My Life

I grew up in Peru, Illinois – a small community in the North Central part of the state. It was a pretty normal mid-western life for an only child. My parents were sensible people with a true set of ethics and morals – hard working, honest, loyal, humble, and with a sense of fairness that permeated every facet of their lives.

My father was a laborer who worked in factories most of his life. He was very adept at taking things apart and fixing them better than new. He liked to fish and garden, but I believe his life’s dream was to be a professional trumpet player. He wanted to go to a music college, but life and World War II intervened so he enlisted in the Navy. After the war, he picked up the trumpet again and played in regional big bands in northern Illinois by night and worked in a factory by day. He was tough – but honest and fair!

My mother accomplished all of the usual chores that housewives did, but also worked in factories for a large part of her life. She wasn’t presented with many career options as a young woman, but she took everything in stride and made the most of every day. She loved to cook and bake! She was generous and self-sacrificing to a fault – one of the most genuine humans I have ever met.

My father started me playing the cornet at an early age (on my first set of teeth). I had to stop for a while to let permanent teeth come in, and then we rented a cornet from our local music store when I was in 4th grade. He wrote out exercises for me to practice, and I was delighted when he would grab his trumpet so we could play duets.

When 5th grade came around, I didn’t need to choose an instrument like the other kids – I already had mine. I joined the 5th grade band and began taking lessons from Larry Katz who had me work in the Arban book. I started playing in the local solo/ensemble contests that first year – memorizing my first solo. The following year I studied with a new teacher in the area – Don Michel – who took a special interest in trying to help me be a better musician. In 8th grade, I began lessons in the Chicago area with William Babcock who played with the CSO and in local shows. Oddly, Arnold Jacobs, Bud Herseth, Vince Cichowicz, and Charles Geyer were all too busy to teach an 8th grader! My father sacrificed a lot to drive the 200 mile round trip twice a month to take me to lessons.

My high school band program was comprised of an amazing, dedicated group of teachers and student musicians. Led by Chris Izzo, Mel Pontious, Jim Brown, and (later) Tom Swain, it was one of the premiere programs in the country for many years. Besides amazing educational trips to Chicago and Champaign, the band received many accolades for performances. Of special note for me was the trip to Europe at the end of my senior year where the band played concerts in several countries and participated in (and won honors at) the International Band Festival in Vienna, Austria.

I continued to play cornet through high school, and I purchased a trumpet in my junior year to use in our jazz band. I participated in summer music camps and solo/ensemble contests each year, and I was the solo cornet during my junior and senior years in the Illinois All-State Band. It was during my junior year that I began to study with Ronald Modell at Northern Illinois University. Mr. Modell was a large personality who encouraged me to slow down and focus more on musical matters. He was always good for a story (or two) and we stayed in touch through the years.

I attended NIU for two years before transferring to the Indiana University School of Music to study with Modell’s uncle – Louis Davidson. Mr. Davidson was a warm, kind human who was a terrific musician with exceptional technique. He was great friends with Timofey Dokshitser as well as with most of the great brass players of the time. I learned so many things from him! Years later (as I was working on my DM) I would visit him weekly and he would regale me with stories.

After graduating with a BME, I won a position in the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Italy for the summer. Upon returning home at the end of that summer, I almost accepted a high school teaching job in Iowa when I got a call from a musical group looking for a trumpet player to tour with them. A moment of uncertainty, and then I was off on an excursion with Ken Hamilton and Friends that took me to Puerto Rico, New York City (Copacabana), Valley Forge, Las Vegas, Marco Island, Hawaii, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and eventually to Reno where I met my wife and forever partner, Karen, and began the next chapter in my life.

That chapter included several years as a full-time musician in Reno/Tahoe playing all kinds of shows for celebrities, in the Reno Philharmonic, the Opera and Chamber Orchestras, in a brass quintet and a whole host of other musical endeavors. I completed an MM during this time, after which we moved back to Indiana so that I could pursue a doctoral degree. At IU I worked as a Teaching Assistant for my teacher Charles Gorham – another generous, wonderful human who was very patient and helped me in numerous ways. I was fortunate to sub often with the Indianapolis Symphony, to play in numerous studio sessions in Indianapolis, and to perform with several area big bands. Not to be forgotten, we added an important member to our family when our only child, Jennifer was born. Our family was busy and happy, and we never lost the ability to just enjoy being together.

After completing coursework for my DM degree, I accepted the trumpet professor position at the University of Northern Iowa in 1986 – following the legendary Keith Johnson. Through years of vacations, holidays, summer music festivals, orchestra concerts, and many solo recitals I never lost my love for my family, my dedicated colleagues, or my hard-working students at UNI.

Now, with Jennifer grown and living her own life adventure, Karen and I have begun to live the next chapter in our life by moving back to the west - to Idaho, after 39 years in Cedar Falls.

Throughout it all, music has been there - not as an obsession, but a love nonetheless. For a while it was how I regarded myself - what gave me value. However, the years have allowed me many opportunities to know that music is what I do - not who I am. This clearer understanding has improved my work as an educator many times over. Although I endeavor to teach my students to play the trumpet and be better musicians, my hope is that they also learn about life; about how to respect themselves and each other; about how to value the effort and dedication they put into their work as much as the end result; and about how life is not the label they may affix to themselves and their playing but in the whole person they become through the experiences.

This has been my journey - so far!