Thomas Tyra
Encyclopedia
Thomas Tyra (April 17, 1933 - July 7, 1995) was an American
composer
, arranger
, bandmaster
, and music educator.
. The only child of a working-class immigrant family, Tyra graduated from the J. S. Morton High School
in Cicero, Northwestern University
(BA 1954, MA 1955) and the United States Navy School of Music (1957) where he would refine his composition and arranging skills while fulfilling his military service. He would later receive his Ph.D in Music Education in 1971 from the University of Michigan
under the auspices of long-time Director of Bands, William D. Revelli.
recruited Tyra to serve as assistant to then Director of Bands
L. Bruce Jones. In 1959, LSU elevated Tyra to become the 14th Bandmaster of the Tiger Marching Band, making him at age 26 the nation's youngest director of a major university marching band. Tyra's 1959 introduction of the LSU Ballet Corps launched the beginnings of the LSU Golden Girls Dance Squad. Creating some of the musical content that Tyra selected for these groups was a small cadre of aspiring student composers and arrangers, including a young Bill Conti
who would later gain fame by penning the theme music for the 1976 hit film Rocky
.
In 1964, Tyra became Director of Bands at Eastern Michigan University
. In 1968, he hired a young Max Plank to be his assistant, thus forging an enduring collaboration that would result in significant growth of the EMU Bands program. 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. From 1985 to 1989, he served as Professor and Dean of the Crane School of Music
at SUNY-Potsdam. Following his retirement from Crane, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he would spend his remaining years close to immediate family members.
Tyra was a member of the Kappa Kappa Psi
/Tau Beta Sigma
band service organization and served as ΚΚΨ's National President from 1973 to 1975. He was also a member of ASCAP and the American Federation of Musicians
.
Reflecting his talent in arranging for low brass and in writing works suitable for band ensembles of all levels, Tyra's Two Gaelic Folk Songs remains a standard for intermediate bands. For beginning band, Tyra wrote a series of original compositions including Wholey Hymn, Modal March, Pentatonic Polka, Quartal Caper, and Polytonal Parade. His compositions and arrangements for intermediate band include Two 17th Century Italian Songs and an arrangement of I'd Do Anything from Lionel Bart's hit musical Oliver!
For more skilled ensembles, he penned countless arrangements of pre-game and half-time music for the Northwestern, LSU and EMU Marching Bands, including nationally televised works played by the Tiger Marching Band when the LSU football team competed post-season at the Sugar Bowl
(1959, 1960), the Orange Bowl (1962), the Cotton Bowl Classic (1963) and the Bluebonnet Bowl
(1964). His original compositions include Suite for Brass and Tympani, Three Christmas Miniatures, Ceremonial Sketch and Intravention. For Eastern Michigan University, Tyra composed Eastern Variants, the music and lyrics for Go Green! and the low-brass break strain for the Huron (now Eagle) Fight Song.
In 1958 at the request of Northwestern University mentor and long-time Director of Bands John Paynter, Tyra crafted the modern-day lyrics for Northwestern's Mater(University Hymn). Tyra's words remain an integral part of Northwestern University tradition today.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
, bandmaster
Bandmaster
A bandmaster is the leader and conductor of a band, usually a military band, brass band or a marching band.-British Armed Forces:In the British Armed Forces, a Bandmaster is always a Warrant Officer Class 1 . A commissioned officer who leads a band is known as the Director of Music...
, and music educator.
Early life and education
Tyra was born and raised in Cicero, IllinoisCicero, Illinois
Cicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 83,891 at the 2010 census. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman and orator....
. The only child of a working-class immigrant family, Tyra graduated from the J. S. Morton High School
J. Sterling Morton High School District 201
J. Sterling Morton High School District 201 is a school district headquartered in Cicero, Illinois, United States. The district serves the city of Berwyn, the town of Cicero, and the villages of Forest View, Lyons, McCook, and Stickney...
in Cicero, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
(BA 1954, MA 1955) and the United States Navy School of Music (1957) where he would refine his composition and arranging skills while fulfilling his military service. He would later receive his Ph.D in Music Education in 1971 from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
under the auspices of long-time Director of Bands, William D. Revelli.
