Six Kewanee High School students have been chosen to participate in all-state musical ensembles by the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA).
Band students William Ly and Willow Marshall were selected, as were Isaac Lynes, Alex Hager, Laryn Conley and Cooper Bates from the KHS Choral Collective.
Alex Binek is the school’s band director, and Katie Yelm is the Choral Collective instructor.
This fall, more than 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
Students in grades 9-12 who participated in the ILMEA District Festivals are also eligible to be selected into ILMEA’s All-State Student Programs. This year, 1,500 students were selected to participate in the Illinois Music Education Association’s 2023 All-State Student Programs in Peoria in January.
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, Jan. 26, the 2024 Jazz Night Concert will feature music performed by the student vocal and instrumental jazz ensembles. The All-State Elementary Chorus Concert, the All-State Concert and the Honors Concerts will be presented on Saturday, Jan. 27. 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.
