PEORIA MAGAZINE August 2022

S P O T L I G H T

MUSIC RULES IN MORTON

Molding musicians, shaping people, racking up state titles (16 in a row!)

BY LISA COON PHOTOS BY MIKE BAILEY

P ride in performance.

of the high school’s music department, said “pride in performance is in everything we preach. It’s not just how you perform on the field, it’s how you conduct yourself at the hotel or on a charter bus or in the mall when people interact with us. It’s about taking pride in being from this community.” “Over time, I finally figured out what it means to me. Pride in performance is not just what we do on the field or even in the program – it’s how we represent ourselves in everything we do,” said Thomas Vastine, a 2021 MHS graduate now in his sophomore year at Iowa State University majoring in animal science with a minor in music. “The Morton marching band has taught me to have pride in my life, regardless of what I am doing. It has taught me to never take anything for granted, even if it is easily attainable.” This summer, he is marching with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle

Corps, a world-class competitive junior drum and bugle corps. The group is touring 13 states and will culminate its season by competing in the World Championships at Lucas Memorial Stadium in Indianapolis on Aug. 8-9. GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE Gray came to the district in 2019, inheriting a program that had seen consistent success since 2005. Prior to coming to Morton, he was self employed writing and designing shows for high school and college bands and serving as a national judge. He credits Fitzpatrick at the junior high for much of the program’s success. “She’s an excellent music educator, and one of the biggest reasons for the success of the high school program is her direction and dedication at that younger level,” Gray said. “Morton is

Those are words to live by for music students inMorton Com munity Unit School District 709.

It’s displayed proudly on a banner hanging in the Morton High School band room. It’s on the side of the equipment trailer. It’s a motto instilled in the kids early in their school career. “Pride in performance. It starts in the first week or so of band,” said Katrina Fitzpatrick, who is beginning her 20th year as band director at Morton Junior High. “We take pride in setting up the classroom– the stands are in the proper place, cases are placed just so, this how we hold our instruments when playing and when we’re not playing. “We’re treating the room, others and the instruments with respect and approaching the process with a great deal of pride,” Fitzpatrick said. TimGray, in his third year as director

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