ILMEA
The mission of the Illinois Music Educators Association, or ILMEA, is to promote lifelong music learning and to provide leadership for music education.
The ILMEA sponsors and organizes performance festival experiences for the student musicians of Illinois. The ILMEA provides professional growth opportunities for the music educators of Illinois.
The ILMEA remains current regarding emerging issues in the music profession and disseminates that information to the music education community.
The ILMEA promotes and supports music as a vital component in the complete education of every child in school. With more than 3,500 members, we are one of the largest of the 52 affiliates of NAfME: The National Association for Music Education, over 75,000 members strong. ILMEA is, by far, the largest Fine Arts education organization in Illinois and among the largest in the nation. ILMEA is a non-profit association, representing every level of music education, in every discipline, including yours! We are dedicated to the advancement of your profession…and to you as an individual music educator. Membership in ILMEA provides for dual membership in NAfME. There are many positive features to Membership, all offering a special benefit for your growth and professionalism.
ILMEA – 2022 Press Release
Several District 64 Students Selected As Musical All-Stars
Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 will be well represented at the 2022 Illinois Music Educators Association Festival, sponsored by the Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA). 11 students, five from Emerson and six from Lincoln, were selected to participate in the prestigious event.
More than 1,000 of the finest band and orchestra students from more than 50 junior high schools in the North Suburban area auditioned for a position in these all-star groups. Students spent months preparing their virtual auditions for submission.
District 64 students selected to participate in the festival include:
- Emerson – Eliza Chasak, violin; Isabella Roszko, violin; Paxton Miller, trombone; Jasmyn Knipping, jazz tenor saxophone; Will Seiter, jazz trumpet.
- Lincoln – Anderson Burkum, euphonium; Thomas Dickinson, trombone; Rose Hassman, viola; Reed Maurer, bassoon and jazz saxophone; Hannah Seol, viola; Luke Steffens, clarinet.
“Meeting and performing with their talented peers from other schools across the region is inspiring for our students, along with the opportunity to learn under the direction of talented, well respected and known conductors,” according to Erica Faulhaber, Curriculum Specialist for Instrumental Music. “We are thrilled that our students competed and were selected by ILMEA for this year’s performing ensembles,” she added.
The event is on Saturday, November 5th, at Grayslake Central High School. The ILMEA District 7 Festival brings together more than 800 top middle school band and orchestra students from around the area. The jazz festival will be on Saturday, November 19th, at Woodstock High School.
Wendy Hart Higdon, director of bands and performing arts department chair at Creekside Middle School in Carmel, Indiana, will conduct the band. Ann Forman, retired orchestra director from River Trails District 26, will conduct the orchestra.
In addition to Faulhaber, other District 64 teachers who instruct these students include; Eric Bachmann, Elisabeth Ballinger, Natalie Briggs, Max Hellermann, Ilona Hutter, Robert Rzeszutko, Alex Teater and Connor Yoon.