Academics

Renée Chavez DeJager received her Master of Science in Music Education degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree and a degree in Foreign Language from Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. She received a Certificate of Advanced Language Study from the Eurozentrum Language Institute in Cologne, Germany. Ms. DeJager has studied choral conducting under Dr. Fred Stolzfus, Dr. Joe Grant and Dr. Mary Hopper; vocal studies under Dr. Ollie Watts-Davis and Marguerita Evans; piano under Dr. William Phemister and Anna Kivela, and piano ensemble under Dr. Karen Redekopp-Edwards. Ms. DeJager has studied vocal jazz with Janice Borla and advanced jazz theory with Floyd Standifer.

Mrs. DeJager has taught all levels of vocal/general music, drama and choral music. For 12 years, she taught music and drama in Des Plaines School District #62. During this time she was also a director with the Young Naperville Singers and the Hinsdale Children’s Choir. She, additionally, was an Instructor of Music Education at the Wheaton College Conservatory of Music. In 1993, Ms. DeJager was the recipient of an Illinois General Assembly Scholarship for excellence in teaching and proposed graduate study. Ms. DeJager is an active clinician and adjudicator for the Northwestern University/Northshore Music Festival and the the Illinois Grade School Music Association. She is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, Illinois-American Choral Directors Association, the Illinois Music Educators Association.