Band receives division one ranking

By Hannah Stroh

Editorial assistant

Crete-Monee High School's music program has achieved a remarkable milestone: It earned Division I ratings in Jazz Band and Symphonic Band at the 2025 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Organizational State Contest. The band's success is a testament to the hard work and passion that define the Crete-Monee High School music program.

Band Director Mr. Grib led the band to a Division One rating. Photo by Nicole Lomax.

"Our preparation involved developing a step-by-step syllabus where students were responsible for completing each section of the music daily, ensuring thorough understanding and practice," band director Mr. Grib said. 

Due to the fast-paced music, not only are rehearsals important, but so is the band members' commitment to working on the pieces outside of school so that they can master the music. 

"The part of the performance I'm most proud of is probably the last song because that song is the hardest song, and for us to come out on top after playing that song feels pretty good," senior Nicholas Hoover said. 

It is unanimous that earning Division One is a proud moment for the band members since their hard work was recognized at a state level, establishing them as an elite program in Illinois. 

"I feel like it's shaped me into a well-rounded person. I feel like I've been more involved as I've been a part of the band since freshman year," senior Alexis Wieczork said.

Being part of a band has reinforced band members' becoming well-rounded people. It has fostered their becoming leaders and role models for the freshmen class. 

"We chose to perform a march, which was a required part of the competition, and included student input in our decision to ensure everyone was invested and motivated to push our musical abilities further," Grib said.

Band members showed their motivation and willingness to challenge themselves by performing a college-level piece of music, which ultimately set their pieces apart from the other competitors. 

"I believe music education is important in schools so people can be able to express themselves in different ways. You don't just have to learn a language; you could learn music that you can express using an instrument," Wieczorek said. 

Music education in schools is essential because it shows how music is composed and how people interpret it. 

"The skills I focused on were probably always having a routine to practice so I could get my part right because if I didn't practice, we probably wouldn't do as well as we did; it's the same for everyone else. Everyone else practiced so we could get our part right. If you stick with a routine, you can achieve anything," Hoover said.