Two Maine West Musicians Earn All-State Honors! #207Now #Excellence #musiceducation #IMEC2022 @ILMEA @mainewestchoir

We recently learned that two Maine West musicians, Dulf Vincent Genis and Ali Krieger, have earned All-State Honors. These two music students will be representing Maine West at the state-level event called the Illinois Music Education Conference, which will be held in the Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois January 26th-29th, 2022. 

Dulf will perform as a baritone singer with the All-State Honors Chorus, the highest level choral ensemble in the state of Illinois. Ali will be taking part in the Future Music Educators Seminar. 

Earning a placement in the IMEC All-State conference distinguishes these two students as two of the best music students in the state of Illinois, and is a testament to years of hard work and dedication as musicians. The entire Maine West community is incredibly proud of these two students!

Read the Daily Herald article about these students HERE.

Middle School Drama and Media Day Welcomes Future Warriors to Maine West! #207Now @mainewestdrama @wmth_mainewest @62schools @SciArtsAcademy

This morning, the Maine West Drama and TV, Radio + Film (Broadcasting) programs and teachers, Mr. Harmon and Ms. Orr, welcomed area Middle School students to Maine West to participate in workshops that gave them a little taste of what it is like to be involved in Drama and Broadcasting at Maine West! 

Approximately 25 students from Algonquin, Iroquois, Chippewa and the Science & Arts Academy attended the workshops. In the Drama workshop, these students learned some basic improvisation techniques, how to accept and build on each other's ideas, and how to build the confidence needed to take creative risks! In the TV, Radio + Film workshop, the students produced a live TV Show, rotating in the roles of director, anchor, camera operator, technical director and sound engineer. Maine West students helped to lead these students through the morning's activities, and were incredible leaders and mentors!

For more pictures from today's events, click HERE. 

Congratulations to the Student Artists & Musicians on a Fantastic Dimensions Concert and Art Exhibit! #207Now @mainewesthighschool @maine_west #creativityfuelsthefuture

 

Congratulations to the students and faculty involved in Dimensions: Premiere Concert and Art Exhibit! 

Many families and friends of student artists attended tonight's public reception to view the incredible student artwork on display in the LRC, and the Maine West Fine Arts Boosters treated all student artists with custom-designed art cookies!

For many of the music students, staff and their friends and family in the audience, tonight's concert was the first formal concert performed or attended in nearly two years...and the students did not disappoint! The band, choir and orchestra performed a diverse selection of repertoire beautifully. A highlight was the Percussion Techniques class performing Soup's On by Katrina Cavaliere, a piece performed using dining ware! The two compositions by Digital Audio + Music Production students Jose Martinez Vitela and Pavlina Panagiotidis were a special treat - to see and to hear! Thank you to the student musicians for sharing your music with us and enriching our hearts and souls!

Thank you to the students in the theatre tech crew for their work on the sound and light board! You really enhanced the sound and ambiance of tonight's show! 

Thank you also to the Broadcasting students for covering tonight's performance. The broadcast of tonight's 5:30 p.m. performance can be found HERE!

A HUGE THANK YOU to the Maine West Fine Arts Boosters for buying cookies and pizza for every student involved in tonight's events! Additionally, thank you to the mighty AND GROWING cadre of parent volunteers who worked with the FABulous Fine Arts Boosters to help make tonight's event happen by working the box office, assisting with the art exhibit, selling merchandise, and buying and serving pizza to 250 people! MW Fine Arts Booster Volunteers and Contributors - Your support of all of our Fine Arts students is appreciated beyond words!

More pictures from tonight's Dimensions: Premiere art exhibit and concert can be found HERE.

2021 7th & 8th Grade Art Workshops an Overwhelming Success! #207Now @mainewesthighschool @62schools @mainewestart #creativityfuelsthefuture

Maine West hosted nearly 200 District 62 7th and 8th graders over the course of four Middle School Art Workshops. District 62 students were invited to Maine West to work in a variety of artistic mediums: drawing, painting, ceramics, photo, digital art, and design. 

