Author: i5ww2017

L.D. Bell graduate Brandon Bingham played lead trombone in the band in 2015-2016.  The year before that, Haltom graduate Jerry Turner — a two-year All State band member — was a major contributor to an all star trombone section.  Grapevine High School graduate Chris Lyman did a great job as our college intern in 2013.

While these three ‘boys’ just missed one another in our band; they are together now as young men at the US Navy School of Music – starting their USMC careers.   As Marine musicians they started their military service as Lance Corporals.  After finishing military music training Chris will go to Cherry Point, NC; and Brandon and Jerry will go to bands in San Diego.

All three young men will have GI Bill benefits for continuing college.

Demarcus Baysmore played in our youth ensembles in 2014 and 2015 when he was a student at Bowie High School in Arlington.  He returned in the summer of 2016  as a college intern.

Demarcus is majoring in Music Performance at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee.  While playing in OBU’s Bison Jazz Orchestra and Symphonic winds band, he also plays Sundays at The People’s Church in Midwest City.

His music studies at OBU have acquainted him famed recording artists Dennis Jernigan and Kirk Whalum.

During the summer, Demarcus plays on the Tuesday praise team at the Falls Creek Baptist Encampment in Oklahoma.  He also plays frequently at the First Baptist Church of Dallas.

Demarcus is a featured soloist on our album: “The Best of KAYJO.”

 

Myles Blakemore played in the band in 2010 and 2011, his 11th and 12th grade years at Trinity High School. As a distinguished alumnus, Myles returned as a guest soloist in 2014 and performed a duet with Mr. Mario Casanova, who had been his high school band director.

Myles has come a long way since then!  He was appointed as the Rosemary and David Good Fellow with the Minnesota Orchestra in 2017.  He has performed with the Dallas Symphony; and during the 2016-17 season he was 2^nd trombone with New Jersey’s Symphony in C.   He has held festival fellowships in Aspen, CO and Spoleto (Charleston, SC) and performed during summer festivals in Brevard, NC and Lake George, NY.

Myles studied with Dallas Symphony principal John Kitzman during his undergraduate studies at SMU; and with the famed Dr. Per Brevig while earning his Masters in the Orchestral Performance at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music.

Myles was a featured MPYO soloist on when we recorded “Sidewinder” in 2011.  That cut is included on our 2016 release  “The Best of KAYJO”

Kennedy was a 10th grader at L.D. Bell when MPYO started in 2010, and he played in the band throughout his high school career. Kennedy was a featured soloist during the MPYO’s first recording session, and that tune is featured on the recent release: “The best of KAYJO.” Kennedy was a jazz studies major at UNT, where he played lead trombone in the prestigious Latin Lab Band; and climbed thru the ranks of the 3 O Clock, 2 O Clock, and finally holding the lead chair in UNT’s flagship ensemble, the One O Clock Lab Band.

Kennedy has also spent two years in the elite U-tubes, which won the 2015 ITF Kai Winding Jazz Trombone Ensemble competition and the 2016 ATW Jazz Trombone Competiton.

He now writes music and serves at First Baptist Church of Euless.

Interned in the MPYO in 2010 while majoring in Music Composition at TCU. He then went on to study theology at Southwestern Seminary, then spent a few years as youth minister at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Ennis.

Ryan is currently the pastor of Raintree Community Church in Lee’s Summit, MO. He still plays regularly, and helps instruct for a local high school jazz band. Ryan is pursuing a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City.

Staff Sergeant Ryan Brewer graduated from Richland High School a year before he launch of our youth jazz programs, but he volunteered as a college intern during summers of 2012 and 2014.

Ryan joined the elite US Army Field Band in 2016, following a rigorous competitive audition process. His first gig with that band was the Presidential inauguration, and he has since traveled extensively on performance tours with that elite group.

Ryan was in college when he interned with us, and holds a Masters degree from Stephen F. Austin and a Bachelors from the University of North Texas.

Before making the Army band Ryan maintained a private studio and as a freelanced, performing with the National Repertory Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Richardson Symphony Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra, and the Texas Music Festival Orchestra.

As a soloist, Ryan was a finalist at multiple competitions within the International Trumpet Guild; and a semi-finalist for New World Symphony and National Trumpet Competition. His primary teachers were Professor Gary Wurtz at SFA and Dr. Keith Johnson at UNT. Ryan also studied with Adam Gordon, and John Holt.

With a glowing recommendation from the Saginaw High School band director, Jake Eyler was accepted into our youth ensemble at the end of his freshman year. He was in a little over his head in 2011, in a trombone section with three older boys who were All Staters. But by 11th grade, Jake was an All State Jazzer himself; and his senior year he played lead in the Texas All State Jazz Band. In the spring he garnered outstanding soloist recognition at numerous jazz festivals. He was also the student leader of the “None of a Kind” quartet directed by James McNair. That foursome won a prestigious competition at TCU. Jake had several college offers, and chose Oklahoma State University, where he studies music business and is part of the prestigious trombone studio with renown Professor Paul Compton. Jake and his dad John are pictured here, with MPYO founder Gary Phillips crashing their party.