Staff
Departmen
Mr. Steve Nedzel snedzel@lw210.org
Ph.: 815-717-3566 Fax: 815-717-3568
About Mr. Nedzel:
Mr. Nedzel just completed his ninth year of teaching music for Lincoln-Way District 210. His current role in the District is the Music Department Chair and Director of Bands at West. He directs the Wind Symphony, Marching Warriors, Pep Band and Percussion Ensemble. Mr. Nedzel also teaches Music Technology I and II classes, where students learn how to compose. In addition to the other ensembles, he rehearses and prepares the Pit Orchestra and is the Stage Manager for the Spring Musical and is co-sponsor of Tri-M. Prior to opening West in 2009, Mr. Nedzel was the Assistant Director of Bands at Central for eight years. He directed the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, and Pep Band, taught Music Technology, Piano, and Guitar classes and also assisted with and wrote drill for the Marching Knights.
Mr. Nedzel grew up in the NW Suburbs of Chicago in Palatine and attended Fremd High School. He received his Bachelors of Music Education degree from the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During his time there, he performed in a number of different ensembles including the Symphonic Bands, Marching Illini, and saxophone quartets. Mr. Nedzel completed his Masters of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music in 2005 and his Masters of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University in 2009. Mr. Nedzel’s primary instrument is the saxophone, although he also plays flute, clarinet, and piano.
On those rare occasions that Mr. Nedzel is away from West, he enjoys living in Chicago, spending time on the lakefront, eating out, watching the Cubs, live music and theatre, and experiencing all of the many cultural opportunities that Chicago has to offer.
Mr. Tom Venutolo tvenutolo@yahoo.com
Ph.: 815-717-3565 Fax: 815-717-3568
About Mr. Venutolo:
Mr. Venutolo has been involved with music since the age of 4 when he began taking piano lessons. At the age of 11 he joined his first school choir, and has been a part of a singing ensemble ever since, which just might explain his passion for music! Born and raised in Northern New Jersey, Mr. Venutolo was fortunate enough to be a part of the New Jersey All State and Honors choir in 1994 and 1995. After graduating from Delbarton School in 1995, he went on to receive his degree in Piano Performance from DePauw University in 1999. Since 2001, he has lived in the Chicagoland area with his wife, Jennifer, where he first taught grade and middle school choir for the Crete-Monee district. Along the way, he has directed award-winning concert choirs, show choirs, and worked extensively with numerous high school choirs in the area. In 2004, Mr. Venutolo served as the Choral Director for the Thornton-Fractional District High Schools. During that time, he taught beginning, advanced, women’s, and jazz choirs, and musically directed the Fall Musical. He developed those choirs into performing choirs and was honored to have some of his students accepted to the Illinois All State Honors Choir. In 2007, Mr. Venutolo completed his Masters of Music Education at VanderCook College of Music. In August 2009, Mr. Venutolo joined the Lincoln-Way Staff and began working with his wonderful choir members to produce a fantastic choral sound. He is currently the Choral Director as well as the Madrigal Dinner director, Spring Musical director, and teaches piano, music tech, guitar, and strings.
During his very scarce free time, Mr. Venutolo can be seen working as an adjudicator for numerous choral festivals, or working with lots of local community theater groups. He has had the pleasure of musically directing such shows as The Music Man, CATS, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Company, A Chorus Line, The Full Monty, Gypsy, and Phantom with the Chicago Heights Drama Group, and has played keyboard for many other shows all over the Chicagoland area. He is an unabashed lifelong Yankees fan who feels some pity for Chicago baseball fans, and just welcomed his firstborn child in February 2010.