The TC band program finished strong this year, with all the bands giving great end of the year performances. The high school band had a very interesting clinic with trumpeter Dave Tippett, marched in the Elmhurst Memorial Parade, and said goodbye to some of the best seniors our school has ever seen. The younger bands finished the year in strong fashion, and the eighth graders had their last taste of life in the middle school. The fifth and sixth grades proved to handle all the music I could throw at them, and in late May, we tried out the fourth graders on instruments for the fall. Thanks to all the parents, students, and teachers who made it happen. -Mr. Schoenbach

The annual TC Solo and Ensemble Contest went off without a hitch again this year. Judges Craig Sunken and Kara Bancks heard some of Timothy’s best and brightest musical talents. Winners in the solo division were Becky Visser on the clarinet and Ana DeJong on the oboe. Runners-up in the ensemble division were a jazz combo consisting of Dori Cranmer, Joe Meigs, Audie Smith, Becky Visser, Rachel Slager, Will Roelofs, and Mike Cappazoli, and a flute quartet featuring Marissa Hegel, Julia Pattison, Taylor Bryant, and Natalie Lee. Winners of the ensemble division are pictured below: They were a woodwind quintet that did an arrangement of “Scarborough Fair” with Chelsea Bardolph, Ana DeJong, Rebecca Gilmore, Will Roelofs, and Julie Schram, and a sax quartet that did a jazz piece called “Four Shades” with Audie Smith, Colin Middel, Nate Middel, and Marcus Wondergem.

While at Walt Disney World, the TC Symphonic Band had an incredible clinic where we got to find out what it is like to be a professional musician in a recording studio. This video is what we came out of it with…after a little rehearsal, we put our music to the movie. The results aren’t perfect (they are only HS kids) but cool nonetheless. Just click on the link. Enjoy!!!!!

“TC Band does Little Mermaid”

Keep up with the Timothy Band by going to our trip blog. Click on the link TC Florida Trip Blog

TC clarinetist/bass clarinetist/tenor sax player Becky Visser recently auditioned and placed third in the state’s Honors band. Third chair is the highest any TC student has ever gotten in classical music. Becky wrote this about her awesome weekend…
“On January 29-31 I had the pleasure of going to Peoria Illinois for the 2009 IMEA All-State convention. While I was there I auditioned and was chosen as the 3rd chair bass clarinet player for the All-State Honor Band, which is the highest level band that a high school student can be in. While I was there I thought that playing for 10 hours a day would be very draining but it was actually very exciting and I never got sick of playing with all the best kids in the state. Our conductor, Mark Camphouse was an amazing conductor and just by looking at him conduct it was so easy to feel the emotion of the music and apply it to the songs we were playing. He had a very good way of squeezing every little bit of musicianship out of all of us. It was a weekend filled with music that I have never experienced before, and will never forget about. I hope that I can someday be in another ensemble as sophisticated as last weekend.”
Congrats Becky!!!!!!!

The TCHS band took some time out to watch Barack Obama’s inauguration speech yesterday. This is unrelated to band except for the fact that prior to the speech, there was one of the most amazingly beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. It was arrranged especially for the occasion by John Williams, composer of fantastic movie soundtracks for “Star Wars”, “Indiana Jones”, “Jaws”, the “Olympic Theme”, “Harry Potter”, and almost any other recognizeable movie music you can think of. It featured a quartet of cello (Yo-Yo Ma), violin (Itzhak Perlman), clarinet (Anthony McGill), and piano (Gabriela Montero). It was incredible. I would normally put something like this in my director’s blog, but it was so good I wanted everyone to see it.

On Saturday, December 6th, the Sixth Grade Band got to work with Doug Pelt, an elementary band director in the northern suburbs of Chicago. (and one of Mr. Schoenbach’s best friends) He worked with the band on their music for their upcoming Christmas concert, helping bring out the subtleties of the music and giving them a fresh point of view. The kids were very receptive and attentive. Our concert is Monday, December15th.

For more pictures, see the “pictures” link in the sixth grade band page.

Watch a clip of Timothy’s production of the Pirates of Penzance…listen to the awesome pit orchestra; there is some really tasty flute and oboe parts in there!!!!!

The TC Jazz Ensemble will be going to see “Too Hot to Handel”, a jazz/gospel rendition of Handel’s “Messiah”. The production is at the Auditorium Theatre on Friday, December 12th. Tickets will cost $11, and students in the Jazz Ensemble should have their money to Mr. Schoenbach by Friday, November 14th.

The Timothy Christian Band Department had 3 students selected to IMEA All-District Bands. Senior Becky Visser was chosen for her third straight year on bass-clarinet, tying a school record. Sophmore Dori Cranmer was chosen on the trombone. 7th grader Sam Sticha was the lone TC middle schooler to be selected, for his fine work on the euphonium.