For the past few years, the Tyler Junior College Wind Ensemble has been chasing — and achieving — some ambitious goals.
In February 2022, the group became the first community/junior college ensemble ever to perform a featured concert in the 102-year history of the Texas Music Educators Association’s annual convention in San Antonio.
In December 2023, they made history again as the first community/junior college ensemble invited to perform at The Annual Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago. Now in its 77th year, the Midwest Clinic, also commonly known just as Midwest, is the world’s largest instrumental music education conference, annually drawing more than 17,000 attendees from all 50 states and as many as 40 countries.
Dr. Paula A. Crider, Director Emerita of The University of Texas at Longhorn Band and a member of The Midwest Clinic Board of Directors, served as the TJC group’s liaison during the year leading up to the Dec. 21 performance.
Crider highlighted the significance of the moment — not just for TJC, but for community college bands across the state and nation.
“This is a monumental accomplishment,” she said. “For a band to be selected to perform at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic is roughly analogous to playing in the Super Bowl.
“A community college band has never before been selected, and they were chosen in a blind audition, in competition with many four-year colleges. As with many endeavors where it is assumed that a given achievement would be highly unlikely, if not impossible, the performance of the TJC Wind Ensemble has shattered a proverbial glass ceiling and has provided a model for community college bands across the country to emulate.”
Over the course of their TMEA and Midwest pursuits, the TJC students learned that the effort they put in wasn’t just about attaining those singular achievements but also about creating habits of diligence and hard work that will set them up for success in life.
That work ethic has also reflected in the students’ academic achievements.
“This past fall, we had more 4.0 GPAs in the band program — 31, to be exact — than we’ve had in my nine years at TJC,” said TJC Director of Bands Jeremy Strickland.
The road to Chicago
Strickland and his colleagues were deliberate in how they laid out their roadmap to Midwest.
“We had 261 days from the time we found out we were chosen until the day we performed, and we knew it was going to be an insane fall semester, what with preparing for Midwest in addition to football season,” Strickland said.
During those 261 days, an intensive rehearsal schedule was created and time management became the name of the game, all culminating in a challenging, one-hour program in front of a discerning audience of music educators from around the world.
“It’s important to mention that everyone in the band department was involved,” Strickland said. “Micah Bell (trumpets), Dr. Danny Chapa (low brass), Dr. Eddie Airheart (woodwinds), Tom McGowan (percussion), Tammy White (adjunct horn professor) and (Department chair and professor) Heather Mensch (trombones) all ran section rehearsals. It’s been a huge team effort.”
Rebecca Dueck, a freshman percussionist and music major from Paris, performs with the TJC Wind Ensemble at the Midwest Clinic.
From Dec. 15 through 17, the group performed three consecutive concerts at home, before loading the buses and leaving for Chicago on Dec. 18.
“Something we noticed during those three run-out concerts was how the students raised their playing level with each performance,” Strickland said. “It was interesting to see them go from amateur musicians to semi-professional across three days to get them ready to play for the Midwest crowd.”
He continued, “There is so much to be learned from working toward performances of the highest level. Of course, the process of practicing and putting together the most difficult program they have ever seen helps these students grow as musicians. But it also validates the amount of time they put into the process, and that will help them throughout their careers — no matter what career that might be, whether it’s music education, chemistry, nursing or even welding technology. We have a broad spectrum of majors in our band program.”
Each selection of the Midwest program was carefully chosen, with literature ranging from traditional to modern pieces; and how fitting that the group would open their performance with a piece entitled “Transcendent Journey.”
“It certainly was that,” said Rebecca Dueck, a freshman percussionist and music major from Paris. “It’s just a blessing that we got to work so hard for something like Midwest. The whole experience was just so worth it. We grew so much as musicians, and we really became a family by going through this together. And because we had lived with that music for so long, the feeling of being finished with it was bittersweet.”
The conductors, composers, featured artists and musicians
Strickland shared conducting duties with Dr. Eddie Airheart, TJC assistant director of bands.
As with the TMEA concert two years before, Strickland also recruited his father, retired band director George “Buddy” Strickland, to be a guest conductor, and this year added Dr. Timothy Rhea, Texas A&M University director of bands, and Bobby R. Francis, Texas Christian University director of bands.
From left: Micah Bell, TJC jazz/trumpet professor and guest artist; Wayne Bergeron, professional trumpet player and guest artist; Jeremy Strickland, TJC director of bands; Dr. Eddie Airheart, TJC assistant director of bands; George Strickland, guest conductor; and Dr. Timothy Rhea, Texas A&M University director of bands and guest conductor.
Every living composer on the TJC program was in attendance for the concert, including Erika Svanoe, who wrote “Steampunk Suite,” a whimsical piece that borrows themes from the Victorian area, with sound effects of clockwork and steam technology and featuring a hotel bell.
