Metcalf School eighth grader Stephanie Chow placed first in the Illinois Music Education Association’s 2014–2015 Student Composition Contest. Over 100 original compositions were submitted by students from junior high schools and high schools throughout Illinois and were judged by a panel of active composers and professional musicians.

Chow won first place in the Junior High division for her computer-based composition, “You and I.” Stephanie is the daughter of Michelle and James Chow, of Normal. Donna Zawatski, of Metcalf  School, and Professor Kimberly McCord, of Illinois State University, are her music teachers.

The student composers will be honored at an awards ceremony on January 31, 2015, as part of the Illinois Music Education Conference in Peoria. The Illinois Music Education Conference began as a one-day clinic for instrumental music education and has grown to a four-day event covering all genres of music education. Close to 10,000 people will attend professional development clinics, listen to concerts, and take part in the best of professional networking over the course of the event. Please visit www.ilmea.org for more details.

The contest is sponsored by PreSonus and Ableton, providing first-place winners with computer programs in composition, and by Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, providing scholarships for all winners.