Alumni Testimonials

Well I made Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble and both of them are KILLER. I'm really excited for what's going to happen with both of these bands and for what they stand for. Wind ensemble tours for two weeks of spring break all over the country playing about 15-20 performances in different cities. The coolest part though is that the performances are all in public places and we talk about our faith at all of them, and we've gotten alot of responses! I'm very excited about all that's going to happen in that group. And percussion ensemble is very impressive also. There's about 15 of us and we play some very technically and musically challenging pieces; one piece you should deffinitely check out is "Stained Glass" by David Gillingham. It's my favorite that we play. I'm on 3rd Marimba.

I didn't get into Jazz Ensemble, but that's just because there's only one band with two positions, and we have about three mad-men on set at Indiana Wesleyan. So I'll have to try for it in future years. But instead of Jazz Ensemble, the director placed me in the top of two pep bands, which is very cool because they only take two drummers per band too. It should be a good time; we play in 11 of the 22 men and women basketball games AND get paid $20 per game! Oh, and I got asked to take a spot in one of the worship bands for a church on campus called College Wesleyan Church. They have like six services every sunday with about 300 people at each, and each has a different spin to it (different pastors/ kinds of music/ audience type). I played in the most contemporary one this week for the first time and it went very well!

2005 Graduate

Hey Mr. Thompson! It's Josh Farrow, from e-music a couple years ago.. I just wanted to email you to show you my new music I've been making! I haven't been going to school, it's bad I know, but I've really been focusing on music and recording and performing. I'm playing guitar in a band and I'm also making my own solo stuff. The solo stuff i just recorded in my bedroom with a USB mic and Cakewalk Sonar on my laptop. Honestly, the only reason i know how to use the program and write any kind of melodies is all because of your class. I've never been taught anything musical by anyone else. So thank you Mr. Thompson!! Here are links to both, let me what you think!

www.myspace.com/howbrightthesky (the band)

www.myspace.com/joshfarrow (the solo stuff)

Thought you'd be interested to know that this past November I auditioned for and made the 144th Army National Guard Band in Springfield, IL ("the governor's band"). I just finished the army basic training two weeks ago, and I'm halfway done with 4 weeks of just music training through the Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, VA. It's a really cool opportunity and though I'm not a music major, I have always wanted to become part of a professional ensemble so this is very exciting for me. Just a little update for your alumni page I guess. Hope the summer is going well, and I hope to make it out to a few games this year and see the band. Good luck with the year!

-Chip Brewster

I went to see Star Wars with some friends last night and we were on our way out when my friend realized he left his cell phone and he had to turn around and go get it. So the rest of us are standing around waiting for him and I realized that the area we were in was very similar to a space I am designing for my studio. So naturally, i wanted to measure the span between these two columns. My friend Brittney then offered to pace it off, saying that she had about a two foot stride. That's when the light bulb clicked on and i realized that i know how i can have a 22.5 inch stride. Long story short, the columns are 26'-6" apart.Just thought I'd let you know that even though i'm not a music major, I'm still using my valuable marching band skills. I hope eveyone's well in LZ and the band/orchestra. Mr Fawkes, congratulations on your conducting award. From what i hear via my parents it sounds like things are continuing to improve year after year (although i'm sure you had to do some recouping after losing our class). Well It's 1am and i'm not too coherent right now, so I'll bid you farewell.Take care.

-John Hooper

2003 Graduates

I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to join jazz band in high school. We did a MENC clinic last night about jazz band (very, VERY general) and it was really fun because I think I was the only person who actually knew what they were talking about. Chip McNeil was talking about "comping" the chord progressions and he had to explain what that was. He also talked about a standard blues chord progression and no one had a clue! It was sort of sad, but I am so thankful that I got jazz experience in high school and even the lab band I am playing trumpet in now...All these students who want to teach high school band don't know ANYTHING about jazz!!! Even with the little bit that I know from you screaming it at us in high school has gotten me really far, so thank you for teaching the not-so-hot flute player how to play trombone my sophomore year. The best part was when Chip was saying how he does drum set auditions. He makes the student play a samba, swing, latin, funk, bossa nova, etc. styles and I Know what those are!! I am so surprised that nobody else does. I really like jazz band now, and that's one of the things I am looking to do when I student teach or get a job. I love jazz band! :) I have also used all that stuff you taught me to do composition projects that everyone seems really impressed with. I just did a lesson on basic blues improvising for a middle school level general music class and the Dr. Reese put it on the website as an example. Everyone seems shocked that I know anything about it, I guess I didn't realize how much I knew compared to everyone else.

Emily Stolarski

I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I did when I was there. I wanted to let you know that I did amazing on my auditions here at school. I placed 4th chair in the Symphonic band and 3rd chair in the Marching Band. Next fall, I'm in the running to be section leader of the piccolo section. However, I owe my thanks to the band program. Without it I would have never learned to march and to play well. Both you and Mr. Fawkes strived to make every student a strong musician and it paid off for me. You took the time to select challenging yet fun music for all. That in turn, caused the students to want to practice and want to play well. I want to thank you for that. I know that a lot of the talent comes from practice and whatnot, but I believe that it takes a strong program to make a student love music and have that drive to be all that one can be. I hope you continue to have that effect on all students.

2000 Graduate

I just wanted to say thanks for jazz band. It was playing with that crew that inspired me to improve my overall musicianship. I have gotten into home recording, and last september I finished a CD of my own material, playing 97% of it all myself. I have since started on some new material.

1999 Graduate

This is Tony Rodriguez from class of 1999. I had an idle day today and I got the idea to check out the LZHS band website to see what you guys are up to these days. Looks like you're doing a hell of a job there, I saw the Jazz Band's gotten some recognition recently for playing.

Anyway, I thought you might be interested to hear my own little story about rediscovering music. To fill you in, after high school I went on to study biology, psychology, and chemistry as a pre-med student at U of Illinois at Chicago. After graduating I went to Japan to teach English for about a year and a half, and I just came back about 4 months ago. On a side note, I was surprised to find out during my first night out singing karaoke that I could actually hold a note, thanks to having been in band. Then about half a year ago, between quitting my job in Japan and returning home, I bought an old acoustic guitar and I was surprised that after 7 years of not touching an instrument, my ear could still recognize individual notes and know when I'm out of tune or mis-fingering a chord. Well, I had been listening to a lot of Eddie Palmieri at the time (he's a very famous Salsa and Latin Jazz pianist/composer) and I was really taken in by his style of playing. It wasn't too soon after that I started listening to a lot of Jerry Lee Lewis as well, which pretty much sealed the deal for me and it didn't take me too long after that to decide that piano is where it's at for me.

So presently, in my spare time, I'm teaching myself how to play the piano using my sister's spare electric keyboard and I can't help but wish I had done more in the music program. If I could do it again I definitely would have taken Jazz Band and music theory, knowing that even if I don't use music to earn my living that it's certainly nice to be able to technically appreciate and understand what I put into my head.