By Brian Biederman, ILMEA Student Programs Manager

“I loved enjoying all the music. The Jazz and Student Composition Concerts were incredible. It was so fun to watch people just as passionate for music as I am.”

I was so thrilled to read this quote from one of our participating All State Students, upon reviewing our 2022 Student Surveys. It evokes exactly the type of experience we are intending to bring to all our state’s most dedicated music students: collaboration, community and a shared love for music performance. Our 2022 program featured more than 1,600 students from 76 counties across our state. We are so proud of the students who participate, and immensely thankful to our state’s music educators who tirelessly commit themselves to supporting these students throughout the year. We could not have reached this level of success without you.

“My favorite part of the All-State Experience was getting to sing with so many new people and making so many new friends”

While I personally didn’t get to do any singing at IMEC, I certainly share the sentiment of this student’s testimonial! There were so many new faces at IMEC 2022 that made this a possibility, including two new ILMEA staff members (myself included), new ensemble chairs, new staff members at the Peoria Civic Center, new students, new educators and new exhibitors. Having spent the majority of my career as a music educator in Nashville, Tennessee, this was my first IMEC ever and it was certainly an experience to remember. Managing an event of this magnitude is a major undertaking that features many complex, real-time challenges. We worked - new and experienced personnel together - to take on logistical and operational challenges swimmingly, with great communication, attention to detail,and a calm approach to problem solving. As music educators we feel very comfortable in this high-octane environment that requires well thought out decision-making and follow through without much advance notice, and I am so grateful to our volunteers and ensemble chairs for helping cultivate the world-class experience that is IMEC.

“My least favorite part of All State was navigating all the COVID protocols; they were needed, just tired of the whole thing.”

I think we all shared this feeling!

Perhaps the greatest looming challenge to IMEC 2022 was the outbreak of COVID-19 variants in the months and weeks before we came together. While many of us shared uncertainty and unease towards the end of 2021, we began developing a comprehensive plan and response procedure to ensure the highest level of safety at IMEC 2022. This work paid huge dividends, as we were able to successfully host IMEC without fear, while still providing our students with the highest quality music experiences possible. Even while singing or playing with a mask on, our students endured and continued to demonstrate the level of musicianship we have come to expect from our state’s most dedicated performers.

As we look forward to IMEC 2023, our primary mission is to expand the diversity of our participating students, conductors and composers as we seek to serve all of our great state’s most dedicated music students. We can only hope to accomplish this through the continued support and collaboration with our educators and invite you to continue to have open, honest conversations to ensure this reality is achieved. Our event should represent and highlight the culture and heritage of all of our state’s students and educators, and although we are making great strides to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion, there is still much work to be done on this front.

I am so grateful to all of my new colleagues and new friends with whom I worked at IMEC 2022 and can’t wait to work again with each of you at IMEC 2023. While our work for IMEC 2023 has only just begun, we enthusiastically encourage you to reach out to us with feedback and suggestions on how to make the All State Experience even better next year!