The artwork created by these future Warriors is truly remarkable! We are excited to welcome these talented young artists to Maine West!

THANK YOU to the Maine West Art Teachers: Richard Cammarata, Natalya Kljajic, Felicia Lahart, and Melissa Lloyd for the vision and organization that made this amazing learning opportunity and important connection happen for these young people!

More pictures from the Art Workshops can be found HERE. 

Join Us Tomorrow for DIMENSIONS: PREMIERE Concert & Art Exhibit #207Now #artsed #creativityfuelsthefuture

Tomorrow evening, November 18, 2021, the Fine Arts Department of Maine West High School invites you to attend two very special public events:

Dimensions Art Exhibit Reception from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the Learning Resource Center (Library)

This art exhibit features the work of 200 student artists from every art course offered at Maine West. Please join us for a public reception to celebrate the achievements of these talented artists!

Dimensions: Premiere Concert - Two Performances: 5:30 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. in the Auditorium

This concert will feature students in the Band, Choir, Orchestra and Digital Audio + Music Production courses. Many of these students are performing for a live audience for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us, and enjoy an evening of music that promises to enrich your soul! Tickets for the concert are general admission and $5. Tickets can be purchased online in advance on the Fine Arts Website, or by clicking the link below, and may also be purchased at the door (cash, check strongly preferred).

PURCHASE TICKETS FOR THE DIMENSIONS CONCERT HERE. 

Please note: the online box office closes two hours prior to each performance.

HERE is an album full of pictures from the Dimensions: Premiere Concert dress rehearsal.

Broadcasting Students Produce Video to Honor Veterans #207Now #veteransday #broadcasting #studentfilmmakers @wmth_mainewest

A giant THANK YOU and BRAVO to the Broadcasting students behind this year's Veteran's Day video! The video was played for all students during advisory in lieu of a traditional assembly. The editing was done by Christa Sullivan. Vocal talents were provided by Raphael Ronola, Sabrina Bukvarevic, Oscar Nevarez and Said Nonoal. Thank you to the students and to Ms. Orr for helping to honor Veterans this year!

The Maine West Band & Choir Honor Veterans in Morning Performance for School Community #207Now #Veteransday #musiced #artsed @mainewestband @mainewestchoir @mwactivities

 

The Maine West Band and Choir performed this morning in honor of Veterans' Day. A sizable audience of faculty, staff and students stood to listen. Several staff members who have served in a branch of the military stepped forward as the band played the Armed Forces Salute, paying tribute to their service. Listening to the sounds of these ensembles on this reverent occasion was a wonderful way to start the day!

An album of pictures from this morning's performance can be found HERE. 

BRAVO, WEST! West's Got Talent: A Spectacular Display of Student Talent! #207Now #West'sGotTalent #VShow #artsed #talent @mwactivities @mainewestdrama @mainewestchoir @mworchestras @mainewestband

Congratulations to the cast, crew and directors of West's Got Talent, the 2021 V-Show. Over 150 Maine West students shined on (and off) the stage, sharing their talents with the community and impressing us all!

Acts included Warrior Strings, Choraliers, West Side Dance Company, original compositions, covers of songs, solo and group dance numbers, stand-up comedy and a guitar solo that made you think Joe Satriani was on stage himself!

The pit orchestra sounded fabulous!

For those of you not able to make the live show, here is a video of the Thursday, November 4, 2021 performance:

Thomas Gawlinski performing Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani.

More pictures from the 2021 performance series of West's Got Talent can be found HERE. 

 

Thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers in the Maine West Fine Arts Boosters! It takes a village to have a thriving Fine Arts program...we are happy to have so many parents willing to step up and help! We can always use more, so if you are willing to help, please consider signing up to be a volunteer on the Maine West Fine Arts Booster's website!