News and Events Archive - 2012


 
Dec
2012


City of Joliet banner recognizing
the 1924-1925-1926 band.

City of champions: Joliet band has a legacy of winners 

JOLIET – The band played "Black Horse Troop," a march with percussion resembling the steps of steeds.

A horse is built for the ground and for the wind. So the musicians continued with a flourish of woodwinds – clarinets, saxophones and bassoons. They played the prelude from "L'Arlesienne Suite" by Bizet and the overture for "Phedre" by Massenet.

The band excelled with this balance of power and grace, like a horse galloping in the wind.

The Joliet Township High School Band won the contest – its first national championship...

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Nov
2012


A cornet used as a symbol for
the late A.R. McAllister, longtime
director of the JTHS Band.

McAllister band era at Joliet Township High School 

JOLIET – The Minute Men marched down Jefferson Street to the train station, ready on short notice to play for troops headed off to World War I.

The war lasted from July 1914 to November 1918, and in the final 18 months, millions of Americans served and 118,000 lost their lives.

The Joliet Township High School Band greeted troops – at any time, day or night – as the troops passed through the Joliet station on their way to the battlefields.

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Nov
2012


Archie Raymond McAllister

Band directors define eras at JTHS

JOLIET – Within the century of musical excellence at Joliet Township High School, there are distinct eras of history.

Each era is identified by a person's name – the band director who made it unforgettable in the minds of students.

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Nov
2012

'The best band in the land': A look at
100
years of high school band excellence

JOLIET – "The best high school band in the land."

America always has been a place of civic boosterism. Every town has eager folks filling the newspapers with hyperbole. This quote could have come from a person who was hopelessly biased for the home team.

Except it didn't.

This quote – declaring that Joliet Township High School has the best band in the land – was spoken by John Philip Sousa.

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Oct
2012


Joliet Area Historical Museum

Prof to discuss JTHS band's early years

JOLIET – As the Joliet Township High School band celebrates its centennial, an educator will speak this weekend about the band's early years.

The free event will be at 2 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 13, 2012) at the Joliet Area Historical Museum, 204 N. Ottawa St. The public is encouraged to attend, as the museum is hosting a free-admission Founders' Day.

Phillip M. Hash, associate professor of music education at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., will examine the history of the band. Hash will discuss the band's origin in 1912 and the tenure of the first long-term director, A.R. McAllister.

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Sep
2012

Order On-Line Today!
The 2-CD audio recording of our alumni band "Centennial Concert" is available directly from Mark Custom Recording website ... click here, select "Album Title" search and type "Joliet"

Prefer to order by mail?
Click here for the double CD set order form

**Now Available on iTunes**
Click here to preview, purchase, and download the
entire CD or your favorite individual tracks today!

     
Aug
2012

Our Alumni Band Concert of July 29th, 2012 is now a part of our rich history.  Click here to view the Centennial Concert index page or use the History menu on our home page and then select "Alumni Band Concerts"

     
Aug
2012


Cynthia Stacy

Joliet Grads Win JTHS Band Alumni Scholarships

To celebrate 100 years of music at Joliet Township High School District, the band alumni association has awarded two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors.

Joliet Central graduate Cynthia Stacy and Joliet West graduate Michael Holwey received the JTHS Band Alumni Centennial Scholarship Award.

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Michael Holwey

     
Jul
2012


Richard Wagner

Musical Send-off Touches Soldier's Heart

Richard Wagner, 65, of Chicago, is returning back to his alma mater Sunday to hear a song he played numerous times when the Joliet Township High School Band gave a musical send-off to draftees and enlistees, leaving for Vietnam War.

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Jun
2012


Strike up the Band

Joliet High School Band Celebrating Centennial this Year

JOLIET – The Joliet Township High School band thundered to national championships again and again in the 20th century, and its song resounds in many memories, echoing between the limestone walls of its home city.

Now, the Joliet Area Historical Museum is seeking the public's help in creating its exhibit on 100 years of band history.

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May
2012

May 2012 Letter to all JT Band Alumni

Dear Concert Paricipant & Band Alumni:

In just under three months history will be made. We are excited to announce that an unprecedented 155 (and growing) alumni will take the stage. This means that we are going to have difficulty fitting everyone on the stage, both for rehearsal and at the concert. To that end, we are asking for your patience in handling the complexities that this event brings. On that note, it has been determined that there are going to have to be two ensembles. We'll be working on the division in the next couple of weeks with the directors and will inform you as soon as possible

Read the letter

     
Apr
2012


JTHS Alumni Band

JTHS Seeks Band Alumni Stories and Memories

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Mar
2012


Bruce H. Houseknecht

JTHS Band: 1949 and 1950

CHICAGO – The highlight of the 1949-1950 school year was the appearance of the band in Chicago at the Hotel Morrison, on December 12, before 2,000 band directors from forty-eight states. The band was acclaimed "greatest in the land" by such guest conductors as Dr. Frank Simon, formerly soloist for John Philip Sousa, Glenn Bainum, director of Northwestern University Bands, and Paul Yoder and Dave Bennett, famous composers and arrangers.

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Feb
2012


Joliet Area Historical Museum

Historical museum to honor century-old JTHS band at gala

JOLIET – The band program in the Joliet Township High School District is receiving another honor this year, after a century of victories.

The program, now celebrating its centennial, has been named the DreamMaker to be featured at the annual gala for the Joliet Area Historical Museum.

The Oct. 6 gala – the DreamMakers Ball…

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Feb
2012


A. R. McAllister
and
John Philip Sousa

JTHS: 100 Years to
Beat the Band

JOLIET – The storied band program in the Joliet Township High School District is observing its centennial this year, and the district is proud to be celebrating.

The community can get involved in a number of ways…

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Feb
2012


Charles S. Belsterling
and
A. R. McAllister
discuss the score

Vice-president of U.S. Steel Corp. - Writes a Band March

The School Musician (April, 1937) – The hobby of a Philadelphia high school student of years ago furnished the feature number of the 24th annual concert of the JTHS band on March 19… His composition, "The March of the Steel Men", was given its world premier…

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Jan
2012

January 2012 Letter to all JT Band Alumni

Well, folks… it's January 2012, and the Centennial Concert is just around the corner.  The next 6 months will fly by much quicker than any of us expect. July 29 will be here soon!

On that note, there are a number of different house keeping things that need to be communicated to everyone…

Read the letter

     
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