With yet another record-breaking year of entries, we are excited to announce the 2025-2026 ILMEA Composition Contest honorees ! Congratulations to all students who submitted original compositions, arrangements and remixes - the adjudicators each year comment on the outstanding quality of musical works being written by Illinois music students.

The exciting addition of Junior High All-State in Peoria this January brings about some schedule changes for our All-State student programs at all levels. 

Please take some time to review the ensemble schedules - we know that until All-State results are released in early December, you won’t be able to make concrete plans for your time in Peoria, but we need to bring your attention to these changes sooner rather than later!

Are you looking to incorporate more Orff into your music classes? Are you excited to begin but need the instruments? Now is the time to apply for the EGM Instrument loan program from ILMEA!  With this program, you can apply to use the 13 piece ILMEA Orff Instrumentarium to be housed and used at your school for the second half of this school year. What better way can there be to enrich your students’ music education and demonstrate to your administrator how important these instruments can be to your program?

Join us for the 2026 ILMEA Large Group Festival series! We invite all participating middle and high school band, orchestra, instrumental jazz and chorus programs to join us in this unique event designed to bring our musical community together for world-class performance venues, invaluable feedback from renowned adjudicators, inspiring performances, and the opportunity to support fellow educators and students from around the state!

We’re excited to launch a brand-new space for ILMEA members to connect, collaborate, and share ideas year-round. The ILMEA Member Forum is your hub for asking questions, exchanging resources, and engaging in meaningful conversations with music educators from across Illinois!

ILMEA is excited for the inaugural Junior High All-State Band and Orchestra in January 2026 and the return of the Junior High All-State Chorus! As with any new program, we know that educators, administrators and parents will have many questions. This FAQ will help to address these questions so that everyone is as prepared as possible for this outstanding experience.

ILMEA is excited to announce the launch of our Presenter's Bureau, a network of expert clinicians dedicated to supporting music educators across Illinois. We are seeking talented presenters to apply to join our core team, offering professional development sessions both virtually and in-person. 

ILMEA is issuing an urgent call to action regarding HB1358 + Amendment 2, which severely restricts a school board's ability to request and renew physical education (PE) waivers. The House Education Committee voted the bill through to the house floor, despite the more than 2220 witness slips filed in opposition, as compared to the 395 witness slips in favor. The bill is now expected on the House floor. ILMEA urges you to take immediate action by contacting your legislators to vote “No” on this bill.