DGN Winter Guard Takes 2nd Place at Schaumburg Contest

Congratulations to the DGN Winter Guard for their 2nd place finish in the SAA class at this weekend's contest in Schaumburg!  The team's score increased by 6 points from contest to contest, and they're excited to continue adding to and improving their show.  Best of luck to the team as they head to the Winter Guard International (WGI) Regional this coming Saturday!

DGN Jazz Ensemble @ DuPage Symphony Orchestra

Congratulations to the members of the DGN Jazz Ensemble on their performance at Wentz Hall in Naperville, IL as a part of the DuPage Symphony Orchestra's February 11th concert "American Spirituals & American Jazz." 

Congratulations DGN Bands: Winter Band Concert

Congratulations to the members of the DGN Wind Ensemble, DGN Symphonic Band, and DGN Concert Band for a wonderful performance at the 2023 Winter Band Concert! A special "bravo" is extended to Hannah Janka for her solo performance of Wingspan, by Gary Kuo.

DGN Winter Band Concert - Tonight!

Please join the members of the DGN Bands tonight (Thursday, February 9) for the 2023 Winter Band Concert. 

The Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble will be featured, as well as Senior Concerto soloist, Hannah Janka (Horn).

The concert begins at 7 PM in the Clarence Johnson Auditorium of North High School. The concert is free to attend, and doors open for general seating at 6:30 PM.

Concerts are live-streamed on the DGN Fine Arts Department YouTube Channel, and may be accessed directly using the links below.

Winter Band Concert

Thursday, February 9, 7:00 PM CST

https://youtube.com/live/c87aQZA47o4

DGN Winter Guard - 4th Place at Naperville Central Winter Guard Contest

The DGN Winter Guard debuted their 2023 program, “Echoes of Hope” this weekend at its first contest of the year hosted at Naperville Central. Congrats to the team for placing 4th out of 9 teams, with a score of 53.87. They are excited that the season is now officially underway, and are looking forward to their first full season in their new SAA class after last year’s class promotion!

Trojan Pep Band Season Ends with a Big Win and Parent Musicians!

 

The final gig of the Pep Band Season featured guest the parent musicians from our very own members of the band! We're always thankful to share the gift of music with our "extended" band family. Somebody has to remind these kids "how it's done!" Thank you for supporting your students in their musical endeavors!

Not only was it a great night of music-making for the Trojan Pep Band, but we were excited to help the Varsity Girls Team celebrate a big win over Proviso West on their Senior night! Congratulations Trojans!

Congratulations to the many students who were able to achieve "Perfect Attendance" this season! You will be recognized and awarded with a "Perfect Attendance Patch" at our annual Band Awards Night in the spring.

All the students with their families who came to support us on Parent Night!

The whole Ham Family made it to this year's Parent Night, including proud 2022 band Alum, Penny!

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, 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 DGS Jazz programs for their outstanding performances tonight at South High School. It was a pleasure and honor for our students to open for the great Northern Illinois University Jazz Orchestra!

DGN Band Students Perform at ILMEA All-State 2023!

We're very proud of the six students from DGN who, through competitive audition, earned a spot in the Illinois Music Education Association All-State ensembles! These students have worked very hard for this prestigious opportunity, and performed beautifully on Saturday, in Peoria, Illinois, where the ILMEA All-State concert is held each year. We're grateful to travel with and experience this opportunity with our choir and orchestra friends from DGN and from DGS! 

Students had the opportunity to meet and play with other talented young musicians from all over the state of Illinois, and work with some of the best conductors and music educators in the country. 

Congratulations! 

Cameron Hejny, Clarinet, Honors Band

Tabitha Irvin, Bass Clarinet, Honors Band

Hannah Janka, Horn, Honors Band

Ethan Martin, Tuba, Honors Band

Aarush Palli, Piccolo,  All-State Band

Ethan Weingust, Bassoon, Honors Band

DGN Jazz Musicians Return to Purdue

Congratulations to the student musicians of the North High School Jazz Program for their inspired and energetic performances at the 2023 Purdue Jazz Festival. The DGN Jazz Ensemble and DGN Jazz Lab Band performed alongside more than 100 high school ensembles from five states across the Midwest. This was the 33rd Annual Purdue Jazz Festival, and DGN's first trip back to the event post COVID-19.

In addition to receiving scores from a panel of adjudicators, 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 Ensemble received a Division I rating from the panel of judges, the highest rating on the scoring rubric. Congratulations to Ian McDermott and Adam Pearson, who were tapped with Outstanding Solo award recognitions during DGN performances. 

Guest Clinician - Kevin Geraldi, University of Illinois - inspires DGN Band students

We were so excited to have the new Director of Bands at the University of Illinois on campus to work with the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble students. DGN has a long history of sending musicians and performers to U of I, either as music majors, members of the Marching Illini, or as students playing in their on-campus bands. 

Kevin Geraldi was just recently appointed as the new Director of Bands. You can read more about him HERE. 

The DGN Bands are always grateful to the guests that come and share their expertise, experience, and passion with our students. We look forward to having him back soon!