Lynn Neeley, treasurer, and Pat Faivre, president, from the DeKalb Drama and Arts Club, present a check to Tamara Farrell, president, and Julie Jesmer, treasurer, of the DeKalb Music Boosters, and Sheila Felder, director of the DeKalb School District 428 Orchestra Program.
On May 18, representatives from the DeKalb Drama and Arts Club, Pat Faivre, president, and Lynn Neeley, treasurer, visited DeKalb High School to presented a donation for the DeKalb Music Boosters. Tamara Farrell, president, and Julie Jesmer, treasurer, of the DeKalb Music Boosters, along with Sheila Felder, director of the DeKalb School District 428 Orchestra Program, accepted the donation.
“Each spring, our Philanthropy Committee chooses organizations to receive monetary gifts,” said Faivre. “This year, our members have approved $425 for the DeKalb Music Boosters.”
“We appreciate this gift from the members of the DeKalb Drama and Arts Club,” said Farrell. “Their unexpected generosity will help to provide direct support to our school district’s amazing music teachers and student musicians.”
The DeKalb Music Boosters is proud to be the primary advocate of the music programs of the elementary, middle and high school levels of DeKalb School District 428. Each year, DeKalb Music Boosters gives grants to music teachers and scholarships to student musicians to advance learning and provide additional opportunities.
“We hear such good things about the accomplishments of the DeKalb Music Program,” continued Faivre. “We know these funds will be well used!”
The DeKalb Drama and Arts Club is a local charitable organization, founded in 1914 as part of the DeKalb Women’s Club. From its beginnings, the group has had a long history of giving to youth in the community.
For more information about the DeKalb Music Boosters, visit dekalbmusicboosters.com and its social media channels.
Be sure to order your fruit, vegetables and CHEESECAKE😋by Sunday, November 20, to support DeKalb Music Boosters’ student scholarships and music teacher grants! 🍎🍍🍐🍊🥕🍏🍅🥔🥬🥦🍰
DeKalb Music Boosters is proud to congratulate these amazingly talented and dedicated DeKalb School District 428 musicians who were selected for 2022 ILMEA District Honors! 🧡🎶🖤
DeKalb High School Senior Band Mia Lundin – French Horn Megan Medina – Bb Clarinet Sarah Haley – Bb Clarinet Abigail Slater – Tuba Brooklyn Burks – Bb Clarinet Jenna Zimmerman – Percussion Gary Nedelcu – Trombone Liam Wakeland – Trombone Corman Anderson – Clarinet Ryan Mays – Trumpet Jackson Vander Bleek – Trumpet Seth Ford – French Horn
Senior Chorus Gabriel Galindo Iliana Rigaud Eduardo Garcia Raegan Mann Grace Leopardo Jisela Marquez Julia Glover Adrian Sommerfield Anaya Aguilar-DeCleene Miranda Perez Maurice Mullen Piper Schiola-Williams
Senior Jazz Erik Castro – Jazz Trumpet Grace Thurman – Jazz String/Electric Bass Sarah Haley – Jazz Alto Sax Ryan Mays – Jazz Trumpet Gary Nedelcu – Jazz Trombone Aidric Walters – Tenor Saxophone Ethan Kellen – Jazz Guitar
Senior Orchestra Daniel Clements – Piccolo Emma Cohen – Cello Nathaniel O’Neal – Double Bass Megan Gates – Violin Lauren Gates – Violin Alexus James – Violin Chloe McKendry – Viola Jessica Ni – Harp Lindsey Nichols – Violin Julia Rasmussen – Bassoon Keira Specht – Violin Areilla Cork – Viola Grace Thurman – Violin Emma Kimmel – Flute Ellison Xu – Harp Taylor Hennessee – Trombone Reagan Vander Bleek – Oboe Jaden Teague-Nunez – Percussion Giuliana Alvarez – Cello Dice Clarence – French Horn Christopher Thunder – Cello Evelyn Heuschel – Cello Cooper Warren – Cello Roman Pfeifer – Double Bass Juliana Leon – Violin Angel Fernandez – Violin Akemi McHan – Violin
