Concert Program

Kayla Bivin grew up in Cary, IL, where she began her musical journey taking piano lessons from the Cary-Grove Performing Arts Center and playing clarinet in band. She received her Bachelor of Music from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in 2023 with an emphasis in Music Composition. Her music draws inspiration from a diverse web of sources, such as classical music, pop and indie, and film scores, along with a strong influence and love for video game soundtracks. She is constantly exploring ways to engage listeners by drawing together reality, fantasy, and emotion.

Journey is both a programmatic and representational piece. The shifting moods are analogous to the stages of a student’s journey through school, starting at first with uncertainty, facing challenges, and eventually triumphing. The student experiences a variety of emotions depicted by the music, and finds themselves transformed, yet familiar to themselves by the end of the piece.

Listen for echoes of Cary-Grove life, from the misty fields in the morning, to the crowds in the halls during passing period, to the sounds of graduation.

The composer would like to extend her greatest thanks to the students of the Cary-Grove Wind Symphony and their director Mr. Patrick Whalen for commissioning this piece and working so hard to bring it to life.

Hi! I'm Jace and I plan on attending Iowa State University and majoring in Animal Ecology. I also plan to continue my interest in percussion by auditioning for the Cyclone Marching Band this fall! I'm super excited and I'd like to thank drumline and Mr.Whalen for supporting me through my Junior and Senior years. It was a blast playing with you guys!

My favorite part of being in band is all the friends I made and how fun playing drumset and all of the other instruments in jazz and concert band. I also loved being in drumline and playing all of the great cadences. I also want to thank Mr. Whalen for being a great band teacher for the past two years!

Hey there, I'm Nathan, and I've been drumming up a storm since my freshman year. Despite doing it for four long years, I’ve had nothing but a blast with percussion throughout high school. Through everything from marching band parades to concert hall performances, I've had the privilege of sharing my love for music and helping others, big and small, along the way. I'm filled with gratitude for the memories, friendships, and experiences I've gained through music; I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend these four years. My favorite memory is definitely staying after every marching band practice for Wednesday night Popsicles, shout-out to Mrs. Weber for funding those boxes. But going down to cheer on the football team as they win two state championships is a close second. For the next 4 years, I plan to study nursing at Case Western Reserve University. It's been an incredible ride, and I can't wait to make some noise with you all.

This experience has resulted in me tapping rhythms on every object around me and it annoys plenty of people. I don’t super care tho cause my sextuplets are clean.

Hi, my name is Asher and after high school I will be attending Temple University and studying Environmental Science. Even though I was only in the CG band for 2 years I made some of my favorite high school memories there. My favorite memory was the Marching Band showcase at Crystal Lake Central.

I've been playing the Trombone since fourth grade, but I haven't had a better time with it than I had here at Cary-Grove. The time I have spent in Concert Band and Wind Symphony, Marching and Pep Bands, Jazz Band, and the Fall Follies Pit Band has been wonderful. I intend on working on music composition and finding a place in a jazz band and an orchestra after I graduate, but I will always have fond memories of when I performed under the shining lights of the Cary-Grove auditorium.

I'd like to take this time to thank the other saxophone players for playing the parts of the songs that I sound absolutely atrocious during significantly louder than me. I'd also like to thank my parents for telling me that I sound good when I play the saxophone even when I don't and for giving me free stuff. Thanks to CG and the, for the most part,  wonderful community of people here. I'll be off to UIUC next year where I will toil in the name of a vaguely defined career path.

After high school I am going to attend MCC and then transfer.  I still don't know what I want to major in but I do know that I still want to be involved in band if they have one.  I'm glad I decided to do band again after quitting at my old school because I have made a lot of friends and fun memories.

I've loved growing as a musician and a person. Thank you for everything Mr. Whalen!

Band was always a safe and fun space. It allowed me to meet new people and make so many new friends. It was an escape from reality and an enjoyable way to hang out with people. I will forever be grateful for the time and the memories I was able to have as well as Mr. Whalen for being such a caring teacher. My post high school plans are to study to become a hair dresser. As someone who has struggled with confidence a lot throughout my life I want to spend my life helping people. I want to be the reason that someone is able to gain some confidence in their life. Sometimes a hair cut or a new hair color can be so beneficial to someone's confidence and I want to help those people. I am also an artist and spend most of my free time doing artistic activities. So I'm looking forward to going into a career that's driven by art and creation!