Svanoe attended TJC’s pre-concert rehearsal and was surprised to see that, instead of a regulation, palm-sized hotel bell, Strickland had brought in a gigantic bell the size of a cantaloupe.
“The look on Erika’s face when she saw that giant bell was priceless,” he said. “She said something like ‘Wow, I guess everything really is bigger in Texas.’ After the concert, the members of our percussion section signed the bell and gave it to her. It was the only photo she posted from Midwest.”
Featured guest artist for the performance was jazz trumpet player Wayne Bergeron, who has performed with artists ranging from Beyoncé to Barbra Streisand and is a highly sought-after session musician on TV and film soundtracks.
A partial list of his more than 200 film credits: “The Incredibles,” “La La Land,” “West Side Story” (2021), “Mission Impossible 3,” “Enchanted,” “Superman Returns,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Despicable Me,” “Dreamgirls,” “Hairspray” and “Spiderman.”
For the TJC program, Bergeron and TJC jazz and trumpet professor Micah Bell teamed for a high-flying duet on the classic Disney ballad, “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
Bergeron said, “It’s always a treat to get to play with wonderful young musicians, and I had such a great time working with the Tyler Junior College Wind Ensemble. The students played with a lot of passion and sounded fantastic. It was also fun to get to play with my buddy, Micah Bell. All of his students playing in the band are rock solid."
Bell said, “Getting to be a small part of the journey to Midwest for our students was one of the best professional and personal experiences I’ve ever had. To perform with Wayne Bergeron was such an honor, but I think my favorite aspect of that was seeing our students react and interact with Wayne. It brought me back to the first time I got to meet him in college and perform with him almost 20 years ago. I’m so proud of our students for this incredible journey and the amazing progress they made. They are such good people.”
After their Midwest Clinic performance, the TJC percussion section presented composer Erika Svanhoe (far right) with the giant hotel bell that was played during her piece, “Steampunk Suite.” From left: Jon Canaday, Palestine; Corban Mize, Mineola; Micah Brown, Tyler; Reed Bryant, Rockwall; Kaylen Sewell, Tyler; Zachary Gee, Burleson; Becca Dueck, Paris; Thomas Sepeda, China Spring; and Svanhoe.
Strickland added, “Wayne Bergeron, who hardly ever posts anything on social media, posted a photo of himself with our students and talked about how much fun he had hanging out and playing with us in Chicago. It was such a great moment, and for Wayne to be such a down-to-earth guy, this was an experience they will remember forever. Now, every time they hear ‘The Incredibles’ soundtrack, they’ll think, ‘Yeah, I played at Midwest with that guy.’”
The TJC Wind Ensemble members and their hometowns: Bowen Adams, Lindale; Tania Andrews, Canton; Samueal Antonio, Tyler; Abbigale Arrington, Gilmer; Jackson Baker, Hallsville; Kelsey Beach, Powderly; Micah Brown, Tyler; Reed Bryant, Rockwall; Reagan Burnett, Bremond; Jonathan Canaday, Palestine; Adadrian Cleaver, Tyler; Willam Culbertson, Paris; Victoria Dimkpa, Melissa; Aileen Dominguez, Longview; Rebecca Dueck, Paris; Dalton Echols, Paris; Sarah Elliott, Royce City; Zackary Gee, Burleson; Mitchell Gilbert, Bullard; Aliyah Gonzalez, Mineola; Kaitlyn Groth, Lindale; Caleb Haffner, Overton; Audrey Hanson, Bullard; Alexa Hearn, Junction; Rian Howard, Lindale; Jagger Hudman, Kilgore; Emily James, Palestine; Nicole Jensen, Fort Worth; Emileigh Jones, San Angelo; Maddison Jones, Dawson; Noah Kelly, Tyler; Elisa Lajqi, Canton; Aidan Lester, The Colony; Yemiely Lopez, Grand Saline; Makenzie Mburugu, Whitehouse; Corban Mize, Mineola; Alexa Moore, Longview; Nathaniel Murray, Van; Juan Najera, Springtown; Harvey Nguyen, Whitehouse; Anthony Orduna, Tyler; Zachary Paul, Terrell; Nicolas Perez, Winnsboro; Aracely Perez-Gonzalez, Center; Brayden Persinger, Tyler; Dakodah Prock, Grand Saline; Bailey Roach, Lindale; Alec Robinson, Forney; Aaron Roden, Lindale; Taylor See, Gladewater; Thomas Sepeda, China Spring; Kaylin Sewell, Tyler; Aidan Skanes, Flint; Robert Sparrow, Crandall; Dominic Theriot, Forney; Christiana Ussery, Lindale; Anthony Vargas, Elkhart; and Michael Warne, Terrell.
Lessons in ‘adulting’
In addition to the performance, the TJC students not only experienced the Midwest conference itself — which included a convention center full of potential future college professors and employers — but they also learned the ways of navigating a major metropolitan area.
