The DGN Band is Back Together! Band Camp 2021

 

Congratulations to the members of the 2021 DGN Trojan Marching Band on their great work at Band Camp 2021! 

Band Leaders Step Up to the Challenge

DGN Trojan Marching Band Section Captains and Drum Majors visited the Lincoln Marsh Challenge Course today to prepare for Band Camp 2021!

Student Leaders Prep for Band Camp 2021

DGN Marching Band Section Captains and Drum Majors are back on campus this week participating in Leadership Training, reviewing marching and conducting fundamentals, and organizing materials for Band Camp 2021! Thank you to each of these dedicated students for their commitment to the Trojan Marching Band and Downers Grove North High School. It's great to have you back on campus!

Color Guard and Drumline Mini-Camps

The members of the DGN Color Guard and Drumline are back on campus today, kicking off three days of mini-camps in preparation for the 2021 season. Thank you to each of these students for their dedication and commitment to the Trojan Marching Band and Downers Grove North High School. It's good to be HOME!

Live Stream: DGN Alumna Kristin Bowers Featured Soloist with "The President's Own" Marine Band

Congratulations to DGN Bands Alumna, and Downers Grove North High School Alumni Award of Excellence honoree Kristin Bowers, will be a featured soloist with "The President's Own" United States Marine Band this week (In Person, Wednesday, July 7, 2021 and Livestream Only, Thursday, July 8, 2021. The Thursday livestream concert may be accessed HERE [https://youtu.be/sAcOyKk6CO8]

6:30 p.m. (CST) / 7:30 p.m. (ET), Thursday, July 8, 2021

Col. Jason K. Fettig, conducting

This all-American program will feature the works of great American composers and patriotic favorites, including Sousa’s “Yorktown Centennial” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” as well as the national hymn of the United States, “God of Our Fathers” by George W. Warren. Music by George Gershwin, John Williams, and William Schuman will round out the program, with the addition of Earl Robinson’s “The House I Live In,” made famous by Frank Sinatra.

2021 Summer Series

Full Schedule and Programs: http://bit.ly/MarineBandSummer21

Website: https://www.marineband.marines.mil/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marineband

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usmarineband/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marineband

Register for the DGN Theatre Summer Workshop!

DGN's annual Summer Theatre Workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 10th, from 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM in North High's Clarence Johnson Auditorium. All students new to the program please plan to arrive at 1:00pm. All others please arrive at 1:30pm. We are excited to welcome back all of our outstanding theatre students, and to welcome our incoming 9th grade students!

At the workshop we will eat snacks, play games, tour the space, get reacquainted with old friends, make new friends, tie-dye our theatre t-shirts (please dress appropriately for this activity), and find out the titles of our productions this season. 

Students, please register and order your t-shirt prior to Monday, July 12th. 

Click Here to RSVP for the workshop 

Click Here to order your DGN Theatre t-shirt

We look forward to another awesome season of DGN Theatre, and hope to see you on August 10th!

DGN Fine Arts Logo - Explained

BEHIND THE MARK

The DGN Fine Arts Department logo and identity debuted in 2015 and represent the unification of the arts at Downers Grove North, as well as the DGN Friends of Fine Arts.

The mark builds upon the District 99 crest, a symbol common to both Downers Grove high schools, forming a field of solid DGN Purple and expressing community values.

Within the field, a single point of light represents the intuitive spark of an idea, generating the desire to create. The idea may manifest into many artistic directions and travel as far as passion will drive it. 

Vectors emanate from the point, evoking a spotlight on students' accomplishments. They extend beyond the confines of the field to suggest a lifelong journey in the arts. 

CLICK HERE to view the full DGN Fine Arts Brand Manual.

DGN Color Guard Soloists Awarded Gold!

Congratulations to all five winter guard soloists who participated in the Midwest Color Guard Circuit's virtual solo contests throughout the season:  

Rachel Bender

Abby Colucci

Cailee McGinnis

Alyssa Miller

Amanda Ragnini

Each soloist wrote the choreography to their own solo and put in countless extra hours of practice time to prepare for each virtual event.  

An extra special congratulations goes out to all three of the soloists who submitted for the finals competition in May!  The MWCGC Virtual Awards Ceremony took place on May 22nd, and all three DGN entrants for the finals competition (Rachel Bender, Alyssa Miller, and Amanda Ragnini), were awarded with the gold!  

In addition to these spectacular ratings, we are proud to announce that graduating senior, Rachel Bender, was further recognized as the recipient of the Midwest Color Guard Circuit scholarship! Congrats to all!

