ILMEA Districts/All State

The Illinois Music Education Association sponsors annual conferences and performances at the district and state level. Students audition to participate in the performance portion of the conferences. Mahomet-Seymour is in District 3.

Auditions

Students audition for "districts" the second Monday in October in Bloomington. Sophomores, juniors and seniors (and, beginning in 2023, freshmen) who audition and are among the highest for the district may be selected to attend the All State Conference and perform there.

Students ride a school bus to and from the district auditions, leaving early in the morning and returning midday.

District audition results are announced during the week following the auditions. Those selected to attend All State are notified a week or two after the district performances.

Band

Any student in high school band may audition for the district concert band and orchestra. Interested students should ask the directors for audition music and scale sheets in May. (Please note: this music is very challenging. With the busyness of the fall marching season, students are strongly encouraged to work on this music all summer.)

Choir

Any freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior may audition for the district choir. Interested students should ask the directors for audition music in May. Directors will hold weekly district practice sessions before school once school begins in the fall. Judges will ask singers to perform selections from the prepared music and sight sing.

Jazz Band

Any student in high school band may audition for the district concert band and orchestra. Interested students should ask the directors for audition music in May.

Auditioning for both Band and Choir

Students can audition for both band and choir, but they can only perform in one group. In case they audition successfully for both, they must make their preferences known before the audition.

Note: Jazz band concerts at the district level are held on a different date. If auditions are successful, a student may perform in both jazz band and choir or concert band at the district level.

Concerts

Jazz district concerts are held the first Saturday in November. In recent years, these concerts were at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais. Usually, students take school transportation to the site in the morning and rehearse most of the day before performing concerts in the afternoon and evening. Students must have family or friends provide transportation home after the concerts.

Choir and band concerts are held in November (in recent years the 2nd weekend of November) at Olivet Nazarene University. Students take school transportation to Bourbonnais in the morning and rehearse most of the day before performing concerts in the afternoon and evening. Students must have family or friends provide transportation home after the concerts.

All-State band and choral concerts are held in Peoria on a Saturday in January (usually the last Saturday). These concerts conclude a three-day conference. Students take school transportation to Peoria on Thursday morning, spend 2.5 days rehearsing (staying in a hotel), before performing conferences on Saturday afternoon. Students must have family or friends provide transportation home after the concerts.

All-State jazz concerts are held on the Friday evening of the All-State conference. Students invited to perform at All State in both jazz band and a choir or band must choose between the two.

Expenses

Students pay modest fees for music and to audition at Districts. If a student is not selected for a group, the district portion of the fee is returned. Students participating in district performances will need to take money to purchase lunch.

Participation in All-State is a great honor, much like advancing to the state level of competition in a sport. The fees and hotel costs of this event are covered by the school district's music budget. Music boosters provide each student with a stipend to help cover meals, but they should bring additional money, just in case.