Winter Choir Concert - Tonight at DGN!

Join us tonight at 7:00 PM in the Clarence Johnson Auditorium for the Winter Choral Concert featuring all DGN Choirs.

This evening's concert will be live-streamed on the DGN Fine Arts Department YouTube Channel. 

DGN Winter Guard - 2nd Place at Naperville Central Winter Guard Contest

The winter guard kept its momentum going this weekend as they secured a 2nd place win at the Naperville Central Winter Guard Contest on February 9. Earning a score of 55.01, the team continued to make great strides toward perfecting their show. Great job, winter guard! 

Be sure to check out their next competition at Downers Grove South High School on February 23rd where they will be performing shortly after 11:30 AM.

D99 Jazz in Clinic and Concert with NIU Jazz Orchestra

The student musicians of the DGN and DGS Jazz Bands participated in an educational clinic and concert with the internationally acclaimed Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra. Led by Professor Reggie Thomas, and featuring guest artist Todd Williams (Saxophone), the NIU Jazz Orchestra performed an exciting set that kept the audience engaged and cheering for more.

Congratulations to the members of the DGN and DGN Jazz programs for their outstanding performances tonight at the Tivoli theater in Downers Grove. It was a pleasure and honor for our students to open for the great Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra!

DGS Jazz Workshop

DGN Jazz Lab Band

DGS Jazz Lab Band

DGN Jazz Ensemble

DGS Jazz Ensemble

NIU Jazz Orchestra

NIU Jazz Orchestra with Guest Artist, Todd Williams

National Black History Month Spotlight: William Grant Still (1895-1978)

February is Black History Month, and @DGNFineArts is pleased to spotlight the pioneering work of African American artists.

William Grant Still (1895-1978) was a conductor and composer. He was the first African-American to have both a major symphony production (1931) and produce an opera (1949). Still’s Afro-American Symphony marked the first time a symphony composed by an African-American would be played by a major orchestra.

http://www.biography.com/people/william-grant-still-9495333#musical-success-and-legacy

DGN Playwright Recognized with Multiple Awards

 

DGN thespian Audrey Dwyer's play PTO No!, a hilarious spoof of power struggles in a school's parent/teacher assocation, was selected from student submissions around the Midwest to be performed in the 10-Minute Play Festival at Eureka College in early April.

The same play was also recognized with a Gold Key award in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

Congratulations Audrey!

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp - Campus Interviews - February 18

The Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (in Michigan) is one of the nation’s leading arts immersion camps.  BLFAC is a non-profit summer school of the arts specializing in two-week arts programs for intermediate and high school students. 

Because there is a strong tradition of highly qualified District 99 students attending Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, the institution actively recruits in our schools.  Additionally, BLFAC sends a representative to our building each February to hear interested students play and sing.  From those interviews, BLFAC frequently awards merit-based scholarships to attend the camp.  This year’s BLFAC interviews will be held on Tuesday, February 18th, 4th - 8th periods and for a short time after school.  If you are interested in playing or singing a short audition for the BLFAC rep, please express your interest on a sign-up sheet in the Fine Arts Office (room 131). Please see Ms. Moran or your music teacher to sign up for a time. 

What should you be prepared to play or sing in your audition?  Plan to perform 2-3 min of music that you have been working on with a private music teacher, or in class.  This could be an etude, a solo, or a piece of literature that you have really enjoyed studying.  Pick something that shows off your abilities!

The Blue Lake representative will share some basic information with the student to take home to parents.  In the meantime, you are encouraged to check out Blue Lake’s website at www.bluelake.org.  

Many DGN students have received significant scholarships to attend Blue Lake as a result of these interviews. Please consider this fabulous opportunity!

Scholarship Alert (Seniors): DGN-FOFA $1,000 Scholarships for Fine Arts Seniors

What is the Senior Scholarship?

The Downers Grove North Friends of Fine Arts (FOFA) are pleased to announce our scholarship award program. FOFA will award scholarships to seniors who are planning to continue their education in the fall after their high school graduation. The FOFA Senior Scholarship Committee reviews the applications in a blind format.

