Spring 2024 Audition Information
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Join the 2024 Joliet West Color Guard!
Bring a friend and come try out a new skill! We will teach you all that you will need to know to have a successful audition in our two-day clinic and audition. We are looking for new members that enjoy learning new skills, dancing, performing and music. Please follow the QR code to fill out the Audition Registration form. Can't make it to the clinic or audition dates but still want to audition? Contact us at [email protected] and we'll work with you to set up an alternate audition time! |
Our Goal
At the Joliet West Color Guard, our goal is to create a dynamic and enriching environment that empowers students through education, performance and leadership. Driven by core values such as teamwork, self-expression and personal growth, we are dedicated to fostering a community where every member can thrive. We aim to inspire a lifelong love for learning, encourage artistic expression, and instill leadership skills necessary for success beyond the performance floor.
What is color guard?
Color guard is a performance ensemble that combines dance choreography with specialized equipment such as flags, mock rifles and sabers. Color guard is known as, “the sport of the arts,” and is primarily used to add visual artistry to marching band shows.
When does the color guard perform?
The Joliet West Color Guard are members of the Marching Tigers and perform at parades, home football games and marching band competitions.
Why should I join colorguard?
So many reasons!
How do I join color guard?
No previous color guard or dance experience is required to audition for color guard. We will hold clinics in the spring to teach techniques and a routine to be performed at auditions. Following our clinics, we will hold auditions at which you will perform the techniques and routine you learned at the clinics. We highly recommend attending Color Guard Spin Club over the spring semester, so you’ll be well prepared for auditions!
Color guard is a performance ensemble that combines dance choreography with specialized equipment such as flags, mock rifles and sabers. Color guard is known as, “the sport of the arts,” and is primarily used to add visual artistry to marching band shows.
When does the color guard perform?
The Joliet West Color Guard are members of the Marching Tigers and perform at parades, home football games and marching band competitions.
Why should I join colorguard?
So many reasons!
- You’ll make friends - You get to meet lifelong friends of all ages. On the first day of high school, incoming freshmen will already know over 50 marching band members!
- It will make you physically fit - Color guard is a great form of exercise! Studies have proven that students who perform in color guard do so at the same rate as a typical high school athlete.
- You get to dance - Those involved in color guard will practice and perform dance skills and will improve technique and endurance.
- It’s competitive - When done in a healthy and appropriate way, competition is great for personal growth and goal setting.
- It looks good on college applications - Colleges like to see well-rounded students who are involved in both academic and athletic/musical activities.
- Learn time management skills - Color guard requires a large time commitment, which teaches students how to plan in advance. This is a very valuable life skill to learn!
- Learn how to work as a team - Color guard teaches how to work effectively with others. This is another very important life skill needed for the real world.
- Community - We perform in local parades, home football games, community events and competitions.
How do I join color guard?
No previous color guard or dance experience is required to audition for color guard. We will hold clinics in the spring to teach techniques and a routine to be performed at auditions. Following our clinics, we will hold auditions at which you will perform the techniques and routine you learned at the clinics. We highly recommend attending Color Guard Spin Club over the spring semester, so you’ll be well prepared for auditions!
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Meet the Staff
Jessica Kalkofen
Hi, my name is Jessica Kalkofen and I am one of Joliet West Color Guard’s instructors. I work as a Registered Behavior Technician and live in Naperville with my German Shepherd Grizzly Bear! My love of music and performance started at a young age when I first picked up the clarinet in elementary school. I gained valuable skills and experiences during my years as a performer, and I love that I get to share those experiences and lessons with the Joliet West Color Guard members. I’m so excited to continue teaching the Joliet West Color Guard and share in the joy and artistry that this activity brings. Outside of work and color guard, I am also attending school part-time as I pursue my B.S. in Psychology.
My favorite thing about color guard is that if you love it, the sky's the limit! I also love how the activity brings people together. Many of my former teammates have continued to be some of the most important people in my life, and I consider them family. My hope is to bring that same sense of family and community to the Joliet West Color Guard. |
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Jack Hoving |
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Hi! My name is Jack Hoving and I am one of the Joliet West Color Guard instructors. I live in Plainfield, IL and I work as a Registered Nurse at Central DuPage Hospital. I am currently going back to school for a graduate certification in Transgender and Gender Diverse Healthcare, and I will tentatively be starting a doctoral Nurse Practitioner program in the Fall of 2024. I have two dogs named Bandit and Stanley who are brothers that are a mix breed of Beagle, Jack Russel, and Mini Australian Shepherd. My primary experience in the musical arts has actually been spent on the baritone/euphonium. I’ve been playing my instrument since 4th grade and continued all through college as a member of Illinois State’s Big Red Marching Machine. My spinning experience is from 8yrs of non-competitive baton twirling, but I have always had such an appreciation and respect for Color Guard! Getting to teach, and learn some things myself, while working with JWHS during the 2023 season was such an incredible experience and I am looking forward to all that we will accomplish together in our future seasons!
My favorite thing about Color guard is the emotional and creative expression that it asks of the performer, and its ability to convey that emotion and a message back to the viewer. Music tells a story, but that musical story is amplified by the performance of the Color Guard in such an awe-inspiring way. |
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Annie Plecki |
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Hi! My name is Annie Plecki and I am one of the instructors for the Joliet West Color Guard. My love of the performing arts began at a young age. In elementary school I started taking dance classes and doing winterguard at my local park district. I did that for five years until I joined Independence Winterguard where I competed for eight years until I aged out. During this time, I also continued to take dance classes and teach dance while pursuing my BA and eventually my Master’s in Library and Information Science. My many years in Color Guard have taught me a work ethic that I have continued to carry with me throughout my academics and my professional life and truly have made me the person I am today.
My favorite thing about Color Guard is that it is an activity that pushes you to be your best as a team player as well as an individual. This activity teaches students skills and lessons that will help them thrive not only as performers, but as people. I am so excited to share my love of the activity and go on this journey with them! |
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