Elli Wilk of Merrill High School (MHS) was honored recently by the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA) with a Service Award as a part of the Northwoods Marching Band. The 2023 service awards spotlight individuals who have sustained a commitment to music education and made a positive impact in the school, community, or state with the WMEA Melvin F. Pontius Creative Sparks in Music Education Award.
The Northwoods Marching Band attended and performed in the 2022 Tournament of Roses Parade. As such, its directors are being so honored and Elli Wilk is the sole director from Merrill High School.
This award recognizes creative music curriculum that fosters imaginative, creative, and innovative teaching practices in music education. WMEA President Brad Schneider presented the Northwoods Marching Band with the award at the annual Wisconsin State Music Conference on October 25 in Madison.
When no single northwoods Wisconsin marching band was large enough to qualify as a performer in the 2022 Tournament of Roses Parade, eight directors from different schools including Wilk from MHS, demonstrated “imaginative, creative and innovative teaching practices” when they joined forces and formed a supergroup of their students to ensure that Wisconsin’s strong marching tradition would be represented.