Who may apply?

Current DGN seniors who are planning to continue both involvement in the fine arts and their education in the fall of 2020 may apply for a scholarship. The student must be enrolled in Fine Arts curriculum during their senior year and have completed 6 semesters of Fine Arts courses upon graduation from Downers Grove North High School. 

What type of scholarships are available?

There are two different types of scholarships available for submission:

●      Fine Arts Related Major Scholarship – This is awarded to a senior attending a college in the fall where they will be pursuing a degree involving Fine Arts.

●      Continued Fine Arts Participation Scholarship – This is awarded to a senior who is pursuing an area of study outside of the Fine Arts but plans to continue a Fine Arts activity in college during their freshman year.

To what may the award be applied?

Recipients will use this one-time award for tuition at an accredited two or four-year institution of higher learning. The FOFA Senior Scholarship will be administered and awarded in compliance with the DGN Student/Parent Handbook and Code of Conduct Policy.

How do I apply? UPDATED APP, February 5, 2020, to a Google Form application.

Complete the application found HERE.

https://tinyurl.com/DGN-FOFA-SeniorScholarshipApp

The application requires a typed parent/guardian acknowledgement signature. Applications must be submitted electronically, via the Google Form, no later than 11:59 pm, Monday, March 23, 2020. You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours that your submission has been received. If you do not receive an email, please re-submit.

Questions about the application may be directed to the FOFA Scholarship Chairperson at scholar.dgnfofa@gmail.com.

What are the criteria for selecting winners?

The student’s name will be removed from the application, an ID number will be assigned, and the application will be submitted to the Scholarship Review Committee for blind review. The Scholarship Review Committee will review the applicant’s grades in the Fine Arts, school activities involving the Fine Arts, other extracurriculars at DGN, the applicant’s activities outside of school involving the Fine Arts, civic/community service, work experience and other outside interests and accomplishments. All of these components will be evaluated equally and scored on a rubric after reviewing the responses of the application’s questions and free-response essays. Semi-finalists may be required to attend an interview with the Scholarship Review Committee in April. The recipients will be presented with the scholarship at the DGN Senior Awards Night on Wednesday, May 6th, 2020.

Please note: If you are the recipient of a full Fine Arts grant or Academic scholarship for college, we ask that you do not apply for the FOFA Scholarship as you will not be eligible.

The application is due by 11:59 PM, Monday, March 23, 2020. 

Scholarship Alert (Seniors): Rotary Club of DG - Charles Dickerman Music Scholarship

The Rotary Club of Downers Grove is now accepting applications for their annual Charles Dickerman Music Scholarship.  Each year the Rotary Club of Downers Grove presents a $2,000 scholarship check to a deserving high school senior who resides in Downers Grove or in the District 99 attendance area.  Charles Dickerman was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Downers Grove.  He was a nuclear physicist at Argonne National Laboratory who had undergraduate degrees in both physics and music.  Charles stayed involved in music throughout his life and was an avid bagpiper.

A scholarship application may be downloaded from the organization's website: http://DGRotary.com. 

Applicants must have their forms emailed or postmarked by Wednesday, March 25, 2020. If selected as a finalist, candidates must be available for an interview and audition on the evening of Monday, April 27, 2020.

The qualifications to apply for this scholarship are:

• Be a graduating senior attending a public, private, parochial or home school, and reside in Downers Grove or the High School District 99 attendance area. 
• Plan to pursue a post-secondary education program.
• Have participated in high school curricular music activities and/or extracurricular music activities. 
• Composers and/or arrangers qualify for this scholarship. 
• Pursuit of an undergraduate music major or minor is not required.
• Financial need is not a criterion for selection.
  