Junior Band Clinton Rosette Middle School Johnathon Holtz – Tuba Jeremy Mays – French Horn Alivia Harris – Clarinet Theodore Grych – Tuba Ryder Vander Bleek – Trumpet Jacob Slawsky – French Horn
Huntley Middle School Miles Lundin – Percussion Samantha Vander Bleek – Clarinet Foster Doll – Clarinet Kylee Bollow – Trombone Tiffany Nedelcu – Flute Jason Goode – Trombone Addisyn Borota – Clarinet Jacob Foltz – Trumpet Kara Zimmerman – Clarinet
Junior Choir Clinton Rosette Middle School Melody Foster Madison Hernandez-Keene Roxie Bell
Huntley Middle School Tessa Mayne Madison Mansfield Camilla Izaguirre Adeline Wyruchowski Delany Martin Tilly Erickson Erin Duffin Natalie Zamora Shareba Johnson Abigail Gil
Junior Jazz Band Clinton Rosette Middle School Johnathon Holtz – Guitar Corrigan Foster – Trumpet Sophia Dorantes – Alto Saxophone Ryder Vander Bleek – Trumpet
Huntley Middle School Henry Vander Bleek – Trombone Jason Goode – Trombone Foster Doll – Alto Saxophone Benjamin Sword – Piano Ron Ramadani – Bass Trombone Alexi Rodriguez – Alto Saxophone Clark Storey – Trumpet Joseph Stratton – Drum Set
Junior Orchestra Clinton Rosette Middle School Edmund Solares-Jaeger – Violin Lucy Wheaton – Cello Anthony Ortiz – Cello Chloe Kaiser – Violin Connor MacNeille – Double Bass Hiram Roman-Ortiz – Viola Maria Elena Bello Rodriguez – Viola Jolie Ni – Violin Keira Vermonte – Violin Huck Specht – Double Bass
Huntley Middle School Yotam Reed – Cello Luis Hernandez-Cruz – Violín Breleela Lawson – Cello Sarah Foltz – Viola Maddyson Myers – Violin Andy Duran – Violin Qausem Tawil – Viola David Perea-Perez – Violin Addison McKiness – Violin Lillian Raih – Violin Faven Smith – Violin
DeKalb High School alumni Reilly Farrell, Spencer Mackey, and Ben Grych, are performing on Saturday night with the Shananigans, a 17-piece jazz band! Come listen in from the balcony for only $15!
This is a unique partnership opportunity for the DeKalb Music Boosters to raise money to support the amazing music programs at DeKalb School District 428! Enjoy a fun night out and help our mission at the same time!
Enjoy Big Band Jazz Music From the Balcony at the 16th Annual Let’s Dance Big Band Grand Ball on Saturday Night!
Email dekalbmusicboosters428@gmail.com for your reservations now!
Saturday’s balcony ticket proceeds will benefit the DeKalb Music Boosters
The DeKalb Music Boosters is excited to invite you to enjoy live jazz and big band music and dance at the Grand Ball, part of the 16th Annual Let’s Dance Big Band Weekend, on Saturday, July 9, in the Duke Ellington Ballroom, in the Holmes Student Center at Northern Illinois University!
Seating begins at 7:15 p.m. Patriotic salute at 7:45 p.m. Live music 8:00 – 11:15 p.m.
Balcony-view seats are only $15!
Buy a balcony-view ticket from us and $10 of your ticket price will be donated to the DeKalb Music Boosters! You will enjoy a comfortable seat while listening to a professional 17-piece big band and watching ballroom dancers of all ages and abilities on the floor below you. Dancers will be dressed formally, but balcony observers can wear anything from dressy casual to formal attire. Parking is free.