Cary-Grove's music department has offered some of my favorite moments in high school, such as going with the marching band to not one, but two state football games, spending hours under the stage in the pit during the musical seasons and Fall Follies with amazing musicians, and experiencing Fox Valley Jazz festivals. I want to thank every adult and student who has contributed to this environment and made my memories possible, It has been a wonderful 4 years being with all of you.

My all time favorite thing I loved most about high school band was marching band! Being a section leader my senior year was a wonderful experience and I thank all of my trumpets for a good time. I plan to go off to MCC for a year and then I'll be heading off to (most likely) William Woods Uni in southern Missouri to study Law and join a professional riding team!

One of my favorite band memories from this school year would have to be the marching band school competition. Seeing the different bands perform and show off their music was very informative and enjoyable. It would not have been possible to attend such an event had I not been in marching band or a part of a quality group this year. Thanks Band!

Hi! My name is Taylor Nygren, and I plan to go to Elmhurst University to study music education. I want to thank my friends and family for supporting me through my musical journey and for making it more fun than I could ever imagine. Mary, Quinn, Alexa, Illyana, and so many other people (hi guys) have made band my favorite class of the day! It is something I can always look forward to. I want to thank my parents, Meghan and Jeffery Nygren (hi again!!), for pushing me to do my best and supporting my passion through these eight years. Lastly, thank you to Mr. Whalen and Mr. Polyack for teaching me things I never thought I would know how to play. You have both been so kind, helpful, and patient with me while I have learned these new skills, and everything you both have taught me will be invaluable in my life as a musician.

Plans: University of Illinois in Chicago studying Political Science with a possible double minor in Business Analytics and Music. I want to thank my parents and Mr. Whalen for supporting my ambitions and for all the opportunities they have given me.

This is my 9th year playing the Alto Saxophone. I have been a member of the Wind Symphony for 3 years, Jazz Band for 3 years, and Pep Band for 2 years. I would like to thank my parents, family, and friends for their support as well as my band directors past and present, including Ms. Rome, Mr. Marcotte, Mr. Eeg, Maestro Magnini, and of course, Mr. Whalen. I plan on continuing to play the Alto Saxophone in college and hopefully joining the Marching Irish and/or Concert Ensemble at Notre Dame.

Please make sure Zach doesn't break any more mallets while I'm gone :)

I am so grateful I have been part of the band program all 4 years of my high school career. I have met some of my best friends, and made some of my favorite memories through band classes and after school marching band. One of my favorite band memories was the Stomp field trip this year. It was amazing to get to see a group of people make music with the random objects they had around them! Moving onto the next chapter of my life, I am planning to attend Oberlin College, Fall of 2024 where I shall be majoring in Psychology and hopefully Neuroscience. 

Marching band in the fall, going to state twice for the football team, having fun with friends the whole time, are memories that I hope to never forget are all a part of what made band as amazing as it was. It has been something my whole family is proud of—parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles—who always show up to my concerts. This spring concert will be the grand finale for all my 4 years of hard work in high school band and 7 years in the band program. I have gotten so much out of band during high school, whether it be clarinet skills, friends, or memories. I have Mr. Whalen to thank for all he has done for me and the band program.

During my years of band, I would have to say my favorite memory is meeting some of the sweetest people and being their friend. I'm glad I met them. I would like to thank my friends for being there for me and Mr. Whalen for being a great teacher. After high school I'm planning on studying photography.

First I want to thank my friends and family for always being there for me and supporting me in everything I have done. I want to thank Mr. Whalen for making my four years of band as stress free as possible and as fun as possible. And lastly I want to talk about how fun and memorable these last 4 years were. I had the opportunity to be in regular band, wind symphony, jazz band, and marching band. During all of those activities I always had a fun and memorable time which I am thankful for!