“Many of these students had never been to a big city before, so we ‘adulted’ them,” Strickland said. “We taught them how to get around town using Uber and Lyft, because most of them had never done that before. We taught them how to use the OpenTable app to make dinner reservations and how to tip.”
Members of the TJC Wind Ensemble attend a performance of the hit musical, “Hamilton,” at the Nederlander Theatre in Chicago.
In addition to outings for Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza and Italian beef sandwiches, the group also attended a performance of the musical “Hamilton,” at the historic Nederlander Theatre.
“Besides the ‘Hamilton’ performance, just being at the Nederlander itself was an experience because it is beyond ornate. Every square inch is amazing, including the ceiling,” he said. “Some of the kids were literally in tears being there. It was really special.”
At the Midwest conference, Strickland mandated professional attire.
“When the kids were on the exhibit floor, I made them dress up,” he said. “They got to meet people they’d only read about or played music written by them before then. They got their music scores and sheet music signed by the composers we were playing. Essentially, they got to meet people who, for them, are heroes in our world.”
What it all means and what’s next
Since December, Strickland and the students have had some time to reflect and process the Midwest experience, what it meant and how it will affect the future.
“We’ve received a ton of fan mail and gotten a lot of compliments on the programming and the variety of the pieces,” Strickland said. “So many band directors from other colleges and universities across the country, and even some composers, have emailed or reached out on our social media.”
The TJC musicians have also been getting noticed by university music programs.
Brayden Persinger, a sophomore tuba player from Tyler, has his sights on transferring to TCU to continue his music degree and eventually teach at the university level, and he feels more prepared than ever to reach for those goals.
Brayden Persinger, a sophomore tuba player from Tyler, will transfer to TCU after graduating from TJC in May.
“I used to need a lot of reminders to practice and stay organized,” Persinger said. “Back in high school, I was just all over the place. Now, I am much more focused and organized in my everyday life.”
Strickland said, “The reality is that our name is now known and it carries weight to it. Now, when I fill out a recommendation form for them to transfer to the next level, they are getting fast-tracked for pre-interviews for auditions. I can say ‘was a member of the Tyler Junior College Wind Ensemble that recently performed at Midwest,’ and it just kind of fast-passes them through the process. They’ve earned it, for sure.”
High school band directors who have never called Strickland before have been inviting him to talk to their students about the TJC program.
“It’s opened a lot of doors for us,” he said. “After TMEA in 2022, we went from 181 band students to 203 this last year, and we’ve received more applications at this time of year than we normally get.”
The students are still relishing their Midwest experience and assessing how it changed them.
Dueck said, “I think things seem so much more in my grasp now because of the hard work. I will say that all of last semester and the method of practice isn’t just applicable to music. It applies to everywhere in your life.”
Persinger agreed, “I also found that enjoying the journey is more beneficial than just getting it over with. You build a community around you, and you build this musical experience together.”
Airheart added, “We often talk about the joy of the journey, which will be remembered long after the arrival at the destination. To watch our students experience the musical and intellectual growth that occurred from August to December was breathtaking. They quickly became more than a really good band: they grew into an ensemble.
“They pushed past their personal perceived physical and mental limitations to reach a level of mature artistry that is evident only in veteran musicians. As for me, I became a better human being because of what I witnessed firsthand in a group of TJC students. And for that, I will always be grateful.”
Experiences like Midwest also create lasting connections between the students and TJC.
“We don’t get to go to Super Bowls anymore, we don’t get to go to the Dallas Cowboys games anymore, and we’re not going to the Junior Rose Bowl Parade, like the band students of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s,” Strickland said. “So, we have to do the State Marching Contest exhibitions and the Midwest and TMEA conventions and connect them to the college, all of which are also great things for TJC as a whole.”
Next, the group will audition for the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) convention, to be held in Fort Worth in 2025, and eventually go for the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE), which is usually held in a major international city.
“We want to keep creating these bigtime, heavy experiences for our students,” Strickland said, “so that 30 years from now, when we need them to support the 107th version of the Apache Band, they will remember these meaningful events during their time here and want the band members of the future to have those same experiences. That’s how we keep it going.”
TJC President and CEO Dr. Juan E. Mejia said, “Personally, I am fortunate that music has served in a key role throughout my own life, as education and music have intersected to create some of my fondest memories. As a young student, receiving my first cornet and acoustic guitar opened the doors to meaningful experiences and lifelong friends.
“We celebrate these students and, who are the next generation of what we hold so dear.”
Final spring performances set April 30 and May 2
The TJC Band program will close out its 2023-24 performance season with a Symphonic Band concert 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, and Wind Ensemble concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, in Wise Auditorium, located in the Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center on the TJC central campus.
Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.
For more information on TJC Bands, go to TJC.edu/Band.