Bandmaster and Music Educator
In 1958 following graduation from Northwestern, a first job as a high school band director in Des Moines, Iowa and completion of his military service, Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
recruited Tyra to serve as assistant to then Director of Bands
Director of Bands
A Director of Bands is the head figure of a marching or concert form of bands, a person who leads a musical ensemble. The Director, by history and tradition, must know all the concepts of music and must be able to teach all different kinds of instrumental musicians in order to make a performance at...
L. Bruce Jones. In 1959, LSU elevated Tyra to become the 14th Bandmaster of the Tiger Marching Band, making him at age 26 the nation's youngest director of a major university marching band. Tyra's 1959 introduction of the LSU Ballet Corps launched the beginnings of the LSU Golden Girls Dance Squad. Creating some of the musical content that Tyra selected for these groups was a small cadre of aspiring student composers and arrangers, including a young Bill Conti
Bill Conti
William "Bill" Conti is an American film music composer who is frequently the conductor at the Academy Awards ceremony.-Early life and career:...
who would later gain fame by penning the theme music for the 1976 hit film Rocky
Rocky
Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and both written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It tells the rags to riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but kind-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
.
In 1964, Tyra became Director of Bands at Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
. In 1968, he hired a young Max Plank to be his assistant, thus forging an enduring collaboration that would result in significant growth of the EMU Bands program. From 1977 to 1985, he headed the Department of Music at Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
in Cullowhee, North Carolina, strengthening its Music Education curriculum and planting the seeds of growth for its instrumental performance programs, including marching band. From 1985 to 1989, he served as Professor and Dean of the Crane School of Music
Crane School of Music
The Crane School of Music is located in Potsdam, New York, and is one of three schools which make up the State University of New York at Potsdam....
at SUNY-Potsdam. Following his retirement from Crane, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he would spend his remaining years close to immediate family members.
Tyra was a member of the Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi
Kappa Kappa Psi is a fraternity for college and university band members. It was founded on November 27, 1919 at Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. William Scroggs, now regarded as the "Founder," together with "Mr. Kappa Kappa Psi" A...
/Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma
Tau Beta Sigma is a co-educational national honorary band sorority dedicated to serving college and university bands. The Sorority, headquartered at the historic Stillwater Station in Stillwater, Oklahoma, numbers over 3,500 active members in 145 active chapters, and over 40,000 alumni...
band service organization and served as ΚΚΨ's National President from 1973 to 1975. He was also a member of ASCAP and the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
.
Composer, Arranger and Lyricist
Tyra wrote numerous original 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 band ensembles of all levels, Tyra's Two Gaelic Folk Songs remains a standard for intermediate bands. For beginning band, Tyra wrote a series of original compositions including Wholey Hymn, Modal March, Pentatonic Polka, Quartal Caper, and Polytonal Parade. His compositions and arrangements for intermediate band include Two 17th Century Italian Songs and an arrangement of I'd Do Anything from Lionel Bart's hit musical Oliver!
For more skilled ensembles, he penned countless arrangements of pre-game and half-time music for the Northwestern, LSU and EMU Marching Bands, including nationally televised works played by the Tiger Marching Band when the LSU football team competed post-season at the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
(1959, 1960), the Orange Bowl (1962), the Cotton Bowl Classic (1963) and the Bluebonnet Bowl
Bluebonnet Bowl
The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was...
(1964). His original compositions include Suite for Brass and Tympani, Three Christmas Miniatures, Ceremonial Sketch and Intravention. For Eastern Michigan University, Tyra composed Eastern Variants, the music and lyrics for Go Green! and the low-brass break strain for the Huron (now Eagle) Fight Song.
In 1958 at the request of Northwestern University mentor and long-time Director of Bands John Paynter, Tyra crafted the modern-day lyrics for Northwestern's Mater(University Hymn). Tyra's words remain an integral part of Northwestern University tradition today.