Addison Trail senior wins ILMEA and YoungArts Foundation awards

For as long as Morgan Pirtle can remember, music has been a part of her life.

Since her freshman year at Addison Trail, Pirtle has continued to win awards and qualify for high-level music competitions. Now a senior, Pirtle has made school history. Addison Trail Band Director Mark Corey said she is the first Addison Trail student to win an award for song composition through the Illinois Music Education Association (ILMEA). Pirtle’s song “Pushin’” recently received 3rd place in the ILMEA Composition Contest in the Jazz Vocal/Instrumental category.

"Pirtle is an exceptional musician," Corey said. "She is highly motivated and has worked very hard to develop her skills as a musician. We are proud of all she has accomplished while here at Addison Trail. She is a musician to watch, and we expect big things from her in the future."

Pirtle said she composes for fun, and “Pushin’” was a project she completed for school last year. After encouragement from Corey, she recorded the song and submitted it for the competition.

“The song is about a fallout I had with someone and that person pushing me away,” Pirtle said. “It reflects my experience and emotions. Every song has a story, and composing is a way to express myself. I hear music in my head all the time, and I love turning that into a song.”

Although Pirtle enjoys composing, she was surprised to be recognized for her work.

“I was so excited – I was jumping up and down,” she said of her reaction after Corey told her about the ILMEA award. “I want to encourage my peers to go for their dreams, and I hope getting this award helps inform people about these competitions and opportunities, so others can be recognized for their talents.”

Pirtle will be honored for her achievement during the ILMEA Conference on Jan. 25 in Peoria.

Along with her ILMEA award, Pirtle also was recently named as a National YoungArts Foundation Honorable Mention Winner in Jazz Voice. Out of nearly 11,000 applications from students in 10 disciplines across the literary, performing, visual and design arts fields, Pirtle has been recognized for her outstanding work and accomplishments. The National YoungArts Foundation was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify and nurture the next generation of artists in the literary, performing, visual and design arts and to support the artistic development of talented young artists. For more information, go to www.youngarts.org. 

YoungArts winners are designated into three categories – Finalist, Honorable Mention and Merit – and are selected through a blind adjudication process. Honorable Mention award winners receive at least $250 and, along with all 2014 winners, are eligible to participate in the Emmy-nominated HBO series “YoungArts MasterClass.” They also are eligible to participate in YoungArts’ regional programs, where they will take intense master classes and workshops with internationally renowned artists and will have the opportunity to present their work to the public. YoungArts is the exclusive nominating agency for the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, the highest honor that can be awarded to any artistically talented graduating high school senior. Every year, YoungArts nominates 60 YoungArts Winners to the White House-appointed Commission on Presidential Scholars, 20 of whom are then selected to become U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

And this is just the beginning for Pirtle, who plans to attend University of Illinois at Chicago for the school’s jazz studies program.

“I know I will sing in my future, and I hope to continue composing as well,” she said. “Music is part of who I am.”