The RCHS Honors Wind Chamber Ensemble performs at the IHSA Organizational Music Contest on Saturday, April 18th. Performance attire is concert black-and-white (tuxes or dresses) that were issued out to the students at the beginning of the second term. Parents may sign out their sons & daughters following the performance that morning in the assigned homeroom.

Food and drinks are available in the cafeteria. Students may purchase food and drinks after performances.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

IHSA Organizational Contest Itinerary
6:30 AM.........................Call-time at RCHS
6:31-6:49 AM................Change into black-and-white concert attire
6:40 AM...............................Buses arrive at the RCHS circle drive
6:50-8:19 AM................Travel to Mt. Vernon High School
8:20-8:49 AM.................Check into home room and restroom break
8:50-8:59 AM.................Move to the warm-up area
9:00-9:24 PM............Honors Wind Chamber Ensemble warm-up
9:25-9:29 PM............Move to the performance venue
9:30-9:55 PM....................Honors Wind Chamber Ensemble performance
10:00-12:00 PM................Pack bus, travel to RCHS, unpack, and dismiss! (est. time)

CONTEST ADDRESS: Mt. Vernon High School is located at 11101 N. Wells Bypass in Mt. Vernon, IL 62864

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions at cjones@rccu1.net, or 618-393-2191 ext. 3157.

Click HERE for the full schedule. 

Click HERE for more details. 

On Monday, May 25th, a bugler and a chamber ensemble performs at the Noble Memorial Day Ceremony. The Symphonic Band, the Honors Wind Ensemble, & the drumline all performing at the Olney & Noble Memorial Day parade and ceremonies.

Here are the details regarding the Noble and Olney Memorial Day Parade Ceremonies:

NOBLE: The Cornerstone Community Church and the Mayor of Noble hosts a Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery in East Noble. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held in the Cornerstone Community Church (160 E. Elm St. Noble, IL). Immediately after the Noble ceremony, the quintet and bugler will join the band at the Olney VFW.

OLNEY: The VFW is hosting a Memorial Day parade and ceremony. The parade will begin at the Olney VFW. The ceremony will take place immediately after the conclusion of the parade at Haven Hill Cemetery (just north of the City Park). In the event of rain, the ceremony shall be held in the VFW hall.

The uniform is khaki shorts, black polo shirts, black socks, belt (preferably black), and either Drillmaster shoes or CrossOver shoes. Students will also need flip folders, lyres, and instruments.

The times are as follows:
Cornerstone Community Church at the Cemetery in East Noble

8:30 AM: Call-time for bugler and trombone quartet at RCHS
8:35 AM: Change into performance attire, warm-up and run through music
9:05 AM: Bugler & quartet leaves for Noble Cemetery in a school van
9:30 AM: Bugler & quartet arrive at the cemetery in East Noble.
10:00 AM: Noble Ceremony (bugler & quartet only)
IMMEDIATELY AFTER GOD BLESS AMERICA & TAPS: Return to Olney and join the band at the Olney VFW.

9:30 AM: Call-time at RCHS (all but bugler & trombone quartet)
10:00 AM: Load bus and depart for Olney VFW followed by Haven Hill Cemetery
10:15 AM: Parade line-up at the Olney VFW or at the cemetery (based on time)
10:45 AM: Parade step-off (parade begins)
11:00 AM: Olney Memorial Day ceremony at Haven Hill Cemetery.

I anticipate the parade and the ceremony won't last longer than an hour and a half, which will put the band back at the school around 12-12:30 PM.

The band is performing the following songs:
TAPS (Noble ceremony only)
​God Bless America (Noble ceremony only)
Hosts of Freedom
Star Spangled Banner
Army
Marines
Navy
Coast Guard
Air Force
Merchant Marines

Please bring water with you to this event. I encourage students to bring a water canteen. Canteens/coolers need to go on the bus. Please drink plenty of water!

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

PLEASE NOTE: Individual performance times, and the student-worker schedule will post at a later date. Please check back the week before the concert. 

The IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest for 2026 is nearly upon us! This year's contest falls on Saturday, March 7th. The event is held out our own Richland County High School! You need not wear the concert black-and-white attire, but dress attire is required when performing. Make sure that you have your instrument, extra reeds, musical accessories, sheet music, and lunch money.