Information: 

Dave Humphreys
Rotary Club of Downers Grove
musicscholarship@rotarygrovefest.com
630-968-5526 

Scholarship Alert (Seniors): DG Music Club College Music Award

The Downers Grove Music Club will present a $1,000 College Music Award to at least one student enrolled in Band, Choir or Orchestra in District 99. Award recipients will be selected based on the merit of their musical accomplishments, as described on the application form, and the quality of the musical performance provided on the video recording portion of the application.  The goal of these awards is to recognize and reward those students who have worked very hard in their musical pursuits and have achieved a high level of accomplishment as a musician.

Seniors may apply for one of the two possible College Music Awards ($1,000 each).  The link to this award page on the Downers Grove Music Club website is DGMC College Music Award.

Who Is Eligible?
Any District 99 high school band, choir or orchestra senior, who will be graduating during the this academic year and who will be attending college in the fall of 2020, is eligible to apply.

How Can I Apply?
The application must be completed and submitted, along with a performance video recording, as directed on the submission website, by April 1, 2020.  Award recipients will be chosen only from among the applications received by the deadline date.

All entries must be DATE/TIME STAMPED by the deadline date of April 1, 2020 to be eligible for review.

Questions should be sent to:  musiced@downersgrovemusicclub.org.

Scholarship Alert (Freshman/Sophomores/Juniors): Downers Grove Music Club Rising Stars Music Awards

$400 Awards for Freshman, Sophomores & Juniors in Music

The Downers Grove Music Club will present multiple $400 Rising Stars Music Awards.  Awards are given to students enrolled in the District 99 high schools in the areas of Band, Choir or Orchestra.  Award recipients are selected based on the merit of their musical accomplishments, as described on the application form and the quality of the musical performance provided on the recording portion of the application. The goal of these awards is to recognize and reward those students who have worked very hard in their musical pursuits and have achieved a high level of accomplishment as a musician.

Freshman, Sophomores, and Juniors may apply for one of the multiple Rising Stars Awards ($400 each).  The link to this award page on the Downers Grove Music Club website is DGMC Rising Stars Music Award.

Who Is Eligible?
Any  District 99 high school band, choir or orchestra student, currently in his/her junior year, pursuing a musical educational experience during the summer in which tuition is charged, is eligible to apply for a Rising Stars Award. Pianists may apply in the musical category with which they are affiliated.
 

Award recipients are required to perform the following year at the DGMC Rising Stars program, usually scheduled on a Tuesday evening in April.

How Can I Apply?
The application, and submission of performance video, must be completed online.

All entries must be DATE/TIME STAMPED by the deadline date of April 1, 2020 to be eligible for review.

Questions should be sent to:  musiced@downersgrovemusicclub.org.

Scholarship Alert (Freshmen/Sophomores/Juniors): Summer Study Grant in the Fine Arts! (DGN FOFA)

If you are interested in continuing your Fine Arts studies this summer at a music, theatre, or visual art camp/workshop, and would benefit from financial assistance to attend, please consider applying for a scholarship from the DGN Friends of Fine Arts, which annually supports $8,000 - $10,000 in Summer Study Grants to student musicians, thespians and visual artists.

To be considered, your application must be submitted by Sunday, April 14, 2020. The Summer Study Grant application is on a Google form, completely paperless. You may complete the form here:

https://tinyurl.com/2020DGNSummerFineArtsGrant

Scholarship Awards will be announced in early May.  Questions about the application process? Please ask Mr. Teague, Downers Grove North Fine Arts Department Chairperson.

DGN Musicians at the 2020 IMEC All-State

Congratulations to the student musicians who participated in the 2020 Illinois Music Education Conference as All-State Musicians. During a three-day trip to Peoria, IL, students worked with inspirational conductors and teachers to prepare and present a concert of challenging repertoire. With two days of limited rehearsal time, each ensemble presented a stunning performance of challenging music to a capacity crowd at the Arena in the Peoria Civic Center. 

Our students and staff extend a heartfelt "thank you" to the staff and volunteers of ILMEA who contributed to creating this experience for our student musicians.   

