McCracken Band Receives Another Prestigious Award

Skokie Review – May 31, 2007

by Mike Isaacs

McCracken Middle School Symphonic Band director Chip De Stefano still has a long career ahead of him, but it’s difficult to imagine he’ll have a more memorable school year than this one.

De Stefano and his band last week were presented with The Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Cup, the highest recognition awarded to a
middle school band. De Stefano and the band received the award at a special concert earlier this month at Niles North High School.

“It’s such a huge honor, De Stefano said. “When I look at the list of the other groups that have won this award, I’m just very grateful to be in that company.”

McCracken is the first middle school band from Illinois to win the award. Many previous award-winning bands are from Texas, and De Stefano is familiar with many of them.

Winning prestigious awards and honors is nothing new for this acclaimed band teacher and his student musicians.

The Sudler Silver Cup comes only about five months after De Stefano and his students performed at the 2006 Midwest Clinic in
Chicago, a renowned international band and orchestra conference

The Midwest Clinic is regularly attended by 14,000 music educators, students and professionals from 50 states and 30 nations. The McCracken band earned nationwide and even worldwide recognition.

This will be a hard year to follow up on,” De Stefano admitted after Monday’s performance. “I’ll always remember this year, but
there’s still conferences and events that we can be a part of next year. Our band next year will be terrific.

The McCracken band is the only middle school band selected from the United States and Canada to receive the 2006 Sudler Silver Cup.

Sponsored by the John Sousa Foundation, the award is intended to identify, recognize and honor fine junior high school and middle school concert band programs demonstrating high standards over seven or more years. To apply for the award, De Stefano said, the band had to make an audition CD and submit concert programs, photographs and press clippings going back seven years.

“It was pretty extensive,” De Stefano said.

This was the first time McCracken applied for the award, but De Stefano believed the band had a real shot to win it after he learned the band would be performing at the Midwest Clinic. Many have taken notice of De Stefano and the heights his band has reached in recent years.

“We are most grateful to you for everything you have done over the past 11 years to build one of the best band programs in the country,” wrote District 73.5 Superintendent Vicki Gunther in a letter to the band director and his band students. “You have modeled for our students a strong work ethic, provided them with unique performance opportunities, and instilled in them a love of music that will remain with them forever.”