Department Philosophy
The Metea Valley High School Fine Arts Department prepares its students to become lifelong patrons and practitioners of the arts by fostering creativity, promoting critical thinking, and increasing aesthetic awareness.
Collage Concert Finale
About MVMusic
Metea Valley High School, located in Aurora, Illinois, enrolls 3,000 students and offers a wide array of curricular and co-curricular musical experiences. Since the opening of the school in 2009, the music program has built a strong sense of tradition and musical excellence. The music department has been recognized as a GRAMMY Signature School Finalist every year since 2011 and acknowledged by the National Association of Music Merchants as one of the Best Communities for Music Education in America every year since 2012. Metea Valley High School was named a GRAMMY Signature Gold School in 2016, one of just three in the country to receive the honor.
Over 900 students are enrolled in one or more of seven curricular bands, seven curricular orchestras, and seven curricular choirs, including levels of Concert Band, Concert Winds, Symphonic Band, Symphonic Winds, Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Concert Orchestra, Concert Strings, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Strings, Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Strings, Cecillian Singers, Bass Chorus, Concert Choir, Treble Singers, Varsity Singers, Varsity Chamber Singers, Introduction to Music Theory, and AP Music Theory. Co-Curricular groups at the school include United Voices (world music choir for any student at Metea Valley), Off the Record Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Musical Theater Experience workshops, three Madrigal Singers, two Mustang Strings (alternative string ensemble), Cello Choir, Metea Valley Symphony Orchestra, Marching Band, Pep Band, four Jazz Ensembles, two Jazz Combos, Percussion Ensembles, Chamber Ensembles, Recorder Consort, two Steel Drum Bands, and Spring Musical Pit Orchestra. Around 300 of these students participate in the school’s very active Tri-M Music Honor Society.
MVHS music students have made their performance marks at the following venues: Grand Opening Concert at MVHS, Illinois Music Education Conference, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Great Hall at University of Illinois, Chicago’s Symphony Center, Wentz Hall at North Central College, Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, Illinois Wesleyan University, University of Wisconsin, Augustana College, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Colburn School of Music (Los Angeles, CA), Aurora University, Notre Dame, Elmhurst College, Penn State University, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, OH), Disney World (Orlando, FL), Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay, New York City, Memphis, New Orleans, Los Angeles, California, and Italy.
The students have collaborated with guest conductors and ensembles, such as Daniel Boico (Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic), Dr. Larry Livingston (University of Southern California), Benjamin Zander (Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, the New Philharmonic Orchestra) and guest clinicians Bob Boyd (Northwestern University), Randy Brecker (Trumpet), Dr. Peter Boonshaft (Hofstra University), Kevin Sedatole (Michigan State University), Pete Griffin (Elmhurst College), Victor Yampolsky (Northwestern University), Ron Carter (Northern Illinois University), Doug Beach (Elmhurst College) Arthur Chodoroff (Temple University), Dennis Glocke (Penn State University), Dr. Mike Fansler (Western Illinois University), Dr. Matt Thomas (Western Illinois University), William Jastrow (ret. Neuqua Valley High School), Michael Mishra (Southern Illinois University), Ross Kellan (Elmhurst College), Judy Grimes (Elmhurst College), Susan Moninger (Elmhurst College), Dr. J Scott Ferguson (Illinois Wesleyan University), Dr. Timothy Yontz (Wheaton College), Dr. Chris Kiver (Penn State University), Joseph Manfredo (Illinois State University), Maggie Brown (professional vocalist), Dr. Charlie Menghini (VanderCook College of Music), Margene Pappas (ret. Oswego High School), Steven Squires (Roosevelt University), Charles Staley Jr. (ret. Neuqua Valley High School), Dr. Steve Peterson (University of Illinois), Dr. Elizabeth Peterson (University of Illinois), Dr. Gary Hill (ASU), Serena Waren (Loyola University, New Orleans, LA), Prof. Brian Groner (Northeastern Illinois University), Dr. Jon Hurty (Augustana College), Paul Carey (composer), Gwyneth Walker (composer), Timothy Takach (composer), William Barnum (composer), Sylvia Kilcullen (Chicago Symphony), Luis Bonilla (Vanguard Orchestra), Tom Garling (Northern Illinois University and Elmhurst College), Dr. James Hile (Elmhurst College), Dr. John Climer (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Katie Ernst (Wheaton College), Tom Sharpe (Mannheim Steamroller), Alexander Gemignani (Broadway artist), Heather Headley (GRAMMY and TONY winning artist), Lee R. Kesselman (composer), Michael Oldham (composer), Andrea Ramsey (composer), Dr. Eric Johnson (Northern Illinois University).
