During this past fall, 23,000 students from elementary, junior high and high schools around Illinois participated in a virtual audition process and of those auditions, more than 7,000 students were selected to participate in district festivals celebrating student musicians in bands, orchestras, choruses and jazz ensembles.
Students in grades 7-12 who participated in the ILMEA District Festivals are also eligible to be selected into ILMEA’s Junior and Senior All-State Student Programs. This year, 2000 students were selected to participate in the Illinois Music Education Association’s 2026 All-State Student Programs in Peoria, Illinois from January 28 to January 31, 2026.
We would like to congratulate 7th grader, Ava Myers for being one of the students selected to be a part of the inaugural junior high honor band!
Students in the performing ensembles represent the best student musicians in Illinois and came together to present a series of All-State Concerts. On Friday, January 30, the Junior High All-State Concert will take place at 6:00pm in the Carver Arena at the Peoria Civic Center and the 2026 Jazz Night Concert will feature a night of music performed by the student vocal and instrumental jazz ensembles in the Civic Center Theater. The All-State Elementary Chorus, Senior All-State Concert and the Senior Honors Concerts will be presented on Saturday, January 31, 2026. Each of these ensembles will be led by distinguished conductors and educators from across the country.
