More space will need to be found in the trophy case near the choir and band rooms at Geneseo High School. The music department recently captured state runner-up honors in the 2008-09 Class A IHSA music sweepstakes contest.
Geneseo has been runner-up in the state for the past three years, and has, in fact, only placed lower than third once in the past decade. The school has a total of six music state titles, most recently in 2005-06. Geneseo has captured the runner-up title eight times and has placed third six times.
“The second-place finish in the state competition once again reflects the hard work and dedication of our music staff, students, parents and boosters,” said school principal Mike Haugse.
“The GHS music department is a model of consistency and excellence. Finishing in the top two in the state for four consecutive years is an unbelievable accomplishment, and we are all very proud of the efforts of the music students and staff at GHS,” he said. “I hope that everyone has an appreciation for the amount of time put in by all the people associated with the music department and does not take for granted the consecutive top-of-the-state ratings year after year.”
In the Class A contest, Geneseo scored 882. State champion Vernon Hills High School scored 984 points.
“Vernon Hills is a Chicago-area school with an orchestra program, which gives them scoring opportunities that we don’t have,” explained music department chairman and band director Steve Scherer.
In the state’s sweepstakes-style competition, choral and band students accumulate points based on solo, ensemble and organization contest results.
“Schools are allowed a set number of IHSA sweepstakes entries in the solo and ensemble contest. Each Division I rating is worth a certain amount of points, and each Division II rating is worth half that many points. Division III ratings don’t earn any points,” Scherer explained.
“The entry numbers are limited by category, and that’s where we differ from Vernon Hills, since we have very few entries, if any, in the orchestra categories,” he said.
Schools also accumulate sweepstakes points in the IHSA large group contest. This year, Geneseo’s honors, concert and jazz bands as well as three choir ensembles participated in the large group contest. Geneseo earned the state maximum of 300 points in the large group category.
Scherer said consistency in curriculum and expectations plays a major part in Geneseo’s frequent appearances at the top of the state scoreboard.
“The students are challenged with a very high quality of music,” he said. “There’s a tradition of excellence.”
The announcement that they’d received the state-runner up trophy was made to students on May 12. “Finishing second in the state is such a great achievement, but when we told the students, there were some who expressed a bit of disappointment in not placing first,” said
Scherer. “However, that was a fleeting thought. The students will tell you their main motivation is continuing the standard of excellence.”
In addition to Scherer the Geneseo High School music faculty includes choral director Stephen LaCroix and band director Anthony Hernandez.
Approximately 250 students participate in the music program. “We have a quite high percentage of the student body involved in music,” said Scherer. “We’re fortunate in our district to have students who work very hard and an administration and school board that shows ongoing support to the fine arts.”
And, as for that overcrowded trophy case, Scherer said, “We’ll just have to move things around and prioritize.”
