Huntley Middle School Music Program

It is the purpose of the Huntley Middle School Band program to help each member develop his/her musical potential and performance abilities while at the same time serve the school and community.  The goal is to educate each student, within the framework of the school day, to become an accomplished musical performer.  The student's responsibility is to apply techniques and knowledge acquired during rehearsals and the Six-minute lesson to his/her at home practice and performance outside of school hours.  Band is an opportunity for students to achieve personal goals as well as group goals.  The success of the whole group can be only as great as the successes of our individual band members.  Individual personal goals for each student are:

• Ability to create music
• Self-discipline
• Intellectual and physical coordination
• Team work
• Positive self-interest

Band Concerts

Concerts are part of the course requirements and therefore are apart of you grade.  When you miss a concert, there is no way to make it up.  Concerts are mandatory and on the rare occurrence due to illness, a written note must be submitted to the director for the absence to be considered excused.  Every member is important to the group and the goals of the music program.    Punctuality is very important since your part in the group is very important.    A part of being in a music performance is how you present yourself, your Huntley band uniform is worn and there is no eating, drinking or gum chewing. 

The Marching Band is the full Seventh and Eighth Grade Bands performing together.  Marching and playing at the same time is a new skill that all students learn.  Parades are considered a school sponsored function, therefore school appropriate behavior is required at all times.  Students are transported to the parade on the bus and for safety and security are to return to Huntley on the bus.  Part of being in a parade is maintaining appropriate dress at all times so when you are in uniform you are to keep your jacket fully buttoned with your sash attached and your hat on.  Since this is a group performance, only when the director tells you to remove your hat are you allowed to remove it.  Also part of being in uniform is wearing black socks and black shoes with white gloves.  Remember, you are responsible for your uniform.  Each uniform costs approximately $300.
 
 

Band Competitions, Events or Festivals
 

Solo & Ensemble is sponsored by the Illinois Grade School Music Association and is an opportunity for students to prepare and perform a solo that is judged.  All students are required to prepare a solo and a Solo Recital takes place at Clinton Rosette Middle School in early February where students are able to performing their solo for NIU music student judges.  This unofficial solo recital gives the students the feel of the solo competition.  Students are not competing against other students, but are judged on the merit of their performance.  This is a way for students to prepare for auditions such as IMEA.

IMEA is the Illinois Music Educators Association and this group sponsors regional music festivals each November.  All students can audition to perform in the concert band or orchestra.  The cost is $3.00 and the auditions are held at Sterling High School sometime in mid-October.  Notification of acceptance is approximately two weeks after the audition.  Students are given their IMEA music at this time so they can practice and be prepared for the full day Saturday rehearsal at NIU. These concerts are extraordinary and are open to the public.  Junior and Senior high school musicians who are accepted into IMEA, may then qualify to perform in the all-state band or orchestra.

NCJC is the North Central Junior conference made up of junior high school musicians from DeKalb, Sycamore, Rochelle, Burlington, and Belvidere.  Each May representative music students from each of the schools are selected to comprise and perform as the NCJS band.  Orchestra and choral groups also perform.  Guest conductors are brought in to rehearse with the groups and a concert is presented in the evening.  The NCJC Festival is usually held on a Wednesday in mid-May in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center at NIU.

Organizational Contest is

World of Music Festival is a band competition hosted by a San Diego based music festival organization.  The Festival is held at the Rolling Meadows High School on a Saturday in mid-May.  Both Rosette and Huntley bands perform at the festival.  The busses leave about 6 AM to transport students, chaperones, and equipment to Rolling Meadows.  The bands perform for college level judges who give ratings and give comments to the band.  Following the performances, a group picture is taken and then the students change from their uniforms and go to spend the day at Great America.  Students arrive home around 10:15.  Student eligibility depends on the completion of Hot Lines and their positive contribution during rehearsals and performances through out the year.

As a member of the Huntley Seventh Grade Band, attendance at all lessons, rehearsals, and performances is necessary and MANDATORY.  Every member is important to the goals of the group.  The seventh and eighth grade bands practice at different times and usually do not have time to practice together although they perform together during parades and at the World of Music Festival.  During concerts, the seventh grade band will perform first and when the eighth grade band plays, the seventh graders are expected to sit on the bleachers and listen quietly to the performances.  No seventh grade student should leave until the entire concert is over.  During the marching season at the end of the concert, the full seventh and eight graders will perform.

As a member of the Huntley Eighth Grade Band, attendance at all lessons, rehearsals, and performances is necessary and MANDATORY.  Although the bands do not practice together, the eighth grade band members provide important leadership to both bands and to achieving the goals of the group.  During concerts the eighth grade band members are expected to model how to sit on the bleachers quietly and respectively as the seventh grade performs.

The Jazz Ensemble consists of seventh and eighth grade musicians who play jazz during their lunch period.  Although they have different lunch periods and practice separately the seventh and eighth grade musicians perform together at concerts.

As part of a grant through Northern Illinois University, NIU graduate musicians work with small group ensembles such as a sax quartet, brass quintet, flute choir, and other ensemble groups.  These groups work together during their lunch period and perform at a spring concert.

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