Buy a balcony view ticket from a DeKalb Music Booster or DeKalb music student and $10 of your ticket price will be donated to DeKalb Music Boosters!
DeKalb Music Boosters invites you to enjoy live jazz and big band music and dance at the Grand Ball, part of the 16th Annual Let’s Dance Big Band Weekend!
Saturday July 9, 2022
Seating begins at 7:15 p.m.
Patriotic salute at 7:45 p.m.
Live music 8:00 – 11:15 p.m.
Duke Ellington Ballroom, Northern Illinois University
Balcony view seats $15.
Buy a balcony view ticket from a DeKalb Music Booster or DeKalb music student and $10 of your ticket price will be donated to DeKalb Music Boosters! You will enjoy a comfortable seat while listening to a professional 17-piece big band and watching ballroom dancers of all ages and abilities on the floor below you. Dancers will be dressed formally, but balcony observers can wear anything from dressy casual to formal attire. Parking is free.
TICKETS ON SALE FROM US NOW! CONTACT: dekalbmusicboosters428@gmail.com
After two years of pandemic restrictions, the DeKalb High School Band and Orchestra programs are reintegrating performance travel into the district’s music education repertoire.
Under the direction of Band Director Steven Lundin and Orchestra Director Sheila Felder, student are traveling to California this week, from March 20, returning on March 25. While there, DHS ensembles are performing in a variety of settings, and students are visiting several popular must-see sights in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas.
The trip has been a long time coming. While not the trip originally planned, both students and staff are excited to be making something happen.
“The trip now is exciting, because, I think, it will be the first big thing many of our participants will do post-COVID restrictions,” said Lundin.
“It is absolutely wonderful to be able to travel again and share the great music talent developed in DeKalb with audiences outside our community,” Felder said.
The duo, along with their staff and families, began planning for a combined trip between their ensembles in 2019. At the time, DHS Band had a noteworthy history of music education travel, and Felder had ramped up orchestra travel since she joined District 428.
The original goal: a joint trip to Prague in the fall of 2020. Then, the pandemic brought those plans to a halt. Since then, the decision of what might be possible in terms of student travel – and when – became an ever-changing consideration.
“Working through the process of delaying a trip, making destination considerations, balancing all the considerations was one of the most challenging things I’ve done as an educator,” Lundin noted.
Both veteran educators, however, were anxious to make sure that another complete class of DHS students did not lose out on the right of passage that music travel has become as the class of 2021 did.
With the possibility of restrictions loosening and opportunities for domestic travel seemingly more manageable, Lundin and Felder began working earlier this year with their travel partner for destination options within the United States.
The result: this month’s joint trip to California over spring break. More than 185 students, staff and fans are traveling to southern California. They are visiting sites including downtown Los Angeles and the San Diego Zoo. The orchestra is performing on stage in Disney’s California Adventure, and the band is marching in a Disneyland parade. Students have the opportunity to engage in an educational workshop at Disney. Students are also perform at Spreckles Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park while in San Diego.
Extra rehearsals and final trip preparations began in early March. Following the trip meeting on March 8, students began to pack and prepare to rediscover music education travel.
And, when asked how that feels, Felder summed it up: “Joy is the first word that comes to mind,” she said.
Follow along for trip photos on the DeKalb Band Parents and Fans Facebook page with photos courtesy of DeKalb Colorguard and fans. Follow DHS Music ensembles on Twitter as follows: DeKalb HS Music @D428Music or DeKalb, IL High School Bands @MarchingBarbs. You can also follow DeKalb High School Orchestras on Facebook and DeKalb Orchestras on Instagram
The DeKalb Music Boosters is pleased to offer scholarships for students pursuing learning enrichment and post-secondary opportunities.
DeKalb High School seniors who participate in music, are invited to apply for a DeKalb Music Boosters Senior Musician Scholarship. Scholarships are $500 for students going on to major in music at college, $250 for students who have participated in music in high school but are majoring in something else in college.