Welcome New Fine Arts Faculty!

District 99 Fine Arts is pleased to welcome the following educators to the faculty of North and South High Schools!

Mr. Jerry Lowrey - Downers Grove South High School Fine Arts Department Chairperson

Mr. Jerry Lowrey joins the Administrative Team of South High School as Fine Arts Department Chairperson, and Music faculty member. Mr. Lowrey earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Roosevelt University and his Masters of Arts in Educational Leadership from Northeastern University.  He also has many hours of coursework in Jazz Studies and Music Education. 

Jerry Lowrey

Mr. Lowrey recently completed his 12th year as an educator, the past four years as Music Department Chairperson and Director of Bands at Hoffman Estates High School.  Prior to his tenure at Hoffman Estates, Mr. Lowrey spent six years at LaGrange School District 105 in several roles including Band Director, Fine Arts Chairperson, and Assistant Principal. His first two years of teaching were in Elmwood Park District 401. Prior to transitioning into the field of education Mr. Lowrey developed an advanced digital recording studio and co-founded an independent record label. His musical experiences are vast and he has been involved with multi-cultural awareness activities and culture-building initiatives.

Mr. Lowrey has been lauded for his vision, his ability to connect with students, and his leadership skills.  When describing Mr. Lowrey’s impact during his tenure at Hoffman Estates, his former Principal said, “He brought inclusiveness and excitement to a program that didn’t have any. He connected with kids and made the entire functioning of the program revolve around students.”

Ms. Laura Murphy - Downers Grove South High School Visual Art

Ms. Laura Murphy joins the faculty at Downers Grove South High School to teach Drawing and Painting in the Visual Arts Department. Ms. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with a concentration in Drawing (2018). In Earning the BFA, she studied various art media, ultimately completing her BFA Thesis “The Human Condition Expressed Through Body Language,” a series of life figure drawings, which was displayed at Exhibition in April of 2018. 

Laura Murphy

Following her formal education, Ms. Murphy moved to North Carolina to work as a Youth and Development Director, doing community outreach, developing youth programs, and working directly with the schools in Randolph County, NC to aid students falling behind academically. Working with those students and that community inspired Ms. Murphy to pursue certification in Art Education.

Most recently, Ms. Murphy earned her PK-12 Visual Arts License, as well as her Master of Science in Art and Design Education degree from Northern Illinois University (2021). While she continues to love creating her own art, Ms. Murphy finds particular joy in teaching the creative process to others. 

Mr. Andrew Snider - Downers Grove North High School Theatre

Mr. Andrew Snider joins the faculty of Downers Grove North High School to teach Acting, Theatre Design & Craft, Creative Writing, and lead the co-curricular Theatre program at DGN. 

Andrew Snider

Mr. Snider hails from Georgia where he has been teaching in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. Mr. Snider holds a B.A. in Theater and Performance Studies from Kennesaw State University and a degree in English Education from the University of North Georgia. Since joining the theater community fifteen years ago, Mr. Snider has  worked with SAG actress Karen Beyer, Dramatist Guild member and playwright Margaret Baldwin, and Emmy winner Sarah Clay Lindvall. Along with his work in Georgia, Mr. Snider completed a six-month college internship with Walt Disney World Entertainment. There he was an atmospheric performer as well as in shows and parades spanning all four of Disney’s theme parks and resorts in Orlando, Florida.

Mr. Snider has led multiple casts to the Georgia Junior Theater Festival, One-Act Competition and submissions to the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards. All casts performed with excellent regards while receiving various accolades and honors.  Some of his favorite productions to direct have included Beauty and the Beast, Steel Magnolias, A Year with Frog and Toad, and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Some of his favorite roles include Ali Hakim in Oklahoma!, Bud Frump in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Eli in The Spitfire Grill. When not teaching or performing, Mr. Snider enjoys movies, reading, and spending time with his miniature poodle named Charlie. 

Ms. Amanda Zall - District 99 Orchestra

Ms. Amanda Zall joins the faculty of North and South High School to teach Symphonic Orchestra and Concert Orchestra classes at both campuses, as well as co-teach Symphonic Band at North High. 

Amanda Zall

Ms. Zall is a 2021 graduate from the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University. She studied Music Education and Cello with Gregory Wood and was a former member and principal chair of the Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra. During her time at Syracuse, Ms. Zall enjoyed performing in different ensembles, including: pit orchestras, chamber groups, Baroque and Brazilian ensembles and steel bands. She also served as the assistant orchestra conductor for the Nottingham High School After School Orchestra (2018).

