Slinger Area Music History/Culture
Artists/Alumni (Submissions after 2014)
During the 2013-2014 school year, one of the main categories of research was Music in the Slinger area. Interviews were focused largely on that topic so the sample was fairly large. Rather than extending new submissions onto that same page, a new page was made for submissions after 2014. See featured artists and alumni below.
2015 Submissions: Mike Noegel (Graduate)
Hannah Mrozak (2016 graduate)
Lorrie Kubicek (1992 graduate)
Jake Weinert (1957 grad)
Mike Noegel
This is a picture of Joelle Hackney, sophomore, interviewing Slinger High School Grad, Mike Noegel, in March of 2015. In this photo, Mike is showing Joelle different types of Concertinas that he owns. He had pictures containing the parts of each Concertina and how they work. Each Concertina has a unique structure which was shown throughout the pictures. Mike was inducted into the World Concertina Hall of Fame in 2014
Here is an exerpt from his interview with Joelle Hackney where he discusses what attracted him to Concertina.
Here is a second exerpt which describes his first gig and his close ties with his band, the Julida Boys. For a clip of Mike and the Julida Boys, click on the link below (left). Mike performs at SHS (lower right)
Hannah Mrozak
Hannah Mrozak, Slinger High School the class of 2016, has accomplished quite a bit since she's started singing at age 6. In an interview during her junior year of high school, Hannah said she was known for being a boisterous baby. My parents said, "I could sing before I could talk." She grew up listening to music in her family and that has influenced her love for it today. Mrozak started taking voice lessons at age 6 and carried on with that for 9 years.
Her first performance was at age 5 at a talent show, which was the start of many performances to come. Her first and most memorable early performance was when she was 6 or 7 at an Admiral's game. Hannah said that she was very scared considering she was so young, but as soon as she started to sing, all the nerves went away. Here is Hannah performing the national anthem at age 12 at the Milwaukee Brewer game.
One contributing factor to Hannah's confidence is Mainstreet Song and Dance Troupe, a non-profit organization of students from different high schools in Eastern Wisconsin. This group prepared her and showed her a wide range of performing arts.
Highlights of Hannah's career so far are making it to Hollywood for American Idol and winning the WAMI's "Rising Star Award" both accomplished in 2014-2015 school year. Hannah started touring with the iconic Milwaukee area cover band, the Eddie Butts Band, in the spring of 2015, at the age of 16.
Text Above Written by sophomore, Joelle Hackney (Class of 2017) on May 20, 2015. Updates below.
(Photo above by Dan Karius: Summerfest 2014)
Click here to see Hannah performing at Summerfest in 2015.
Click here to see Hannah impress Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr. in 2014 and win her ticket to Hollywood.
Hannah in Minneapolis after her selection to Hollywood Week. Hannah finished in the Top 40 in the 2014-2015 Season of American Idol at age 16. (Photo by Melena Mrozak)
Click here for an excerpt from an interview her junior year in HS where Hannah discusses her early origins in music and her American Idol experience (Under construction)
Click here for an excerpt of Hannah discussing the importance of the Main Street Song and Dance Troupe on her development.
Audition and Hollywood week excerpts (Under construction)
Hannah holding her Rising Star Award (2015 WAMI). Photo by Melena Mrozak.
Hannah has appeared several times on The Morning Blend on TMJ4 in Milwaukee. The top video is an appearance from 2015. Here is another Morning Blend appearance from 2018 after The Voice appearance.
As a sophomore history student in 2014, Hannah interviewed former Framing Amy lead singer and Slinger alumni, Amy (Pierchalski) Schultz. When asked about the value of the interview, Hannah said "I learned a lot from Amy about what it takes to succeed in the industry. One main thing that stood out was her advice to me that I need to figure out who I am. Record labels and agents want people who are confident in who they are as a person and a performer."
Hannah took 3rd Place in the 2016 Lakeshore's Rising Stars Competition in Manitowoc. Contestants were given song categories to sing weekly and judges and the audience would vote who would be eliminated each week. Voting by local residents who could make it to local Manitowoc sponsors during the week accounted for part of the final point results.
After 3 chairs turned to pick her, Hannah chose to be on Adam Levine's team for NBC's The Voice (Season 13) in 2017. She also coached by Jennifer Hudson after being stolen in the Knock Out rounds. Click below and to the right for more about her appearances on The Voice.
Here are several samples of Hannah singing at the Capitol Civic Center for the Lakeshore's Rising Stars Competition in 2016.
Click here for an article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about her appearances on The Voice and here from NBC's TMJ4 in 2017.
Click here for an Ariana Grande cover with Citizen Queen from 2019.
Lorrie Kubicek
1992 Slinger grad, Lorrie Kubicek, was interviewed about her music upbringing in Slinger as well as her career as a music therapist. Lorrie is currently working as a music therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA.
To hear a link from an interview with senior student, Abigale Dreisow, in December 2015 where Lorrie discusses her days in music at Slinger High School, click here.
To hear a link from that same interview about Lorrie's transition to a music therapist and some of the techniques she uses, click here.
To hear Lorrie discuss music therapy for a Berklee School of Music project, watch the first 3 minutes of this link.
For an article about music therapy in the Deseret News from February 1st, 2016, click here.
The Slinger Sociology and music students felt incredibly fortunate to listen to Lorrie discuss the value of music therapy. Incidently, Lorrie's father, Walter, was a musician in Jake Weinert's band. Jake is featured below.
Jake Weinert
This section is under construction. Research being done on Jake's Polka Boys, Weinert's band.