THS band and choir students headed to all-state
PALOS HEIGHTS — During the fall of 2021, over 10,000 students from elementary, junior high and high schools around Illinois participated in a virtual audition process and of those auditions, more than 7,000 students were selected to participate in district festivals celebrating student musicians in bands, orchestras, choruses and jazz ensembles. Students in grades 10-12 who participated in the ILMEA District Festivals are also eligible to be selected into ILMEA’s All-State Student Programs. This year, 1500 students were selected to participate in the Illinois Music Education Association’s 2022 All-State Student Programs in Peoria, Illinois from January 26-29, 2022. In addition to the performing ensembles, this group also includes students who applied for and were accepted into the Future Music Educators Seminar for those students interested in pursuing careers as professional music educators, and students who entered the ILMEA Composition Contest and were selected to participate in the Composition Track. This is a unique and exciting track of events designed for exceptional students who are working in the areas of traditional composition, remix, singer/ songwriter and other areas of music writing and production.
Seven Taylorville High School students have earned the All-State designation in their performance area. Those students are: Ella Greene, All- State Chorus; Gage Matthews and Olivia Enlow, All-State Honors Chorus; Erica Edwards, All-State Orchestra; Marcus Wilkins, Tripp Pelichoff and Gabe Shanks, All-State Jazz Band.
Students in the performing ensembles represent the best student musicians in Illinois and came together to present a series of All-State Concerts. On Friday, January 28, the 2022 Jazz Night Concert will feature vocal and instrumental jazz ensembles, followed by the
January 6, 2022 All-State Elementary Chorus Concert, the All-State Concert and the Honors Concerts on Saturday, January 29, 2022. Each of these ensembles will be led by distinguished conductors and educators from across the country. The All- State Student Programs run concurrently with the Illinois Music Education Conference, the premier professional development opportunity for music educators in Illinois. This event brings over 12,000 students, educators, parents and music education industry vendors to the Peoria Civic Center to celebrate and promote music education in Illinois. For more information on the Illinois Music Education Association and opportunities for student musicians and music educators, please visit www.ilmea.org.