Performance Fees:
Accompanied solos = $20
Unaccompanied solos = $10
Duet = $10 (per student)
Trio = $8 (per student)
Quartet = $7 (per student)
Quintet = $6 (per student)

Each participating student is required to pay the performance fee. Students & parents may elect to use funds that have built up in the student's band activity account. If this is the case, payment will show $0 and the fee will be deducted from the account balance automatically. The due date for fees is March 1st. Please visit https://www.cuttime.net for and log in for balance and invoices.

STUDENT-WORKERS: 
Please remember that, for Richland County to successfully host this contest, we need everyone to work their assigned two-hour shifts in addition to performing a solo, duet, trio, quartet, or quintet. You may find the student-worker shifts by clicking HERE. 

This band festival was formed to afford the students an opportunity to perform in a concert band consisting of only high school student-musicians of the Little Illini Conference, under the direction of a guest conductor. We are fortunate for the opportunity for the Symphonic Band to participate in the event.

The festival is held at Casey-Westfield High School on Thursday, March 12th, 2026. There is no cost associated with the Lincoln Trail Band Festival, aside from food money ($20). Students may elect to bring a sack lunch/dinner instead.

Buffet Lunch: Chicken Strips, Pork BBQ, Oven Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad/Bread Bar, Chocolate Cake, Cookies, Iced Tea, Lemonade

Dinner: Casey’s Pizza, Soft Drinks

A note from Mr. Ritter, Director of Bands at Casey-Westfield High School:

1. Bring music stands and music
2. Percussionist need to bring sticks and mallets
3. Students should bring pencils
4. Buses should park across the street (North) of the baseball field.  You will need transportation to Richard’s Farm for Lunch
5. FOR LUNCH:  everyone who has paid to eat will be given a lunch ticket.  Everyone will need to take their tickets into Richard’s and sit down.  The servers will pick up your tickets and then direct you to the food line.  
6. Drummers should bring the marching percussion instrument to the event.  We will have a marching drumline performance at the concert as well.  Drummers will rehearse in the band room throughout the course of the day.  We would like for as many drummers as possible to participate in the drum line performance.  Drummers should bring carriers and/or stands for their marching percussion instruments. 
7. Bring payment for lunch and supper  ($20.00/person including directors and bus drivers)

THE ITINERARY FOR THE DAY IS AS FOLLOWS:

7:20-7:30...........MEET AT RCHS

7:30......................DEPART FOR CASEY, IL

8:30–9:00...........ARRIVE AT CASEY-WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL (306 E Edgar Ave. Casey IL)

9:00–11:15.........REHEARSAL (Breaks will be taken at guest conductor’s discretion)

11:15–12:45.......LUNCH (Richard's Farm)

12:45–4:30..........REHEARSAL (Breaks will be taken at guest conductor’s discretion)

4:30-5:30..............DINNER (pizza and then change into concert attire)

5:30........................WARM-UP AND TUNE

6:00.......................CONCERT

7:30.......................DEPART FOR OLNEY, IL

9:00.......................ESTIMATED RETURN TIME TO RCHS

Please feel free to contact me should there be any further questions at cjones@rccu1.net or at (618) 393-2191 ext. 3153.

Click HERE for bus seat assignment. Students must sign into their rccu1.net account for access to this document. Click on the tabs to navigate between the roster, the bus seating chart, and the van seating chart.

​Tri-M Music Honor Society, formerly known as Modern Music Masters, is an American high school and middle school music honor society. A program of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), it is designed to recognize students for their academic and musical achievements and to provide leadership and service opportunities to young musicians.

The 2023-2024 Richland County High School Chapter 8170 Tri-M Music Honor Society members are:

ROW 1: Emma Gilreath, Adele Waxler, Joshua Ochs, Ethan Mehl, and Carter Henton

ROW 2: Mr. Weitkamp (sponsor), Jereme Higginbotham, Hadley Heath, River Logan, Alex Schneider, Alaina Parker, Sophie Combs, Molly Fehrenbacher, Lila Balding, Callista Ridgely, and Mr. Jones (sponsor)

Four students from Richland County High School have been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Ensembles. The event will be held January 28–31, 2026, in Peoria.
These students were chosen through a rigorous audition process, representing the top student-musicians from over 12,000 schools across Illinois. Of approximately 2,400 students who auditioned, only a select few were invited to participate.
​
The three RCHS students selected for the All-State Orchestra are Lila Balding (senior), Jereme Higginbotham (junior), and Emma Gilreath (sophomore). Joshua Ochs (junior) was selected to perform in the All-State Band.    

