Julie Anne Syperek is a proud alumnus of The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she was a Chick Evans Scholar. Julie Anne graduated in 2003 with a Degree in Music Education and studied French Horn under Kaz Machala. She also has 42 hours of graduate work focusing on Psychology and School Counseling from Roosevelt University. 

Ms. Syperek is in her 19th year of teaching 4th grade Beginning Band, and 6th grade Jazz Band in Lombard School District 44.  She composes original works and arrangements for young musicians, and teaches French Horn at Glenbard East High School.  Julie Anne also enjoys mentoring future leaders across the community, and was a judge at the Miss Chicago Scholarship Pageant in January 2023. 

Ms. Syperek’s article, “Music Education + Special Education: Working Together to Achieve Better Outcomes,” was published in the Fall 2022 edition of the Illinois Music Educator Journal.  In March of 2023 Julie Anne was the guest conductor at the ILMEA EGM Festival at Eastern Illinois University.

In December of 2019, Ms. Syperek presented at The Midwest Clinic alongside her colleagues Ms. Shea-Michiels, School Psychologist,  and Mrs. Slansky, Speech and Language Pathologist, regarding the surprising and needed collaboration between Special Education and Instrumental Music.  In February of 2021, they also presented on the same topic at The Illinois Music Education Conference that was held virtually.

In 2019 Julie Anne was the recipient of an Award of Excellence in the Faculty/Certified Staff category as part of the 2019 Distinguished Service Awards Program sponsored by the Illinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association. In December 2021 Ms. Syperek was the recipient of the Scroll of Excellence sponsored by The Women’s Band Directors International. 

Julie Anne resides in Chicago where she enjoys traveling, photography, pilates, running, cooking, volunteering, and writing . She has also proudly completed 5 Chicago Marathons. 

Ms. Syperek writes: “I love teaching in my hometown and giving back to the Lombard community, and music program that gave me so much inspiration growing up. I enjoy collaborating with the teachers, therapists, and administrators across Lombard in order to meet all of my students where they are at.  I believe that we can learn so much from each other if we lead with empathy, put our egos aside, and start looking for the things that connect us, instead of what makes us different.”

Chris Prohaska earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Elmhurst College in 2011 and his Master of Music Education degree from Vandercook College of Music in 2015. He has been teaching instrumental music for the past 12 years. Throughout his career Chris has served as an adjudicator for solo/ensemble festivals and worked as a guest clinician in the Chicagoland area as well as for the Western Jamaica International Band Directors Association Festival held in Montego Bay, Jamaica. In addition to teaching, Chris maintains an active performance career playing clarinet, saxophone, and flute. He has performed most recently with The Naperville Winds, Wheaton Municipal Band, Chicago Clarinet Ensemble, Chicagoland Educators Orchestra, Chicagoland Pops Orchestra, West Suburban Symphony and various pit orchestras including Summer Place Theater and Natural Talent Productions.