and helps support fundraisers. “We really are proud of our successes,” she said. “The kids work hard and we have successful, talented students.” As the year moves forward, Stry“My goal is to grow the program,” she said. “I lowski said people will see the progwant the program to reflect the student body.” ress the students make. Community members can look forward to up-
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Iroquois County Bands
Friday, October 21, 2016
High school band
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Hard work, team work breed success in Watseka By CARLA WATERS, Managing Editor cwaters@intranix.com The band program in the Unit 9 School District is quite storied. Through the years, the Marching Warriors have brought home many trophies. The 2016 Marching Warriors continue with that tradition. Director Erik Parmenter has led the band for the past 15 years. He currently teaches fifth through 12th grades in a variety of bands. The Marching Warriors are winding down their competition season and soon the band students will be focusing on concert band, pep band and jazz band. The marching band went to five competitions this year and performed at five home football games. The band program starts in the early grades. With 50 band mem-
bers in the high school, 43 in the seventh- and eighth-grade band, and 35 in each of the sixth-grade and fifth-grade bands, the program is steady. The high school students start their band season in July, when they have band camp. There they learn not only the competition show, but the importance of working together. Concert band takes over after marching band for the high schoolers, sprinkled with pep band performances at basketball games and jazz band performances. Parmenter said they will be working on Christmas concert music for a performance in December and also pep band numbers for the ball games. After the holidays, the high school will take part in the Illinois High School Association
contest in the spring. Junior high and high school students will take part in solo and ensemble contest, as well. Parmenter said he believes having the students from fifthgrade on works well for his program. “They get to know what I expect and how we do things.” The older kids, he said, take on leadership roles and work with the younger students or those who are having a bit of trouble. “We are very fortunate the kids have opportunities to be successful,” he said. Several students who have graduated from the Watseka band program have gone on to study music, he said. The talent from the students, the hard work, and working together have helped the group be successful. In 2012 and 2015 the Marching Warriors place first at the University of Illinois competi-
tion. The band has had other successes through the years, as well. “We’ve earned first ratings at IHSA for many years,” he said. “We’ve had several students selected for district band through IMEA.” No matter what level the student is at now, Parmenter said the goal is to continue to help him or her grow as musicians and also continue to develop their love for music. Parmenter said the Watseka community has supported all the bands through the years, whether through purchasing fruit, attending concerts or in other ways. That support is important, not just for the high school, but for the junior high and younger groups as well.
7th and 8th grade band
6th grade band
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Love of music instilled in Milford By CARLA WATERS, Managing Editor cwaters@intrnaix.com A love of music is being instilled in Milford. Band Director Sandy Hamende works with 11 high school students and 24 junior high students each week. The high schoolers perform at home football games in the fall and provide pep band for the school’s basketball teams in the winter. The band students in grades 6-12 are also working on music for their winter concert. That is set for Nov. 29. Milford is in the midst of school construction and the surroundings are different this year as that continues. But Hamende is looking forward to the new building. For one thing, it will keep her in one building for all students. “I’m looking forward to being in one building,” she smiled. From that Hamende said she’s hoping to build on the successes the band is having now and help the program to continue to grow. She encourages the students every day. “Music is therapy,” Hamende said. “Music is so important to our way of life.” Music provides experiences and exposure to aspects of life that other subjects can’t provide, she said. Hamende said that, especially at the high school level, “We are like a sports team. Everyone is trying to help each other out.” The students work together well, she said, and are encouraging to one another. “We are like a family,” she said. The students will take part in solo and ensemble contest in the spring as well as organizational contest. They also will perform a spring concert for parents, friends
Photo by Jordan Crook
and community members. Hamende is in her 18th year teaching students, and before she came to Milford’s school district she taught for five years in the Sheldon school district.
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