The CHIEF May 2026

BY NAVAEH LEE

HAPPY MAY! AS THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR COMES TO A CLOSE HERE AT PTHS, I’D LIKE TO REFLECT ON WHAT THIS YEAR HAS BROUGHT THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT AT OUR SCHOOL. FIRST SEMESTER MEANS ALL THINGS MARCHING BAND, MADRIGALS, AND MORE! AFTER AN AMAZING SEASON, THE PTHS MARCHING BAND TOOK A CAPTION AWARD AT ILLINOIS STATE MARCHING BAND CHAMPIONSHIPS. FOLLOWING THIS, TWO BAND STUDENTS AND TEN CHOIR STUDENTS WERE SELECTED TO REPRESENT PTHS AT THE ILMEA DISTRICT 3 FESTIVAL. AFTER THIS, THE 2025-2026 MADRIGALS GROUPS, COMPRISED OF THE MADRIGALS COURT, BRASS, RECORDERS, COURT SINGERS, AND JESTER, FILLED THE HOUSE FOR THE ANNUAL PTHS MADRIGAL DINNERS. AS SECOND SEMESTER BEGAN, THE MARCHING BAND HUNG UP THEIR UNIFORMS TO TRANSITION INTO CONCERT BAND AND SYMPHONIC BAND. THE SYMPHONIC BAND ATTENDED A COMPETITION AT ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY AS WELL AS THE MIDWEST MUSIC FESTIVAL HOSTED BY LEMONT HIGH SCHOOL. OVER SPRING BREAK, THE BAND AND CHOIR TRAVELED TO NEW YORK CITY. THERE THEY VISITED LANDMARKS SUCH AS THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, TIMES SQUARE, BROADWAY, AND THE ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER, WHERE THEY PERFORMED ON THE 100TH FLOOR. IN APRIL, THE JAZZ BAND, JAZZ CHOIR, AND JAZZ BRASS HOSTED A NIGHT OF JAZZ, FEATURING MUCH OF THE REPERTOIRE THEY SPENT SECOND SEMESTER LEARNING. THE YEAR CONCLUDED WITH THE BAND AND CHOIR SPRING CONCERTS AND MUSIC AWARDS NIGHT TO CELEBRATE ALL OF THE HARD WORK AND DEDICATION THAT THE STUDENTS HAVE PUT INTO THE PROGRAM THIS YEAR. THANK YOU ALL FOR FOLLOWING AND SUPPORT THE PONTIAC TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC DEPARTMENT THROUGHOUT THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR. PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT HERE AT PTHS AND STAY ON THE LOOKOUT FOR NEWS AND UPDATES AS WE PROGRESS INTO NEXT YEAR.