Welcome to the Memorial Jr. High School Music Department web site.

        The community of Lansing, Illinois, a 29,000-citizen suburb to the south of Chicago on the Indiana border, is extremely proud of our Memorial Junior High music department. The 150+ students in the music program sport three levels of bands (Beginning, Cadet and Concert) a jazz band, a concert choir and a marching band. The Concert Choir and the Concert Band make up the marching band, as the Concert Choir students compose the color guard of this marching unit.

             The Concert Band has won the coveted title of "SUPERSTATE CHAMPIONS'' three times in state-wide competition held at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.  The Concert Band won “Grand Champion” of the Junior High Class in the Mid-West Music Festival, each of the five times they competed, held in Lemont, Illinois. The Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois held a Junior High Band Contest with our Concert Band winning “Best Band” in class 3A two times and overall Grand Champions of the festival.   

            Additionally, the music department garnered top honors at the prestigious “Festivals of Music” competition held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, topping the categories of concert band, concert choir, jazz band, as well as marching band for the Junior High level. They accomplished this same task in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in Chicago, Illinois, three times, at the "World of Music Festival."  In Gatlinburg, Tennessee at the “Smoky Mountain Music Festival” they again topped all categories and by doing so were named the "Outstanding Music Program" in all of these festivals. Our music program won top honors at the Festival In The Parks music competition held in Gurnee, Illinois. The Concert Band won "best concert band of the day" award. The total music department including Concert Choir, Concert Band, Jazz Band and Marching Band earned the "Esprit De Corps" trophy in 2008 and in 2010 for demonstrating great attitudes, teamwork, cooperation, hard work and courtesy to others.

            Over the last three decades, the music department has traveled extensively across the country, including concert tours to Springfield, IL.; St. Louis, MO.; Nashville, TN.; Washington, D.C. twice; Virginia Beach, VA.;  Toronto, Canada twice; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Gatlinburg, Tennessee;  Branson, Missouri; Williamsburg, Virginia and Orlando, Florida three times.  We want to congratulate the entire student musicians, chaperones and their directors for a "job well done" as they performed brilliantly in presenting our Lansing pride.

             Each year the bands and choir compete at the district and state level competitions and for the last forty-seven years the Memorial music program has garnered first place scores.  Mr. Allie  is enjoying his thirty third year as band director.  Mrs. Carol Schaap is in her fifth year as the Choir Director.   We are sure you will agree that these students, among Illinois’ best, represent some of the finest young musicians in America today.