Band

Upcoming Events

Middle School Fine Arts Festival (7th/8th Grade Band)

Wednesday, November 20th - 9:00 AM-1:30 PM

On Wednesday, November 20th, the 7th/8th Grade Band will be traveling to West Chicago High School to rehearse with the high school band students and students from other area middle schools.  They will also watch a performance by the high school band and learn what the band experience is like in high school.

Students will need to wear their band t-shirt, and they will need to bring their instrument and band binder to school that day.  We will be provided with pizza for lunch at West Chicago High School.

Holiday Bazaar (Jazz Band)

Saturday, December 9th - 10:00-10:30 AM - Evergreen Elementary School

The jazz band will be participating in our first performance of the school year at Evergreen's Holiday Bazaar with the choir on Saturday, December 7th.  You will be able to enter through door 17, and we will meet in the large gym.  Students will need to arrive at Evergreen by 10:00 AM to set up.  We will begin playing around 10:15, and we expect the performance to end no later than 10:30.


Students will need to bring their jazz instrument(s), binder, and a folding music stand to this performance.  Instruments and sound equipment will be provided as applicable for the students in the rhythm section (percussion, piano, guitar, and bass guitar), but percussionists are responsible for bringing whatever sticks/mallets they need, and guitarists are responsible for bringing a pick if they choose to use one.  The dress for this event will be our band t-shirt, jeans or khakis (no sweatpants, basketball shorts, etc.), an optional holiday accessory (scarf, hat, headband, etc.), and gym shoes.  If your child is also singing with the choir, they may choose whether they want to wear their band shirt or their choir shirt.

Band Calendar 24-25

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Band Handbook

About the Band Program

The Benjamin bands are open to all students at Benjamin Middle School.  Band is an activity that meets throughout the school year. Our band program includes Beginning Band, 6th Grade Band, 7th/8th Grade Band, and Jazz Band.  Each band rehearses once or twice per week as a full group, and students in the Benjamin bands have a weekly individual or small-group lesson with students in the same band who play the same instrument. Students are pulled from class during the school day for their individual or small group lesson on a rotating basis to avoid continually missing any one class.  It is the student's responsibility to complete any work they miss as a result of band in a timely manner. Students are expected to attend all band lessons, rehearsals, and performances for the group(s) they are in.

Each band performs in two concerts per year: one in December and one in May.  Additional performance opportunities vary by ensemble, including Bengals Night, the Evergreen Holiday Bazaar, WEGO Marching Band Night and WEGO Middle School Band Festival at WCCHS, and the Solo & Ensemble Festival.

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About the Director

Morgan Martin began her band directing career at Benjamin Middle School during the 2020-21 school year. Ms. Martin attended Elmhurst University and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2020 with bachelor's degrees in Music Education and Percussion Performance. She is currently working towards a masters in Music Education from the American Band College at Central Washington University. Ms. Martin is also the Percussion Director of the Oswego East High School Marching Wolves and conducted the Oswego East High School Percussion Ensemble at the 2024 Music for All National Festival.

Ms. Martin is an active performer who has played with ensembles throughout the Chicagoland area including the Naperville Winds (principal percussion), Chicago Brass Band, Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and the Midwest Philharmonic Orchestra. She will perform with the Naperville Winds at Carnegie Hall in June 2025. During her undergraduate studies, she was a two-time recipient of the Elmhurst University Honors Recital Award.

Ms. Martin is a member of the Illinois Music Education Association and serves as District IX Percussion Representative.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact

Ms. Morgan Martin
mmartin@benjamin25.org
(630) 876-7820 ext. 2154

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