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Everything Band Podcast – Episode 118

Chip De Stefano is an arranger, composer, and the longtime band director at McCracken Middle School in Skokie, Illinois. Under his direction, the bands at McCracken have won numerous awards and have twice been invited to perform at the Midwest Clinic.

Topics:

  • Chip’s background and important early experiences in music.
  • The decision to become a music teacher and the support that he receives from his administration and support at McCracken Middle School.
  • Thoughts about creating excellence and some programs that Chip uses as models for his program.
  • The band program at McCracken Middle School.
  • Chip’s experiences at Northwestern.
  • The value of commissions and some of the composers with whom Chip and his students have worked.