On Monday afternoon, just three days after Carl Sandburg Middle School’s 8th Grade Symphonic Band performed at the University of Illinois SuperState Concert Band Festival, Band Director Moulee Gupta called the students out of their classes. She said she wanted to get a group photo.
When they gathered, she announced the news no one had expected: Their band had been named 2025 Honor Band at SuperState in Champaign, putting them at the top of the best middle school bands in the State of Illinois.
“They were screaming, crying, they couldn’t believe it. They knew all their hard work had paid off. It was pure joy,” Gupta said.
Just a few days earlier, on May 9 the band was excited just to perform at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Illinois campus. They had never reached such an honor before, and they weren’t thinking of earning any further accolades.
The rigorous selection process makes selection to perform at Superstate a rare achievement. This year only seven middle school bands were selected from the entire state.
Back in the 1990s, this musical journey to Champaign was routine for Carl Sandburg. They qualified for SuperState each year from 1995 to 2000 and were named Honors Band in 1997. But 25 years had passed since the school was represented at the state level, so Gupta wasn’t even thinking about being named Honor Band. She just wanted students to enjoy the experience.
The day of the performance began with a bus ride at 4:30 a.m. After the long, sleepy ride, the band prepared to perform four songs in front of a large audience and four collegiate-level music adjudicators. Gupta told the group to simply play well and have fun. There was no pressure.
“I always tell them if they practice how they want to perform, they will perform how they practice,” she said.
They played exceptionally well. It was no surprise to Gupta.
She describes her eighth-grade band as a tight-knit set of friends who take their music seriously. It’s a special group who forged a bond in tough times a few years ago. These were kids who, due to COVID-19 restrictions, were forced to choose their first musical instruments in the school parking lot.
Music is an extension of their friendship, Gupta said. The band members care about each other, support each other and love being with each other.
“You can’t achieve greatness without support,” she said. “They’re always rallying for each other. They love what they do. They take pride in what they do. That’s uncommon for their age group and it makes this all the sweeter.”
The Mundelein High School Honors Wind Ensemble also qualified for SuperState and performed at the Krannert Center as well. Gupta said the success of the MHS music program makes it even more special for the eighth graders, knowing that they may have this opportunity again at the high school level.
Being named Honor Band at the state level is another feather in the cap for the Mundelein community. For the second year in a row, MHS received the “Best Communities for Music Education” award, given by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. It places the MHS music program among the best in the nation. These Carl Sandburg students will have a chance to build on that legacy at MHS next year.
The success of this group is also sure to have reverberations throughout School District 75. First, CSMS will get an automatic invitation to perform at next year’s SuperState Band Festival. The returning Carl Sandburg students will aspire for something they might not have considered in the past. It may even spark the dreams of students currently in elementary school, Gupta said.
“The entire D75 program can be re-energized with this kind of honor. When they see the success, kids want to be part of this,” she said.