Dear Monroe Families,
Thank you to those of you who attended a special Monroe Music concert last night. Our 7th and 8th grade band, choir, and orchestra shared beautiful music, demonstrating the significant time and effort in building their skillset and musicality throughout the school year. The grand finale performance of Guardians of the Golden Star, performed by Monroe's symphonic band, was the world premiere of a piece commissioned specifically for Monroe by local composer, Timothy Loest. Included in the evening's program were moving speeches by Mr. Novak, Mr. Estes, Mr. Divelbiss, Mr. Loest, and 8th grader Giulia Serpico. Please keep reading for more details of the vision and intention of this piece of music, and enjoy the photos below.
A note from band director, Mr. Jeff Novak:
Without the generosity of others, the commission fees for Guardians of the Golden Star by Timothy Loest would not be possible. For many years, located on our wish list was the idea to one day find a composer to commission a piece of music for Monroe Middle School. In 2024, our Band Program received a one-time anonymous donation that kick started this entire dream. Through several smaller donations, one larger gift from last school year’s band class of 2025, and generous funds received from a successful Student Excellence Grant bid, our Band Program stands proud to perform this new piece of music for you today.
The Class of 2025 inspired this work to be written for and about James Howard Monroe. Composer Tim Loest is a long-time resident of Wheaton, and is very proud of our City. His thoughtful research, careful attention to detail, and decades of experience in composing wind band literature for younger students led him to be the perfect person for this job. In his meetings with our students over the last few years, it became evident that he has a heart of gold and truly wants to make this piece of music an anchor for our school band program. In conjunction with Memorial Day, it is my hope that Monroe Bands will be able to play this music for our audiences every Spring at the Finale Concert and that this selection may forever be the piece of music that generationally binds all of our student-musicians together.
We further extend our gratitude to the family of Jimmy Monroe. With their permission, our school is now able to enhance our students’ education about the Congressional Medal of Honor with music. Their support provides the backdrop for furthering the legacy of our school’s namesake, James Howard Monroe.
Thank you for attending tonight’s special performance,
Jeff Novak, Director of Bands and Student Excellence Fellow
Upcoming Events
March 16: End Quarter 3
March 17 & 18: IAR: ELA
March 19: NAEP Testing (select 8th graders)
March 20: Special Games @ WNHS
March 23: Report Cards available in ParentVUE
March 23: Track Informational Meeting 3pm
March 23: Reflections Ceremony @ Hubble 7pm
March 24: Track Begins
March 25: National Medal of Honor Day
March 30-April 3: Spring Break
Go Eagles!
Ashley Huettemann
Principal
