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Time:

Thursday
December, 21, 2023
12:00 PM - 01:15 PM

Location:

W375AB

Category

College Concert Band

Conductor

Conductor Thumb
Jeremy Strickland

Program

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Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

Tyler Junior College is in the heart of East Texas and will soon celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2026. Situated near downtown Tyler, TJC serves as a beacon of hope and opportunity for students from Smith County and the surrounding area who seek to obtain an associate degree with the intention of transferring to finish a bachelor's degree or entering the workforce. As one of the largest music programs at a two-year college in Texas, our music graduates are prepared to excel at the university level and beyond. Our TJC Music faculty is comprised of world-class musicians with high expectations who also care about the individual growth and well-being of every student. We train our music students to be academically responsible, community-focused, and skillful performers. Our goal is to provide top-quality ensemble experiences that rival those of any four-year university. Universities actively recruit our well-prepared students, who transfer all over the United States to continue their music studies. The TJC Band program is led by the Director of Bands and the Assistant Director of Bands/Professor of Woodwinds. Membership in the TJC Wind Ensemble is by auditions that occur before the start of each academic year. The ensemble regularly performs two concerts each semester and participates in various campus and community-wide events, such as an annual Christmas Extravaganza with the Apache Belles dance team and the spring commencement exercises. The Tyler Junior College Wind Ensemble recently became the first Junior/Community college to perform a featured concert in the 103-year history of the Texas Music Educators Association annual convention. They also performed as the demonstration ensemble for several clinics at the 2022 Texas Bandmasters Association Convention. The 200-member marching band performed an exhibition at the 2018 UIL State Marching Band Championships and is scheduled to do so again in 2023. As a junior college with only freshman and sophomore students on campus, the band program is continually having to "reload" sections that can change by as many as half each year. This unique opportunity is offset by the relationship we have with directors in the East Texas and DFW Metroplex. It is not unheard of for TJC faculty to visit between 50-60 schools each year to recruit future members of the TJC band program. More than 60% of the band's membership comes from schools considered "small" by the Association of Texas Small School Bands classification system, and 15% of the members are considered first-generation college students. Our 75-year history as the largest and most highly sought-after junior college program in the state has positioned us to be considered for performance on some of the state's largest stages with students who may have never had that opportunity otherwise.

Tyler Junior College

Conductor's Bio

Jeremy Strickland is in his ninth year as Director of Bands at Tyler Junior College. At TJC, he directs the 200-member Apache Marching Band and the Wind Ensemble. Bands under his direction regularly perform across the East Texas region and around the state. Recently, the Apache Marching Band made their debut performance in exhibition at the UIL State Marching Band Championships, and the Wind Ensemble was the first junior/community college band invited to perform at the annual Texas Music Educators Association Clinic and Convention in 2022. Prior to coming to TJC, Mr. Strickland served as the Assistant Director of Bands at TCU where he directed the Basketball Band, the University Concert Band and was Assistant Director of the Marching Band. During his time at TCU, he worked with ensembles that performed at the Fiesta Bowl, the Rose Bowl, the Tournament of Roses Parade and Pre-game for Super Bowl XL, as well as concerts at New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Bass Hall in Fort Worth. Mr. Strickland coordinated efforts for The Horned Frog Marching Band to perform live for ESPN College Gameday, ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning radio show, Hollywood’s New Year’s Eve party as well as many other local public appearances. Before teaching at TCU, Mr. Strickland was the Director of Bands at Springtown High School in Springtown, Texas. Bands under his direction consistently received superior ratings at concert contests, earned UIL Sweepstakes awards and made several appearances at the UIL State Marching Contest. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Music Studies from The University of Texas at Austin in 2002 where he was a member of the Wind Ensemble and the “Showband of the Southwest.” His Master of Music degree in Conducting is from TCU. Strickland is grateful for Bobby Francis, Brian Youngblood, JB Perry, Robin Hidrogo, his dad and many, many more teachers and colleagues who have mentored and worked with him throughout his career. Outside of his responsibilities at TJC, Mr. Strickland has worked for 20 years as the field logistics and operations coordinator for bands at the UIL State Marching Band Championships and has served as the College Band Liaison for the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. He is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Texas Music Adjudicators Association and the College Band Directors National Association. Mr. Strickland and his wife, Ashley, reside in Lindale where their three children attend Lindale ISD. In their free time, you can find his family playing boardgames and swimming in their pool. They are all faithful and active members at First Baptist Church in Lindale.

Additional Directors

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Dr. Eddie W. Airheart

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