Outside of orchestra, Ms. Zall was a member of the Syracuse University Marching Band where she played trombone and served as Drum Major for three years (2017-2021). Ms. Zall also served as the conductor for the Student Brass Ensemble (2020) and studied conducting with Dr. James Tapia. When not pursuing music professionally, Ms. Zall enjoys hiking, baking and attending concerts.

DGN Fine Arts Salutes the Class of 2021!

The DGN Fine Arts Department extends a heartfelt congratulations and bids a fond farewell to the North High School Class of 2021. Specifically, we acknowledge the artists in Music, Theatre and Visual Art who elevated our standards throughout their academic journey and will leave behind a legacy of high achievement and artistic excellence. We wish you each great success in your future endeavors, and encourage you to return to your Alma Mater and visit frequently! 

If you are unable to celebrate locally with the graduating class, you may view the ceremony by clicking HERE. The commencement ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM (CST) on Friday, May 21.

Live Music Returns to DGN: Spring Jazz Band Concert

Congratulations to the members of the DGN Jazz Band for their performance in the Spring 2021 Jazz Concert. The performance was the first on-campus band concert with a live audience in 16 months. 

Watch and listen to a replay of the concert's livestream, HERE.

Jaclyn Duellman Named Outstanding Senior in Music (2021)

The 2021 Outstanding Senior in Music is Jaclyn Duellman, whose study of music includes 4-years of Choir, AP Music Theory, Digital Music, and Guitar. She is a three-year All-District musician, and has twice been selected to the All State Chorus. Jaclyn is a three-year member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, and her involvement in the arts extends into musical theatre and membership in the DGN Color Guard.

Jaclyn will attend St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN to major in Music Education with a concentration in Voice. 

Congratulations Jaclyn!

Kathryn Crisp Named Outstanding Senior in Theatre (2021)

The 2021 Outstanding Senior in Theatre is Kate Crisp whose study of theatre includes Acting 1, 2, and 3 as well as Theatre Design & Craft.  Kate has complimented her classroom study by working on numerous productions at North including Chemical Imbalance, The Music Man, and the premiere of Backstage, an original musical. This spring, Kate wowed audiences as Savannah “the Top Banana” in Freaky Friday: The Musical.  

Kate will attend Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH to major in Musical Theatre.

Congratulations Kate!

Eliot Michaels Named Outstanding Senior in Visual Art (2021)

The 2021 Outstanding Senior in Visual Art is Eliot Michaels, who has immersed himself in the visual arts through the study of Drawing, Painting, Ceramics and Computer Art. Described by the faculty as “skilled in his craft and thoughtful in his concepts,” Eliot has been recognized repeatedly in local, regional and national art exhibitions. Recently, Eliot’s portfolio garnered a national Scholastic Art Award Silver Medal with Distinction, placing his work in the Top 50 nationally. Eliot will attend the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis to major in Product Design. Congratulations Eliot!

You're Invited! DGN's (Virtual) Spring Art Show

Please click HERE, or on the image above, to enter our virtual art gallery, where you will be able to view 500+ pieces of artwork created by our talented North High visual artists. The art showcased is a combination of work completed at home, and on campus, during the Spring Semester.

Congratulations to the hundreds of student visual artists from DGN who continued to express themselves creatively, and to the dedicated team of DGN Fine Arts faculty who continued to mentor our student artists all the way through to the conclusion of the semester.

tinyurl.com/DGNSpringArtShow21

D99 Orchestra: Spring Virtual Concert Thursday Night!

Please join us for the premiere of the District 99 Orchestra Spring Virtual Concert, featuring the District 99 Orchestra, District 58 Orchestras, Select Chamber Ensembles, Senior Soloists - Justin Berghorst, Paige Sadler & Jesse Wei and District 99 Orchestra Alumni! The concert premiers Thursday night (5/13/2021) at 7:00 PM (CST) on the DGS Fine Arts YouTube Channel.

Click HERE for a direct link to the broadcast or navigate to bit.ly/D99OrchestraSpring2021

Click HERE for a link to the flipbook version of the program

Click HERE for a .pdf version of the program

DGN Bands & DGN Choirs: Spring Music Broadcast Tonight!

Please join us for the premiere of the 2021 Spring Music Broadcast, featuring the DGN Bands and DGN Choirs, tonight at 7:00 PM (CST).

Click HERE for a PDF copy of the concert program. 

Click HERE for a direct link to the broadcast.