The Kenosha Unified School District has made the following announcement:

The Lincoln Middle School Jazz Ensemble will perform at the 2012-13 Wisconsin Schools of Recognition Ceremony in Madison on October 2nd.

The invitation to perform at this event is a great honor extended to groups that demonstrate exceptional student performance in the area of music. The ensemble is comprised of a dedicated group of student musicians in grades 6-8, and led by Lincoln Middle School Band Director Jeremy Kriedeman.

The students have a rigorous rehearsal schedule to prepare for performances that includes practicing four days each week with additional practice sessions as needed. Throughout the years, the ensemble has competed in a variety of states, including Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and Minnesota. The group has also been honored with an invitation to perform at the Wisconsin State Music Convention at the end of October.

Jeremy Kriedeman, who also teaches band at Southport Elementary, Brass Elementary, Grewenow Elementary and directs the Rambler Summer Recreation Band, emphasizes the long-term effects of the KUSD music program. “Being part of the school band is more than just notes on a page or making pretty music. It is an acceptance into a community of like-minded individuals that can last a person’s entire life. When students graduate, they may move to a new city, they may play in a college or community group and automatically have access to a large gathering of people they can get to know and befriend,” he says. “Music can do that. It brings you closer to people and gives you the opportunity to work as a team.”

The Wisconsin School of Recognition Award Ceremony will recognize 132 schools, including four from Kenosha, that have shown great success in educating students from low-income families. The KUSD schools to be recognized are Lincoln Middle School, McKinley Middle School, Grewenow Elementary School, and Vernon Elementary School.