Over 900 students are enrolled in one or more of seven curricular bands, seven curricular orchestras, and seven curricular choirs, including levels of Concert Band, Concert Winds, Symphonic Band, Symphonic Winds, Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Concert Orchestra, Concert Strings, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Strings, Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Strings, Cecillian Singers, Bass Chorus, Concert Choir, Treble Singers, Varsity Singers, Varsity Chamber Singers, Introduction to Music Theory, and AP Music Theory. Co-Curricular groups at the school include United Voices (world music choir for any student at Metea Valley), Off the Record Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Musical Theater Experience workshops, three Madrigal Singers, two Mustang Strings (alternative string ensemble), Cello Choir, Metea Valley Symphony Orchestra, Marching Band, Pep Band, four Jazz Ensembles, two Jazz Combos, Percussion Ensembles, Chamber Ensembles, Recorder Consort, two Steel Drum Bands, and Spring Musical Pit Orchestra. Around 300 of these students participate in the school’s very active Tri-M Music Honor Society.
MVHS music students have made their performance marks at the following venues: Grand Opening Concert at MVHS, Illinois Music Education Conference, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Great Hall at University of Illinois, Chicago’s Symphony Center, Wentz Hall at North Central College, Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, Illinois Wesleyan University, University of Wisconsin, Augustana College, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Colburn School of Music (Los Angeles, CA), Aurora University, Notre Dame, Elmhurst College, Penn State University, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, OH), Disney World (Orlando, FL), Outback Bowl in Tampa Bay, New York City, Memphis, New Orleans, Los Angeles, California, and Italy.
The students have collaborated with guest conductors and ensembles, such as Daniel Boico (Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic), Dr. Larry Livingston (University of Southern California), Benjamin Zander (Conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, the New Philharmonic Orchestra) and guest clinicians Bob Boyd (Northwestern University), Randy Brecker (Trumpet), Dr. Peter Boonshaft (Hofstra University), Kevin Sedatole (Michigan State University), Pete Griffin (Elmhurst College), Victor Yampolsky (Northwestern University), Ron Carter (Northern Illinois University), Doug Beach (Elmhurst College) Arthur Chodoroff (Temple University), Dennis Glocke (Penn State University), Dr. Mike Fansler (Western Illinois University), Dr. Matt Thomas (Western Illinois University), William Jastrow (ret. Neuqua Valley High School), Michael Mishra (Southern Illinois University), Ross Kellan (Elmhurst College), Judy Grimes (Elmhurst College), Susan Moninger (Elmhurst College), Dr. J Scott Ferguson (Illinois Wesleyan University), Dr. Timothy Yontz (Wheaton College), Dr. Chris Kiver (Penn State University), Joseph Manfredo (Illinois State University), Maggie Brown (professional vocalist), Dr. Charlie Menghini (VanderCook College of Music), Margene Pappas (ret. Oswego High School), Steven Squires (Roosevelt University), Charles Staley Jr. (ret. Neuqua Valley High School), Dr. Steve Peterson (University of Illinois), Dr. Elizabeth Peterson (University of Illinois), Dr. Gary Hill (ASU), Serena Waren (Loyola University, New Orleans, LA), Prof. Brian Groner (Northeastern Illinois University), Dr. Jon Hurty (Augustana College), Paul Carey (composer), Gwyneth Walker (composer), Timothy Takach (composer), William Barnum (composer), Sylvia Kilcullen (Chicago Symphony), Luis Bonilla (Vanguard Orchestra), Tom Garling (Northern Illinois University and Elmhurst College), Dr. James Hile (Elmhurst College), Dr. John Climer (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Katie Ernst (Wheaton College), Tom Sharpe (Mannheim Steamroller), Alexander Gemignani (Broadway artist), Heather Headley (GRAMMY and TONY winning artist), Lee R. Kesselman (composer), Michael Oldham (composer), Andrea Ramsey (composer), Dr. Eric Johnson (Northern Illinois University).
