U-46 board honors 14 All-State Musicians

Posted June 24, 2026 10:36 pm

By Tara Burghart, Elgin Area School District U-46

Fourteen middle and high school students were recognized by the Elgin Area School District U-46 board at its June 15 meeting for their outstanding achievements in the fine arts, on the same evening the district was honored by the board for being named one of the “Best Communities for Music Education.”

This is the eighth straight year U-46 has earned the “Best Communities” recognition from the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation, and it was among 32 school districts in Illinois to receive the honor this past school year.

The recognition is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students.

U-46 Fine Arts Coordinator Jaimie Giraldo accepted the Accent on Achievement certificate from the board on behalf of the music department. She was joined by Larkin High School orchestra teacher Matthew Quezada and Elisa Lieb Bauman, who taught band at Kimball Middle School and will be doing the same at Hawk Hollow Middle School next year.

“I am so honored to get to work with such talented and dedicated music teachers every day here in U-46,” Giraldo said. “As you can see by the students being recognized tonight, we are able to accomplish great things, and it’s because we have amazing teachers in our classrooms. U-46 is a great supporter of the arts, and I’m very grateful to work in a place that sees the value in what we do and supports us and our students in being successful.”

The 14 students were honored for being selected as All-State Musicians through the Illinois Music Education Association’s (ILMEA) competitive audition process. This is the highest musical achievement for secondary students in Illinois. Selected students performed at the ILMEA’s annual music education conference in Peoria earlier this year.

Ian Kim, who was named to the honors band for the clarinet, said he was not surprised the district received the award for supporting music education, citing the support he’s received from South Elgin High School band director Griffin Lober.

“My band director is really wonderful. He really believes that music is an important part of everyone’s lives, and the way he teaches reflects that,” Ian said.

Elgin Area School District U-46 Fine Arts Coordinator Jaimie Giraldo, right, accepts the Accent on Achievement certificate for the music department, accompanied by Larkin High orchestra teacher Matthew Quezada, second from right, and middle school band director Elisa Lieb Bauman, left. Also pictured are six student honorees, from left, Ian Kim, Melia Ortiz, Aidan Klapperich, Madalyn Martin, Alex Mascorro and Ayaka Vieira. Courtesy of Elgin Area School District U-46

The names of the students who were honored on June 15 follow. Note that their year in school denotes their grade during the 2025-26 school year.

• Bartlett High School: Senior Emily Fiddick, who sings Tenor II in Honors Chorus; senior Jarvin Ignacio, who sings Bass II in Honors Chorus; and senior Mia Lannon, in the Future Music Educators Symposium.

• Larkin High School: Senior Aidan Klapperich, playing trombone in Honors Band; senior Ayaka Vieira, playing violin in Honors Orchestra; and senior Thomas Akemann, All-State Composition Contest with his piece “Funk a Tonk”

• South Elgin High School: Junior Ian Kim on Bb Clarinet in Honors Band; junior Madalyn Martin, singing Alto II in Honors Chorus; senior Alex Mascorro, singing Alto II in Chorus; sophomore Michelle O'Hearn, singing Soprano I in Chorus; and senior Alyssa Dzien, playing viola in Honors Orchestra.

• Eastview Middle School: Eighth-grader Melia Ortiz, playing cello in Junior Orchestra;

• Kenyon Woods Middle School: Eighth-grader Elijah Guercio, playing viola in Junior Orchestra

• Kimball Middle School: Eighth-grader Hailey Uribe, playing baritone sax in Junior Band.