If you are a job seeker, visit www.ilmea.org/jobs to see a variety of positions available around the state! The job hunt is simultaneously the most exciting and scariest part of being a brand-new teacher. There is so much to consider when looking at potential jobs. I attended Benedictine University, a small liberal arts college in the heart of the Chicago suburbs. Throughout college, I identified as an instrumentalist, specializing in clarinet. I student-taught in excellent middle and high school band programs, and I knew that middle school band was my calling. As I began applying for jobs, I ..read more

LAUREN ROMERO - McLean County UNIT 5 SCHOOLS “Every child is capable of making music! It is my goal that the students will leave my music class with a life-long appreciation for music.” What prompted you to pursue a career in music education? I always wanted to be a teacher. My mom was an elementary teacher, and she made learning exciting every day in her classroom. I started piano lessons when I was 5 years old, and I was involved in choir, musicals and band throughout my public school education. Music is why I succeeded in school. It gave me a creative outlet, helped build my self-confidenc ..read more

ILMEA’s commitment to equity and accessibility remains strong as we continue to refine our practices and procedures. Thank you to each of you that provided critical feedback on our post-IMEC feedback surveys supporting our work on these fronts - we value your input and feedback as we look at programs for the 2022-2023 school year and beyond! One particular area that we have been working to refine is the Jazz Auditions process. Based on the results provided by the feedback surveys, it has been made very clear that educators around the state prioritize transparency and clarity as they relate to ..read more

Moving from undergraduate to student teacher, or from student teacher to in-service educator is exciting and exhilarating, and also overwhelming and (if we’re being honest) slightly terrifying! But since so many have gone through these transitions before you, there is no reason to make a go of it on your own - you can and should draw on the wisdom and experiences of your colleagues! Mentoring relationships between experienced educators and their early-service colleagues can make a hugely positive difference for all involved. How can we all provide better, stronger support for our colleagues in ..read more

Hello, friends and colleagues, Writing about controversial topics or new directions can be difficult, so I appreciate you coming along for the ride on this blog post! I wanted to jump in and speak to you all about the ILMEA Board’s decision to continue with virtual auditions, even as we welcome back other in-person events. I’m looking to help everyone better understand the process behind the decision and to answer some questions that you might have.  The past two years have seen virtual auditions be borne out of necessity, not only for ILMEA but for other performing arts organizations, co ..read more

One of the strongest aspects of being part of a professional association is learning from your colleagues in the field. In this blog post, we crowd-sourced advice that music educators have for first-year teachers and student teachers. Read on to see what encouragement and advice your music education colleagues have to share! Learning & Growing Allow yourself to be honest with who you are and what you bring to the table (both strengths and weaknesses). Soak in all you can. Write copious notes and ask for feedback from your cooperating teacher and your university supervisor. Feedback can st ..read more

By Brian Biederman, ILMEA Student Programs Manager “I loved enjoying all the music. The Jazz and Student Composition Concerts were incredible. It was so fun to watch people just as passionate for music as I am.” I was so thrilled to read this quote from one of our participating All State Students, upon reviewing our 2022 Student Surveys. It evokes exactly the type of experience we are intending to bring to all our state’s most dedicated music students: collaboration, community and a shared love for music performance. Our 2022 program featured more than 1,600 students from 76 counties acros ..read more

Mark your calendars - March 14-18 is the 2022 Illinois Arts in Education Week! Looking for easy-to-implement and low-cost ways to celebrate music education in Illinois schools next week? Check out these ideas and be sure to follow ILMEA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in the run-up and during this week-long celebration! ActivitiesAsk each student in class (and the teacher too!) to contribute songs to a class playlist that you can share out and also play in the background during independent work. Poll the teachers in your school to find out who participated in school music when they were stu ..read more

Discussing women's contributions to music isn't limited to #WomensHistoryMonth but March is the perfect time to shine a spotlight on this work and these influential musicians. WOMEN'S HISTORY DIGITAL CLASSROOM RESOURCES Explore all of the resources the National Women's History Museum has created - lesson plans, biographies, posters, primary sources, and more. You can search by topic, theme, grade level or resource type! CLASSICS FOR KIDS CELEBRATES WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH Here are five Classics for Kids programs (from 90.9 WGUC ) celebrating the role of women in classical music - composers, con ..read more

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. This is a great time for you to recognize, honor, and celebrate the many contributions and positive influences from Hispanic and Latinx communities in your music classroom. CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH Though many of these ideas are geared toward a general education classroom, they can be very easily and quickly adapted to a music classroom to celebrate Latin American History Month in music class! HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH - LATIN MUSIC USA Learn more about the diverse cultures and experiences of Hispanic an ..read more