Story By Donald Campbell
Two Collinsville High School seniors and Panther Pride band members recently traveled to Chicago to take part in a leadership event with other high school band members from across the country.
Yarisel Limon, who plays the alto saxophone, and tuba player Kylie Marcum were among the high schoolers from all over America who were able to attend the High School Leadership Institute at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago. According to Collinsville Band Director Vanessa Marcum, this is among the most prestigious music education conferences in the country, while the High School Leadership Institute gives those attending a chance to learn more about leadership, music, and good ways to learn how to work with students from other parts of America. Marcum said she believed that there were around 80 students accepted to be a part of the event, showing just how impressive it could be considered that two students from Collinsville were selected to be among those getting to experience all the institute had to offer.
“This is the first time for us having students take part,” Marcum said. “It’s a very exciting thing for our program.”
Much of the event was informational in nature, while there were also many hands-on aspects as well, Marcum explained. Both Limon and Kylie Marcum were able to take their mouthpieces with them and try out various instruments on display in the showroom section of the institute, among other things. There was the chance to meet with representatives from a multitude of colleges and universities, such as the University of Alabama,
the University of Miami, the Chicago College of Fine Arts, and Ithaca College in upstate New York, among others.
Vanessa Marcum described Limon and Kylie Marcum as being two highly dedicated students, putting copious amounts of time into the band program and helping teach some of the younger members. They also go out of their way to keep learning more to improve their own skills and talents, which will come in useful in the future, as Vanessa Marcum said both of them are looking at continuing to play and become music teachers or band directors themselves after they graduate college.
Both students had nothing but positive things to say about being a part of the event.
“For me, going to the High School Leadership Institute meant that I was good enough to go and bring back useful information that will help us grow, and not be afraid to make the first step,” Limon said.
Kylie Marcum added, “It meant a lot to me because I got to learn so many things that I wouldn’t normally get to learn at home, and it caught me how to help our program grow, not just be a leader for them, but be a leader for the people outside of the band as well. I feel like I get to bring back a new look on things, I feel like I get to bring back knowledge that I can leave with some of the younger kids so that when I’m gone, they can still help the program grow and just be good leaders in general.”
In the future, Vanessa Marcum said she would love to be able to take more of her band students to the event, but at the same time, wanted to be sure they were more mature, so would likely limit it to her seniors. Whether or not future students get selected to attend or not, she said there is a lot of excitement for the opportunity to be a part of the High School Leadership Institute building among those of the Panther Pride.
“I’ve already had one 9th grader tell me he can’t wait to be a senior in order to take part in this,” Marcum said.
At the same time, Marcum said this is a beneficial thing for her, especially as she helps lead the Panther Pride band in its latest rebuild with a multitude of younger members.
“To me, it’s putting a little more pride in me in being a band director here,” she said.