CHORUS

Renee Boone (11) – Alto II - All State Chorus

Jaclyn Duellman (11) – Alto I - All State Chorus

Delaney Durbin (11) – Soprano II - All State Honors Chorus

Cora Lingenfelter (10) – Soprano II - All State Honors Chorus

COMPOSITION
William Berberich (12) – Commercial Popular (2^nd Place)

JAZZ
Benjamin Hodonicky (12) - Guitar - All State Jazz Band

MacKenzie McGuire (11) – Soprano - All State Honors Jazz Choir

ORCHESTRA STRINGS

Justin Berghorst (11) - Violin - All State Orchestra
Rebecca Edmundson (12) - Violin - All State Honors Orchestra
Brady Moore (12) – Cello - All State Honors Orchestra

Melissa Parkinson (10) – Double Bass - All State Orchestra

Catherine Ramsey (12) – Harp - All State Honors Orchestra

Paige Sadler (11) – Violin - All State Orchestra
Jesse Wei (11) – Viola - All State Honors Orchestra

WINDS and PERCUSSION

Emilija Irvin (12) – Bassoon - All State Honors Band

Justin Koblich (12)  - Percussion - All State Honors Orchestra

Kyra McComb (10) – Percussion - All State Honors Band

Owen Nystrom (11) – Bassoon - All State Honors Band

Miles Teague (12) - Horn - All State Honors Orchestra *Principal Horn*

All State Musicians Depart for Peoria, IL

DGN Winter Guard - 1st Place at Steperette Winter Guard Contest

Congratulations to the DGN Winter Guard on their 1st place finish at the Steperette Winter Guard Contest this past weekend - their very first winter guard contest of the 2020 season! The team's score of 49.47, made the team the clear front runner of their round. These ladies have been more determined than ever to put on a great show, and they did just that on Sunday! Congrats, Winter Guard!

DGN Visual Artists Honored - 2020 Scholastic Art Awards

Gavin Crowson

The Fine Arts Department at Downers Grove North High School is proud to announce the results of the judging from the 2020 Scholastic Art Awards held at Downers Grove North High School and hosted by the Community High School District 99 Fine Arts Departments.  1,038 student artists representing 135 arts educators submitted 2,188 works of art for

Kristen Karam

adjudication. 638 total works were honored with recognitions. North High artists won 70 awards, including 21 Gold Key Awards, 23 Silver Key Awards, and 26 Honorable Mention Awards.

“We are very excited to host the regional exhibition at North High,” said Brayer Teague, Fine Arts Department Chairman. “This show is always an amazing display of student creativity and a testament to the wonderful art teaching that is happening in District 99.”  According to Teague, the art teachers from both North and South High School play an important role in putting the exhibition together.  “Our District 99 art teachers are the engine behind this regional affiliate of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.  Their dedication and tireless commitment enables student artists from all over the suburban region to have their work evaluated by professional artists.”

Eliot Michaels

Community High School District 99 will host the Scholastic Art Show Regional Exhibition from February 2-7, at the North High School campus Main Street Lobby (4436 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515).  The public is cordially invited to attend the Exhibition Opening and Artists Reception on Sunday, February 2, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. 

Alexandria Johnston

GOLD KEY AWARDS (21)

CLICK HERE to view a portfolio of all DGN Gold Key Awards.

David Adelman (Jewelry)
Adam Blair-Smith (Photography)
Belle Blanchard (Jewelry) 2
Belle Blanchard (Art Portfolio)
Gavin Crowson (Photography) 2
Sophie Dalen (Sculpture)
Audrey Dwyer (Design)
Audrey Dwyer (Design)
Danielle Gargiulo (Drawing and Illustration)
Danielle Gargiulo (Painting)
Zack Gaytan (Sculpture)
Zack Gaytan (Mixed Media)
Brooke Hazen (Jewelry)
Alexandria Johnston (Ceramics and Glass)
Kristen Karam (Jewelry)
Eliot Michaels (Drawing and Illustration)
Katherine Morrissey (Photography)
Jocelyn Novielli-Mahr (Sculpture)
Jocelyn Novielli-Mahr (Mixed Media)

