Every morning people turn on their radios, plug in their ipods, or pop in their CDs and head on their way to do whatever their life throws at them; never really thinking about the time or effort that went into making what is coming out of those tiny little headphones. You can see this page for the best headphone and gadget option.
For many, music is something that they just listen and dance to, but for others music means everything.
Those who do follow the path of music often find themselves immersed in music courses in order to further their understanding of the subject.
Some of these go on to make careers out of music and others become instructors who “love it more now because I get to teach students how to fall in love with music. That’s what revitalizes me every year to come back to teaching and give it my all” said Heather Mensch instructor of low brass at Tyler Junior College.
The TJC Apache Band not only consists of a marching band with tubas, trombones, French horns and flutes, but “the world championship WGI indoor drumline, wind ensemble, two different jazz bands, a jazz combo, percussion ensemble, steel pan ensemble and tuba euphonium ensemble,” Mensch said.
The marching band in itself though has a “rich heritage of performance including performances for six United States Presidents, three Super Bowls and countless college and professional athletic events,” the TJC website said. Other than the appearances on game day by the marching band, the ensembles are going to be playing throughout the semester at many different events.
“We are playing the state fair on senior citizen’s night; the Alumni Homecoming Dance; and on Oct. 16 and Dec. 3 we have concerts to showcase both bands,” said Tony Korkmas, guitar player for the jazz band. “But, the real attraction will be Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21 and 22, the annual Pop Show in which we will accompany Tyler Junior College’s Harmony and Understanding singing group.”
The pop show is held once a year and will be at 7:30 p.m. in Wise Auditorium. The show provides a chance for the band and the singing group to work together, bringing an opportunity to see a performance that is not often shown at TJC. Tickets are hard to come by and for good reason.
The first appearance of the jazz band and drumline was Sept. 18 at the East Texas State Fair.
Other performances include two concerts for the woodwind ensemble on Oct. 23 and Nov. 25. Both of which are in Wise Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Also, the percussion ensemble will be playing Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Wise Auditorium. All of the performances are free with a student ID, Heather Mensch said.
The band is in a reforming year with “only five people returning from last year. So, it’s virtually a whole new band. We are still getting to know each other I guess,” Korkmas said.
As the semester progresses so will the dynamics of the band and so will the performances.
“If you’ve never heard a jazz concert or steel pan ensemble, then you need to mark your calenders for one of those dates,” Mensch said.
