Challand Middle School’s music program keeps Sterling’s kids coming back to the beat

STERLING – Teachers at Sterling’s Challand Middle School are trying to keep students involved with music for the long haul.

The school’s music program includes the CMS Orchestra, Band and Choir. Band instructor Kevin O’Keefe said students are introduced to string and band instruments in fifth grade. The teachers then assess each student’s preferences and natural abilities to match them with the instrument that will offer the greatest potential for success and enjoyment.

CMS has separate bands for each grade level, and the school has two orchestras, one for sixth grade and one for seventh and eighth grade. Orchestra teacher Haley Ellis said students can begin orchestra and band lessons as early as fifth grade. By sixth grade, they transition into daily full-length class rehearsals to refine their skills alongside their peers, they also can join the school choir.

While some schools struggle to get students involved in music, band teacher Nicole Oberg said that is not the case for CMS.

“Over 60% of sixth, seventh and eighth graders are involved in the music department here,” Oberg said. “This year, Haley and I also have 60% of the fifth-grade class from Washington and Lincoln schools involved in instrumental music.”

Oberg said they try to make it easy for any student, regardless of musical experience, to jump in and begin learning at their level. Experienced members can challenge themselves by learning and experimenting with new and dynamic techniques, while novice musicians can focus on mastering individual notes and the basics.

“We try to give them some jump-start lessons during advisory or lunch to get them a little more comfortable,” Oberg said. “After that, they kind of jump in. We always tell them, ‘You’re going to feel a little lost, and that’s OK, but you’ll catch up and we’ll work through it.' The great thing about music is we can all play the same music, and each person can tailor that to their level.”

Oberg said these programs have been around since the 1800s, with the orchestra being the oldest of the three. Since then, the music program has expanded its offerings to include the CMS Pep Band, Golden Fiddles, the Challand Madrigals vocal group and a percussion ensemble.

Oberg said CMS used to participate in more competitions but stopped after a failed referendum in 2003 forced staffing cuts.

“With the reduced staff and the higher numbers of students participating, we haven’t been entering into the competition stuff that’s available to us,” Oberg said. “We can’t get them prepared in a way that they’re going to be proud of what they’re doing and successful with those types of things. So, we try to keep what we’re doing more educational than competitive.”

CMS music students perform in several formal concerts and other events each year. They also can participate in district festivals, where they learn and collaborate with fellow student musicians.

“Our students also have the opportunity to do All-State, where the top kids in the district are selected to play at a festival with a bunch of kids from across the state,” Oberg said. “This year, we had the first All-State festival for choir, where we had two students from the middle school go to Peoria and participate. Next year we anticipate both band and orchestra being there as well.”

CMS also brings in high school directors and other specialists, called clinicians, to share their expertise and offer specialized instruction. These visitors help foster connections with students that their instructors hope will keep them involved in music going into high school and beyond.

“A lot of kids at the high school level play with the Sterling Municipal Band, and that’s awesome because they get to work with adults and other conductors to learn more advanced music,” O’Keefe said. “We’re focusing on lifelong learning here, and we want them to continue playing and learning past high school.”