SILVER KEY AWARDS (23)

Emily Allen (Ceramics and Glass)
Annie Bieda (Jewelry)
Nolan Brezina (Jewelry)
Lillian Cawthorne (Drawing and Illustration) 3
Alexis Dorion (Ceramics and Glass)
Audrey Dwyer (Art Portfolio)

Zack Gaytan

Danielle Gargiulo (Painting)
Zack Gaytan (Jewelry)
Zack Gaytan (Sculpture)
Brooke Hazen (Jewelry)
Julia Isoniemi (Drawing and Illustration)
Ohana Jeron (Drawing and Illustration) 2
Meghan McConaughy (Photography)
Anika Oplanic (Jewelry)
Nathan Pautsch (Photography)
Gema Perez (Photography)
Sophie Peters (Art Portfolio)
Cecily Pope (Ceramics and Glass)
Elena Tomchek (Jewelry)
Gabrielle Walters (Ceramics and Glass)

HONORABLE MENTION (26)

Elyse Adams (Jewelry)
Adam Blair-Smith (Photography)
Belle Blanchard (Ceramics and Glass)
Nolan Brezina (Jewelry)

Katherine Morrissey

Jarrett Brogan (Ceramics and Glass)
Samuel Carter (Jewelry)
Daniel Chaidez (Mixed Media)
Gavin Crowson (Photography)
Sophie Dalen (Ceramics and Glass)
Maddy Dvorak (Ceramics and Glass)
Audrey Dwyer (Design) 2
Rylee Fox (Jewelry) 2
Faith Gaydusek (Painting)
Zack Gaytan (Jewelry) 2
Julia Isoniemi (Drawing and Illustration)
Clark Kelly (Ceramics and Glass)
Claire Meyers (Jewelry)
Alexa Moy (Photography)
Tabaaraka Muzammil (Ceramics and Glass)
Jack Oakes (Digital Art)
Gema Perez (Photography) 2
Ian Wachel (Sculpture)

Belle Blanchard

DGN Jazz Musicians Swing Home with Awards and Recognition

Congratulations to the student musicians of the North High School Jazz Program for an outstanding showing at the 2020 Purdue Jazz Festival. The DGN Jazz Ensemble and DGN Jazz Lab Band performed and competed with more than 100 high school ensembles from five states across the Midwest. 

In addition to receiving a score from the panel of adjudicators, each group received real time formative feedback from each judge in an audio recording. This feedback is essential to the continuing growth of both individual students and the musicianship of each ensemble.  

The DGN Jazz Ensemble and DGN Jazz Lab Band both received Division I ratings from the panel of judges. This is the highest possible rating on the scoring rubric. The DGN Jazz Lab Band received the prestigious "Outstanding Performance" Citation in their competition room, finishing in second-place, just one point behind the first-place ensemble.

In addition to the terrific ensemble performances, 5 Outstanding Solo Awards were given by the panel of judges to DGN students for displaying outstanding musicianship:

Derek Ferraro (Trumpet)

Owen Nystrom (Bari Sax)
Jonathan Orjala (Trumpet)
Amy Spreitzer (Bass)

Miles Teague (Piano)

Bassist Amy Spreitzer was named the most outstanding soloist of the Stewart 302 competition venue, and with the recognition received a scholarship to the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. 

2020 DGN Choral Festival Welcomes Partner School Musicians

Today North High welcomed student vocalists from Herrick Middle School and Jefferson Junior High School for the 2020 DGN Choral Festival. Donning DGN Choir t-shirts, students participated in large group rehearsal, vocal sectionals, had dinner together, and presented a performance in the Clarence Johnson Auditorium. 

Special thanks to the students and directors from our partner schools for taking the time to provide this experience for these singers. Based on what we heard and saw today, the sonic future is bright for our DGN Choirs at North High School.