DGN Winter Guard Takes 4th at Naperville North

Congratulations to the DGN Winter Guard team on their 4th place finish at their first competition of the season at Naperville North!  Great start to the competitive season.  Go Trojans!

DGN Jazzers Swing Home With Awards from Purdue University Jazz Festival @Dist_99

Congratulations to the student musicians of the North High School Jazz Program for an outstanding showing at the 2017 Purdue Jazz Festival.   Three jazz ensembles 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 in each room, 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 Combo earned the title of "Honor Band" for their division at the festival, earning the highest score of all 17 ensembles in the Combo Room.  

Each of the three ensembles from DGN received a Division I rating from the panel of judges.  This is the highest possible rating on the scoring rubric.  In addition to the outstanding ensemble performances, 12 Outstanding Soloist Awards were given by the panel of judges to DGN students for displaying outstanding musicianship.

DGN Jazz Combo – Division I Rating / Honor Band Award (1st Place)

Outstanding Soloist Awards: Josie Bondarowicz (bass), Matthew McCoy (alto sax), and Caleb Schmurr (trombone). 

DGN Jazz Ensemble – Division I Rating / 3rd Place

Outstanding Soloist Awards: Emily Dwyer (trumpet), Matthew McCoy (alto sax), Miles Teague (piano), Michael Thompson (tenor sax), and Marz Tingzon (bari sax).

DGN Jazz Lab Band – Division I Rating / 4th Place

Outstanding Soloist Awards: Daniel Borgard (drums), Andrew Jackson (tenor sax), Justin Koblich (drums), and Sebastian Strempfer (bass).

Seeking Volunteers for the Class of 2021 Freshman Open House!

We are seeking current band students who would like to help us make a positive impact on current 8th graders who will be attending the Incoming Freshman Open House (Class of 2021).

The Open House is on Thursday, February 9.  We need volunteers to work at both the Elective Fair (in the Field House), and also volunteers to help us make presentations in the Band Room that night.  

If you think you could help us, please follow the link below, and fill out the short form. Specific times are detailed on the form.  

We will look at the volunteer pool, and try to put together a team of speakers and helpers that night that represents a great cross-section of our Band program.  (Various grades, instruments, sender schools, etc.)

Please complete the form no later than Saturday, January 28.

Thanks for your consideration!  

http://tinyurl.com/DGNBandOpenHouse

Pep Band - January 14

The Pep Band sounded great tonight and enjoyed cheering the Trojans on to victory! Thanks to all who came out to play, including DGN Band Alumni!

DGN Jazz Cafe Features Great Music; Raises Money for St. Jude's Hospital

Congratulations to the members of the @dgnbands Jazz Ensemble, @dgnbands Jazz Lab Band, Westview Hills Middle School Jazz Ensemble, Jefferson Junior High School Friends of Jazz, and the Herrick Middle School Jazz Band for terrific performances at the 2017 DGN Jazz Cafe!

The annual DGN Jazz Cafe serves as a philanthropic event, with free-will donations going to a charity nominated by the student musicians.  Thank you to all of the concert patrons who made a donation to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. We appreciate your support!

Special thanks are extended to the DGN Fine Arts Boosters for their generous support of the Jazz Cafe, as well as Peet's Coffee of Downers Grove for their donation of coffee.  We also offer our deepest thanks to parent Carolyn Donnelly who has served as the Jazz Cafe Volunteer Coordinator and has led the logistics of this event for the past seven years. Thank you, Mrs. Donnelly, for your long-term commitment to this event!

The Jazz Cafe Is Tonight! #WeAreDGN

Don't miss tonight's DGN Jazz Cafe!  This annual showcase of outstanding student talent - from across the community - will be sure to get your toes tappin'!  The concert begins at 6 PM with a performance by the DGN Jazz Ensemble, and continues with bands from Westview Hills Middle School, Jefferson Junior High School, and Herrick Middle School. The DGN Jazz Lab Band, DGN Jazz Combo and DGN Jazz Ensemble bring the concert to a close at approximately 8:30 PM.


Join us for coffee, soft-drinks, popcorn, good friends and wonderful jazz music in this 'cafe' atmosphere!