Scholarships are also available for students attending a music camp outside of School District 428 this summer.
All applications are due by mail or email by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, May 7.
Funding is made possible through fundraisers and donations during events such as Give DeKalb County, an annual, one-day, primarily online community giving event held this year on Thursday, May 5, 2022. For more information and to donate to support the DeKalb Music Boosters on May 5, please visit http://www.givedekalbcounty.com.
For more information about how you can help support our school district’s music programs, email dekalbmusicboosters428@gmail.com.
When a donated trumpet was left unclaimed at the end of her church’s rummage sale, Danita Sims wanted to ensure the instrument was placed into the hands of someone who could put it to good use.
Danita Sims was fortunate to be involved in music while growing up in Chicago. “My mother kept me out of inner-city troubles by having me learn to play instruments. I played both the clarinet and alto saxophone for both church and school events,” says Sims. “My love of music continued to grow as I competed in concert band, marching band and orchestra from elementary through high school. I was even chosen to be a drum major my senior year!”
Now, Sims puts her musical skills to good use for worship services at her church, Cathedral of Praise in DeKalb. “I have never forgotten the challenges I overcame, the leadership skills I developed, and the teamwork I experienced in performing music,” says Sims. “I belong to a church family who believes in supporting the needs of our community. And as a fellow musician, I hate to see instruments go untouched.”
Through her work as the founder and executive director of the Passion Pursuit Inc., which supports local community needs and underserved populations, Sims’ focus is on helping people.
Recently, Sims’ lifelong experience and interests converged. She saw a Facebook post about a fundraising event hosted by the DeKalb Music Boosters, and knew she had discover an opportunity to help her community in a special way.
Sims actually brought two trumpets with her to give on the day she came to DeKalb High School – the donated trumpet and another that had been in storage for long time – hoping both could eventually be used by students.
“I was proud to make the donation to the DeKalb Music Boosters to hopefully help a student or two experience the type of growth and healthy distraction that helped me see myself in this world, gain friendships for life, and express my faith as an adult.”
Within 24 hours of handing off the instruments, Sims’ wish came true. The donated trumpet was placed in the hands of a deserving middle school band student. The other trumpet, which was not playable, was passed along to the DeKalb High School Art Department to benefit students in drawing and painting classes.
“Especially now, as everyone continues to be impacted by the pandemic, the ability for families to secure funds to purchase instruments can be very difficult,” says Steve Lundin, DeKalb High School Band Director. “The band is especially grateful for donations that allow increased access to our programs.”
“On behalf of the DeKalb Music Boosters and the DeKalb School District Music Program, thank you, Ms. Sims, for your generosity,” says Tamara Farrell, DeKalb Music Boosters President. “We appreciate your caring spirit and kindness that will surely inspire others to donate unused musical instruments. It is wonderful when generous people like you donate an instrument, because it puts it into the hands of a student who may otherwise not have gotten the chance to take one home.”
For more information about how you can support the DeKalb Music Boosters, email dekalbmusicboosters428@gmail.com.
Congratulations to Mrs. Sheila Felder, orchestra director at DeKalb High School and Clinton Rosette Middle School, who is being honored with the Outstanding Classroom Teacher Award by the Illinois American String Teachers Association (IL ASTA)! The award will be presented during the IL ASTA Luncheon at the Illinois Music Education Conference and All-State Student Programs in Peoria on January 28, 2022.
The award is one of the most prestigious honors an orchestra teacher can receive. “[It is] awarded to a teacher in a school orchestra setting who has achieved and maintained excellence in their program or who has been extraordinarily successful in building a new program or revitalizing an existing one through the use of innovative teaching techniques, creative connections with the community, etc.,” according to ilasta.com/awards.
Felder is the first teacher to have ever been selected as a recipient of this award from the northwestern region of Illinois. Her passion for the arts and for her students is deserving of this honor.
DeKalb Music Boosters 