Our School and Our Band

McCracken is a great school. It is filled with talented and creative teachers. Our administrators are smart, strong leaders, who truly want what is best for the students of our schools. The community is extremely supportive. Our students excel both academically and artistically. McCracken Middle School was recognized as a National School of Excellence by the Blue Ribbon School Program in 2001.

Skokie School District 73.5 (Yes, you read that right…Seventy-three and a half!) is a K-8 district with approximately 100 – 125 kids per grade. Skokie has several different elementary school districts which all feed the high school district that serves the township. We work in a wonderful community that places a high value on arts education. Our population is extremely diverse with nearly half our students being bilingual. All told, almost forty languages are spoken in the homes of our district.

This is my tenth year as the band director at McCracken. I’m actually only the fourth full-time band director in the almost 50 year history of the school. I student taught with my predecessor Don Stahlberg, who taught at McCracken for 33 years. He was a terrific teacher, had wonderful bands, and built the support we enjoy today. Mr. Stahlberg still lives in Skokie and regularly attends our concerts.

Some may be surprised by the schedule and way our band program is set up, although it’s fairly typical for Chicago’s northern suburbs. We have approximately 160 students, in grades 4 through 8, enrolled participating in the Symphonic Band, Concert Band, 5th Grade Band, and Beginner Band.

Our four bands are divided by audition, and yes, I’m the only band director. Rehearsals take place before and after school, with lessons and sectionals occurring through a class pullout program. This year’s Symphonic Band, our top group, has 55 students (8 flutes, 1 oboe, 9 clarinets, 2 bass clarinets, 4 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, 2 baritone saxophones, 6 cornets, 3 horns, 6 trombones, 4 euphoniums, 2 tubas, and 6 percussion). Broken down by grade: 23 eighth graders, 23 seventh graders, and 9 sixth graders.

Auditions for next year’s groups are still a few weeks away. I expect the band playing at Midwest to be slightly smaller, but it really depends on the auditions. The younger kids have really been motivated by the Midwest announcement. They are, for the most part, working very hard.

Our schedule is strange, but it works for us. The Symphonic Band rehearses:
Monday: 7:20 – 7:53
Tuesday: 7:20 – 7:53 and 2:10 – 3:30
Wednesday: 42 minute sectionals (class pullout)

Thursday: 7:20 – 8:00
Friday: 7:20 – 7:53

Concert Band rehearses:
Monday 3:10 – 4:00
Thursday: 15 minute private lessons and 3:10 – 4:00

5th Grade Band rehearses
Monday or Tuesday: 15 minute private lessons
Friday: 3:10 – 4:00

Beginner Band rehearses
Tuesday: 11:30 – 12:00
Friday: 30 minute like instrument group lessons

Not enough contact time, especially with the younger groups. With the Midwest Clinic concert looming, I expect the Symphonic Band’s schedule to change some for next year as well. 85% of the Symphonic Band is taking private lessons. That will need to improve.

We have tremendous administrative support. Not only to they attend all of our performances, but the level of funding has been great as well. Of course it could always be more, but they do work very hard to provide us with what we need.

Our band parents are so wonderful it’s indescribable. We don’t have a formal parent group, but there is not a parent I can’t call to ask for help when we need it. They stretch their budgets to provide lessons and quality instruments for their children. They have bought into what we are trying to do with the band program at McCracken. They are as proud of this Midwest invitation as I am.

Compared to other band rooms in Chicago’s Northern Suburbs, our facilities are terrible. The room is barely large enough to fit the band, is shared with our choirs, and doubles as a classroom during the day. My lessons and sectionals at the middle school take place in the school’s cafeteria. We move WAY too many chairs and music stands everyday! We really need a new room. Maybe that’ll be my next goal!

So we have had to succeed in spite of a few things, but hopefully we’re demonstrating what can be done with a supportive community, good teaching (even if I say so myself), and students who work extremely hard and take pride in what they do.

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