Thomas Tyra
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Thomas Tyra (born Thomas Norman Tyrakowski) (April 17, 1933 - July 7, 1995) was an American composer, arranger, bandmaster, and music educator.
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[edit] Early life and education
Tyra was born and raised in Cicero, Illinois. The only child of a working-class immigrant family, Tyra graduated from the J. S. Morton High School in Cicero, Northwestern University, the United States Navy School of Music and the University of Michigan, where he received his Ph.D in Music Education under the auspices of long-time Director of Bands, William D. Revelli.
[edit] Bandmaster and Music Educator
After joining Louisiana State University in 1958 as an assistant to then Director of Bands L. Bruce Jones, LSU elevated Tyra in 1959 to Director of the Tiger Marching Band, making him at age 26 the nation's youngest director of a major university marching band.[1] Tyra's 1959 introduction of the LSU Ballet Corps would become the LSU Golden Girls Dance Squad, which would also serve as a music training ground for many, including then staff arranger Bill Conti [2] who would later gain fame by writing the theme music for the 1976 film Rocky. In 1964, Tyra became Director of Bands at Eastern Michigan University, forging an enduring collaboration with Dr. Max Plank that would result in significant growth of the EMU Bands program.[3] From 1977 to 1985, he headed the Department of Music at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, strengthening its Music Education curriculum and planting the seeds of growth for its instrumental performance programs, including marching band.
In 1985, Tyra was appointed Professor and Dean of the Crane School of Music at SUNY-Potsdam.[4] He retired in 1989.
Tyra was a member of ASCAP and the Kappa Kappa Psi/Tau Beta Sigma band service organization.[5] From 1969 to 1971, Tyra also served as National President of Kappa Kappa Psi.[6]
[edit] Composer, Arranger and Lyricist
Tyra wrote numerous compositions and arrangements for symphonic bands, marching bands and brass ensembles. Reflecting his talent in arranging for low brass and in writing works suitable for middle-school and high-school band ensembles, Tyra's Two Gaelic Folk Songs remains a standard for young bands.[7] For more experienced ensembles, he arranged countless works for the LSU and EMU Marching Bands for half-time show performances, including those performed during half-time when the LSU football team competed post-season at the Sugar Bowl (1959, 1960), the Orange Bowl (1962), the Cotton Bowl (1963) and the Bluebonnet Bowl (1964).[8] His original compositions include Suite for Brass and Tympani, Three Christmas Miniatures and Ceremonial Sketch. For EMU, Tyra composed Eastern Variants, the music and lyrics for Go Green! and the musical break strain for the Huron (now Eagle) Fight Song.
He is also credited with crafting the words for Northwestern University's 1958 revamp of its Alma Mater (University Hymn) [9] at the request of Northwestern's then Director of Bands and early college mentor, John Paynter.
[edit] Personal life
Tyra fathered six children and had 13 grandchildren from his marriage to Suzanne Sheldon Tyra (Northwestern University '54).
[edit] References
- ^ Wickes, Frank. LSU Band history. LSU Department of Bands. Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ The Unofficial Bill Conti Website
- ^ Tyra-Plank Band Leadership Award at Eastern Michigan University
- ^ Crane School of Music, www.potsdam.edu
- ^ Eastern Michigan University ΚΚΨ - Delta Upsilon Chapter History
- ^ University of Cincinnati ΚΚΨ - Upsilon Chapter
- ^ Young Band Repertoire Project, Institute for Music Research at the University of Texas (San Antonio)
- ^ LSU Football post-season appearances
- ^ Northwestern University website: Behind the Music