Lila Balding has been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Orchestra on tenor trombone. She has been a dedicated member of the Richland County High School Band since 2022 and has played an integral role in the Marching Tigers during the 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 marching seasons. During this time, Lila marched the trombone and served as the low brass section leader in 2024 and 2025.

In addition to marching band, Lila has played trombone in the premier Honors Wind ensemble and jazz band since she was a freshman in 2022. Her talent in jazz performance was recognized through her participation in the ILMEA District 5 jazz concert in 2023, 2024, and 2025. She also played first trombone in the ILMEA District 5 concert band in 2024 and the orchestra in 2025. Lila also played euphonium in the Olney Youth Symphonic Band and trombone at the OCC community band.
Beyond her ensemble work, Lila is a committed member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, Chapter 8170, where she has been the secretary for two years, starting in 2024. Additionally, in 2024 and 2025, she also participated in the RCHS musical Pit on second trombone. Lila has also competed in IHSA Solo and Ensemble contests in 2022, 2023, and 2024. She performed “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” in 2022, “Lassus Trombone” in 2023, and “A Million Dreams” in 2024, all of which earned a First Superior rating.

After she graduates in 2026, Lila plans to attend Eastern Illinois University to pursue a career in music education.

Jereme Higginbotham has been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Orchestra on percussion. A junior at Richland County High School, Jereme has been an active participant in ILMEA District 5 Bands for five years, earning recognition at multiple levels.
During middle school, he performed in ILMEA Junior Band in 7th and 8th grade, ILMEA Junior Jazz Band in 7th grade, and was selected for the All-Illinois Junior Band State Ensemble in 8th grade. At the high school level, he has been a member of ILMEA Senior Orchestra as a freshman, sophomore, and junior.
Jereme is also an integral member of the RCHS Marching Tigers, performing on 3rd bass drum in 2023 and snare drum in 2024 and 2025, serving as drumline section leader in 2025. He has been a member of the Honors Wind Ensemble since 2023 and has played jazz drumset in the school’s jazz band all three years of high school.
A dedicated musician, Jereme has been a member of Tri-M Honor Music Society Chapter 8170 for three years. He earned a Superior rating in his percussion quartet at the 2024 IHSA Solo & Ensemble contest and an Excellent rating with his percussion trio in 2025. He has also contributed to the orchestral pit for RCHS musicals over the past three years.
After graduating in 2027, Jereme plans to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Joshua Ochs has been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Band on trumpet. A junior at Richland County High School, Joshua has been playing trumpet since fifth grade at St. Joseph Catholic School in Olney, IL. In addition to trumpet, he is proficient on French horn, mellophone, and flugelhorn.
At RCHS, Joshua is an active member of the Jazz Band, Honors Wind Chamber Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and the RCHS Marching Tigers, where he served as trumpet section leader in 2026. Beyond his contributions to the band program, he participates in the Trio Upward Bound program.
Joshua aspires to pursue a career as either an engineer or a high school band director.

Emma Gilreath has been selected to participate in the 2026 Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA) All-State Orchestra on bass clarinet. A sophomore at Richland County High School, Emma is recognized as a standout clarinetist. She serves as clarinet section leader for the RCHS Marching Tigers and is also an active member of the Symphonic Band, Honors Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Band. Emma is a dedicated member of the Tri-M National Honor Society.
​
In 2025, she performed with the ILMEA Senior Orchestra on bass clarinet and has earned top honors at the IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest, receiving a Superior rating and Best of Day recognition.

The Olney, IL Christmas Parade is scheduled for Saturday, November 29th at 6:30 PM. The schedule for the combined Symphonic Band, and the Honors Wind Ensemble:

5:15 PM.............Meet at RCHS in department clothing (dress warm) & load
5:50 PM.............Walk from the school to parade line-up at the intersection of Scott St. & East St.

6:10 PM.............Set in parade block at parade location
6:30 PM.............Parade step-off
7:40-7:50 PM....Estimated return to RCHS

I recommend that all students layer up underneath to stay warm. We are in our full uniform, minus the shakoes and plumes. That being said, add holiday related items to the uniform, or at the very least wear lots of green and red!