Jenny Gehrke, new Chester Grade School Band Director, registered 38 beginner band students at the 2026 event
BY JIM BEERS
The new school year always brings a familiar event to Chester Grade School 5th Graders. This event is the Annual 5th Grade Beginner Band Night where aspiring young musicians have the opportunity to select an instrument that they want to play and to join the CGS Beginner Band.
This year’s event took place Wednesday September 2 at the Chester Grade School Cafeteria. Here, interested students and their parents gathered to meet and greet the new CGS Band Director, Jenny Gehrke, as well as representatives from Shivelbines Music Store. There they had the opportunity to select an instrument.
Prior to the event, Gehrke had the opportunity to meet each student at school and discuss the various aspects of being in the band. They also discussed, and in many cases had already made up their minds, regarding which instruments they wanted to play.
Following the meeting Ms. Gehrke stated, “We have 38 students that have already joined 5th Grade Band. Those 38 musicians include, 9 flutes, 8 clarinets, 5 alto saxophones, 5 trumpets, 5 trombones, 2 baritones, and 4 percussionists.”
Gehrke continued, “Almost all of the students were able to get their first pick of which instrument they wished to play. They were all very excited! We have already finished completing our beginning band checklist. This is a list of items that students should be able to complete and do before we start learning more and more notes!”
“We finished learning how to play our “mini instruments’, which is actually using smaller parts of our big, whole instrument. Playing these ‘mini instruments’ allows us to make sounds and get used to the smaller parts of our instruments prior to attempting to play the big, entire instrument.”
Gehrke noted that now that the students have mastered how to maneuver their ‘mini instruments’, it is time to begin learning how to read music and the first five notes on their big instruments.
Gehrke said, “I was also able to use funding from the PTS to purchase binders and beginning guides for our 5th Grade Students. These are extra supplemental materials that I have given each student FREE of charge!”
On Thursday November 5th at 6 p.m., the Beginner Band will host an “INFORMANCE” for all parents and the general public. This event is a chance to witness the progress that the 5th Graders have made in band.
Ms. Gehrke explained what the term “Informance” means. “To get the word Informance, you take the words information and performance and combine them to get “INFORMANCE”. The goal of an informance is to share with the families of beginner band students what each student experiences in the early days of being a band member and then seeing the final product by playing some tunes.”
“The informance method takes a lot of pressure off of students to be perfect. They all have just started something very challenging and it is important to celebrate every milestone along the way! During this informance, I’d like to demonstrate those milestones in addition to the wonderful final product that they perform.”
The “informance” is a combination of “informing” the audience what and how the students have been doing, as well as entertaining the audience by giving a small “performance.”
Parents, teachers, administration, friends and family of “Beginner Band Students” should be sure to mark Thursday November 5 at 6 p.m. on your calendars as an excellent opportunity to come see and hear the progress that the 5th Graders have made since the beginning of the year.
Hopefully the “INFORMANCE” will be loved by all! It will also be an opportunity for audience members to offer their support and praise to the beginners for all of their hard work and improvements towards becoming experienced musicians!
Jenny Gehrke is the new Band Director at Chester Grade School. She is shown here Wednesday September 2 at the 2026 CGS Beginner Band Night event at which time aspiring 5th grade students had an opportunity select an instrument and learn more about joining band at CGS. Jim Beers Photo
Ezra Gaertner and Elisha Geaertner select an Alto Saxophone at the 2026 CGS Beginner Band Night. Assisting them in making their selection and arranging instrument procurement are Andrew Bentlage and Nathan Schunks, employees at Shivelbines Music Store in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Jim Beers Photo
Marco Endonio and Joseph Martin, 5th graders at CGS, select their instruments at the 2027\6 CGS Beginner Band Night held Wednesday September 2. Both students selected to play the Clarinet, With the boys is Heidy Lorenzo, sister of one of the boys. Jim Beers Photo
Kinsley Eggemeyer, a CGS 5th Grader, joined the band at CGS this fall and chose the flute as her instrument of choice. She is shown here with her father, Zach Eggemeyer, who states that Kinsley is a 3rd Generation musician. Jim Beers Photo