Band Banquet "SAVE THE DATE"

The annual DGN Band Banquet will be here before you know it! 

Save the date ...

Friday, May 1, 2020

Official ticketing information will be shared the week of March 16, 2020.

Our student Band Officers, as well as our parent coordinators, are planning a fabulous evening of entertainment.  Highlights will include a terrific dinner and Awards Ceremony for all of our current band members.  This event has become the highlight of the year for our students, as they have a chance to dress-up and celebrate their many accomplishments with family and friends.  We typically have over 350+ band members, parents and family members in attendance.  You won’t want to miss this great evening!

DGN Winter Guard - 2nd Place at DGS Winter Guard Contest

Congrats to the DGN Winter Guard on another stellar 2nd place performance this past weekend at Downers Grove South High School Winter Guard Contest! The team earned another sizable score improvement, with a score of 61.50. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the team this weekend! The encouragement and cheering from the stands was motivating! 

Pep Band Season Finale

Thank you to the volunteer musicians of the DGN Pep Band for providing energetic music and lots of school spirit during six home basketball games this season. Well done!

Congratulations Emma Krause - Midwest Young Artists National Chamber Music Competition

Congratulations to senior Emma Krause, and the members of the Purple Hippopotami Flute Quartet, for winning the Open Winds Division of the Midwest Young Artists National Chamber Music Competition!

Legendary Drummer - Dennis Mackrel - Masterclass at DGN

The DGN Bands were honored to host world renown jazz drumming great, Mr. Dennis Mackrel, to campus today for a masterclass with members of the Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band. Joining Mr. Mackrel was the Elmhurst College Jazz Combo, directed by Mr. Mark Colby.

Mackrel (born April 3, 1962, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz drummer, composer, and arranger. He is also known for his work as a bandleader and music educator. He is most notable for his associations with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and the Count Basie Orchestra.

The son of two jazz enthusiasts, Mackrel started playing drums at age two and began his professional career playing at a community theater at age ten. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, studying jazz under Frank Gagliardi, during which time he performed in venues such as the Imperial Palace and the Tropicana. In 1981, Mackrel moved to New York City and became a drummer with a Broadway theatre orchestra. Two years later on the personal recommendation of singer Joe Williams, Mackrel joined the Count Basie Orchestra where he would remain until December 1987. He was the last drummer of that orchestra to be personally hired by Count Basie himself.

After leaving the Basie Orchestra, Mackrel frequently performed as a substitute drummer in the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. Shortly before Lewis died in February 1990, he announced that he wanted Mackrel to take his place as the regular drummer for the band, which soon changed its name to the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
Mackrel later became the drummer for many other big bands and small groups including the Hank Jones Trio, the American Jazz Orchestra, the Carla Bley Big Band, Buck Clayton's Swing Band, the George Shearing Quintet and the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band. In September 2010, he returned to the Count Basie Orchestra after the retirement of trombonist Bill Hughes and served as the orchestra's leader and chief conductor until 2013 and on November 7, 2015, he was named chief conductor of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw which is based in Amsterdam, Holland.

As a composer and arranger, Mackrel has received a Grant for Composition from the National Endowment for the Arts (1983). He has written pieces for McCoy Tyner (on the Grammy-winning The Turning Point and Journey), the WDR Radio Big Band of Cologne, the Klüvers Big Band of Denmark, the RIAS Big Band of Berlin.[2] the United States Military Academy at West Point's Jazz Knights Big Band, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and the Temple University Jazz Ensemble.

As an experienced jazz educator who conducts master classes, seminars and workshops throughout Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States, Mackrel has performed with the jazz ensembles of numerous colleges and high schools including the Eastman School of Music, Slippery Rock University, the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Northern Illinois University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, the University of Minnesota, Morris, New Trier High School, Sun Prairie High School, Western Illinois University, Southern Utah University, the Royal Conservatory of Music in Aarhus, Denmark, the University of Florida, Miami, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Elmhurst College, Michigan State University and many others. He is currently a professor at Queens College in Flushing, New York.

DGN Winter Guard - 2nd Place at Naperville Central Winter Guard Contest

The winter guard kept its momentum going this weekend as they secured a 2nd place win at the Naperville Central Winter Guard Contest on February 9. Earning a score of 55.01, the team continued to make great strides toward perfecting their show. Great job, winter guard! 

Be sure to check out their next competition at Downers Grove South High School on February 23rd where they will be performing shortly after 11:30 AM.

D99 Jazz in Clinic and Concert with NIU Jazz Orchestra

The student musicians of the DGN and DGS Jazz Bands participated in an educational clinic and concert with the internationally acclaimed Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra. Led by Professor Reggie Thomas, and featuring guest artist Todd Williams (Saxophone), the NIU Jazz Orchestra performed an exciting set that kept the audience engaged and cheering for more.

Congratulations to the members of the DGN and DGN Jazz programs for their outstanding performances tonight at the Tivoli theater in Downers Grove. It was a pleasure and honor for our students to open for the great Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra!

DGS Jazz Workshop

DGN Jazz Lab Band

DGS Jazz Lab Band

DGN Jazz Ensemble

DGS Jazz Ensemble

NIU Jazz Orchestra

NIU Jazz Orchestra with Guest Artist, Todd Williams