Ten Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS) students recently participated in the Illinois Grade School Music Association (IGSMA) competition with great success. All ten LFCDS students received first division rankings, an outstanding accomplishment! The competition took place at Attea Middle School in Glenview; students showcased their musical talents in front of a panel of professional musicians who acted as judges. All LFCDS students who participated in the competition took on this task as an extracurricular activity, deciding on the piece that they would play and whether or not to perform solo or in an ensemble. Band Instructor Jennifer Lydigsen has been helping students prepare for the competition since early December. Fifth graders who have only been playing their instruments for a year stayed after school to work on their pieces. Ms. Lydigsen, who is new to the School this year, said that it is “a credit to LFCDS that students can get up in front of judges and play so well. They have been very well prepared to perform in public with all of the experience they receive from things like the annual Robbie Bermingham speech contest.” She continued by saying, “building confidence and being able to do things by yourself is important, and this contest fosters that ability.”

One of the participants, Grace Hale (Grade 6) said, “I really enjoy playing the trumpet and I just started last year. When I heard about the competition I really wanted to participate. I did a solo and my friend wanted to do a trumpet duet so I did that as well.” Grace also talked about the preparation it took outside of school, including practicing and taking lessons with a professional. In regard to how she felt about the competition, she said, “I really enjoyed practicing and I will compete again in the future. It is good to know that I can accomplish something like this.” Fifth grader Timmy Sperling seconds Grace’s sentiments by saying that “it was the first year fifth graders were allowed to participate in the competition so it was a big honor.” He also said “although I was nervous, my favorite part was getting to perform.”

The judges took many different factors into account, including how many years the student had been playing the instrument. While the students performed, they were accompanied by a piano, and the judges then gave a score based on the various factors. All of the students that participated received a medal and feedback from the judges, which is valuable to them as young musicians.

Congratulations to the following students who participated and received the first division rating at the IGSMA competition: Timmy Sperling (Grade 5) with a clarinet solo, Isabelle Tynes (Grade 5) with a trumpet solo, Duncan Treretola (Grade 5) with a clarinet solo, Jack Gilcrest (Grade 5) with a trumpet solo, Aleeya Sawyer (Grade 5) with a clarinet solo, Maddie Stephenson (Grade 5) with a flute solo, Grace Hale (Grade 6) with a trumpet solo and duet with Lucas Sacherer (Grade 6) on the trumpet, Kelly Bowler (Grade 7) on percussion in a trio with Deanna Stephenson (Grade 7) on the flute, and Jasmine Sawyer (Grade 7) on the clarinet.