McCracken Band Plans for Pinnacle Music Event
Skokie Review – December 14, 2006
by Mike Isaacs
The McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band under accomplished director Chip De Stefano is about to go where few middle
school bands have gone before.
And that doesn’t include the band’s performance in front of a sizable public audience next week at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts.
The public can see the same 45-minute concert the band will perform Dec. 22 at the prestigious 2006 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, a renowned international band and orchestra conference.
De Stefano doesn’t like to use sports references, he says, but he can’t help comparing the Chicago event for school bands to the Super Bowl for football teams.
“It’s been a dream of mine for a long time,” he said.” In some ways, it’s affirmation that I’m doing a good job, and I have to admit some of it is an ego thing. The only thing that could match this in my career is another invitation in the future.”
But De Stefano, 34, stresses it is the difficult and dedicated work of his band – 59 sixth, seventh and eighth graders that has allowed this special moment to happen.
The McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band has been honored many times before, having performed at a variety of impressive festivals. It was chosen in 2005 as the honor band at the SuperState Concert Band Festival in Champaign, the third De Stefano band that has accomplished such a feat.
But the Midwest Clinic is in a world of its own.
The application process is far more stringent than any school music event, requiring a CD, video, key recommendations, photos of the band, and recordings from past year’s performances as well as music from this year. Hundreds of bands from across the world apply every year.
But only two other middle school bands from Texas have been invited to perform with McCracken at the event, the largest instrumental music education conference in the world.
The Midwest Clinic is regularly attended by 14,000 music educators, students and professionals from 50 states and 30 nations. Midwest Clinic Executive Director Kelly Jocius said the McCracken band will earn nationwide and even worldwide recognition.
“The majority of the audience members at this concert will be music educators,” Jocius said when McCracken was selected. “Watching this fine group will reinforce to directors what is possible musically and educationally for motivated students, teachers, schools and communities.”
De Stefano was notified of the honor over the summer, which means last year’s eighth grade band members who were evaluated in the application process had already graduated. They can’t perform at the clinic, but they all have been invited to attend.
De Stefano said he tried to keep preparations for the clinic as normal as possible this school year. But the students a week before school started were practicing with him eight hours day not what they ordinarily would do, he admits.
“I wanted the kids to come together as a band very, very quickly,” he said. “I thought this would give them a head start on what we wanted to accomplish.”
De Stefano chose the music for the concert, which includes mostly newly. composed pieces. “I tried to choose music that is varied and that is interesting to the kids – music that will show off their strengths and hide their weaknesses.”
The 10 pieces to be performed by the band include “Joy Fantastique” by Douglas Akey, which will have its
world premiere; “Ancient Dialogue” by Patrick Burns, a renaissance tune; “Little Suite for Band” by Clare
Grundman in three movements: “Albanian Dance” by Shelley Hanson, the most difficult piece because of its fast
tempo; and “Our Kingsland Spring” by Samuel R. Hazo, who came to McCracken to work with students.
Also, “Chinese Folk Song Medley” a short collection of music by Robert Garofalo; “Orange Bowl,” a march by
Henry Fillmore; “Prelude in Fuge in D Minor,” by Bach and transcribed for band by Ronald. Moehlmann; “Ye
Banks and Braes O’Bonnie Doon,” a Seottish folk song arranged by Michael Sweeney; and “Symphony No. 4 for Winds and Percussion (fourth movement)’ by Andrew Boysen, Jr.
De Stefano is allowed to choose several guest conductors for some of these pieces. Ithaca College band director
Stephen Peterson, Donald DeRoch of DePaul University and retired Northwestern University band director Don
Owens will conduct at the event.
Also guest conducting will be Donald Stahlberg, the former McCracken band director who held the job for 33
years before retiring in 1996.
“When it came time to choose guest conductors, he was the first one that came to mind,” De Stefano said. “He was very excited and touched. He first said no, but I pressed a little bit and he agreed.”
Students
It’s difficult to know whether the students fully grasp the honor that has been bestowed upon them. De Stefano
said that the clinic is in Chicago – so close to home – may make that harder.
But sixth grader Emma Decker, who plays the bass clarinet, said she’s very excited.
“I’m so glad this is happening,” she said. “I love playing. It’s a great feeling to play the right note and hear how right it sounds with other notes.”
Eighth grader Leah Wesolowski, 13, was 8 when she started playing the clarinet.
“I feel really honored to be part of this,” she said.
For her, playing music transports her to another world.
“When you’re in the band room, you forget everything else in life,” she said.
Seventh grader Linda Jung, a clarinet player, said it’s difficult to imagine playing for 3,000 people, the expected
audience at the Midwest Clinic. “You can’t even picture that.”
Eighth grader Mike Wilson plays the trumpet in the band.
“We’re really happy to go to the Clinic, but I don’t think some of us know how big this is,” he said. “We know it’s the biggest thing in the world for (De Stefano).”
It isn’t just the District 73.5 community that has been captured by the considerable accomplishment of this hard-working group of student musicans and their spirited director.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich sent a recent letter of congratulations, Mayor George Van Dusen proclaimed a recent day in Skokie in honor of the band and the Illinois House passed a resolution congratulating De Stefano and his students.
For his part, the band leader said he is as excited about next week’s community performance at the North
Shore Center for Performing Arts. “We’re able to play in Skokie and for our community,” De Stefano said. “That’s almost as special.”