Scott J. Casagrande

Scott J. Casagrande has been Director of Bands at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, IL since 1999. He was previously Director of Bands at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, IL and Stephen Decatur High School in Decatur, IL. A native of Fairfax County, VA, Mr. Casagrande received his B.S. and M.S. in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Ensembles under Mr. Casagrande’s direction have been selected to perform at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic (concert and jazz), 18 of the last 20 Illinois Superstate Concert Band Festivals (Honor Band twice), four National Concert Band Festivals and two Chamber Music National Festivals. His bands have been consistent winners in all marching and jazz contests including the Governor’s Cup and Field Show Champion at the University of Illinois Marching Festival (45+ bands), Grand Champion at Jazz in the Meadows (90+ bands) and Honor Band at the Purdue Jazz Festival (90+ bands). In 2007, the John Hersey band program was awarded the prestigious Sudler Flag of Honor from the John Philip Sousa Foundation. His ensembles have performed at the French Reeds Festival in the French Riviera, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Italy, Orchestra Hall in the Chicago Symphony Center (three times) and at Carnegie Hall in NYC (twice).

Mr. Casagrande has received 20 Citation of Excellence Awards from the National Band Association, and he has been recognized by President Obama, the US Senate, the US House of Representatives, the Illinois Senate, School District 214, Plainfield HS, Stephen Decatur HS, Quinlan and Fabish Music and Bob Rogers Travel. He currently serves the National Band Association as President and has served the NBA as a High School Representative (twice) and as a member of the Revelli Composition Contest Committee. In 2004, he was one of three conductors in the United States chosen to participate in the NBA International Conducting Symposium in Rome, Italy, conducting the Italian National Army Band. In addition, Mr. Casagrande serves Music for All/Bands of America as a Music Education Consultant responsible for the National Concert Band Festival and Regional Concert Band Festivals. He has served three terms as the Illinois Music Education Association District 7 Jazz Representative. Mr. Casagrande was inducted into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 2009. He has been published in The Instrumentalist and the National Band Association Journal.

Students in the John Hersey program are very active in IMEA All-District and All-State bands and most Hersey band graduates continue to perform in their college ensembles and beyond.