In recent years, Dr. Darwell's students have achieved top placement in their curricular ensembles, as well as the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Naperville Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Youth Symphony of DuPage, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Honor Band of America, various Illinois district and state ensembles, and the Merit School of Music. They have earned distinguished awards in the National Flute Association High School Soloist Competition, Society of American Musicians, the Floot Fire Virtual Soloist Competition, the Granquist Music Competition, the Chicago Flute Club Competition, the Festival of Flutes Competition, the Wisconsin Flute Club Competition, the SSC Young Musicians’ Competition, and the Southwest Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. Current and former students have achieved placement in prestigious flute studios such as the Eastman School of Music, the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, the DePaul University School of Music, the Carnegie Mellon School of Music, the Northern Illinois University School of Music, Illinois State University, Purdue University, the University of Illinois, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Butler University, Roosevelt University, and Valparaiso University.