Episode 147 - Larry Neeck

Larry Neeck has written or arranged over 150 works for C.L. Barnhouse and is now retired after a 32 year career as a middle school band director in Rochester, New York.

Topics:

• Larry’s musical background growing up in Pennsylvania and how he passed on a chance to be a varsity quarterback to instead play bells in the band.
• Larry’s journey from cocktail hour pianist to middle school band director in Rochester, New York.
• The story of how Larry got his start as a composer writing jazz charts for his own students and some advice for composers about getting their music played.
• Advice and perspectives on teaching middle school including some excellent advice about being yourself in your classroom.
• The challenges of changing from a 7-9 junior high school to a 6-8 middle school.

Links:

• Silvestri: Back to the Future Theme
• Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
• Neeck: Glacier Express (performed by the Rochester New Horizons Band)

Biography:

Larry Neeck is an internationally recognized composer, with more than one-hundred fifty works for concert band, jazz ensemble, and orchestra published by C.L. Barnhouse Company and Arco String Publications. He is frequently commissioned to write for schools, bands, and festivals, and often works as a guest conductor and clinician. His CDs, “Swing Machine,” recorded by the Studio A Big Band, and “Midnight Escape,” recorded by the Washington Winds are available from Walking Frog Records. His music has been heard on PBS television, and he has received numerous ASCAP awards for his compositions.


In addition to his work as a composer, Mr. Neeck had a successful career as a middle school band director, retiring after thirty-two years from the Webster (NY) Central School District. He directed concert bands, jazz ensembles, taught wind and percussion classes, and co-founded the Willink Middle School Student/Parent Band, now in its twenty-fifth season. The years he spent as a school band director have informed his composing style, resulting in works that engage students and audiences alike.


Mr. Neeck holds a B.A. in Music from the University of Pittsburgh, and an M.M. in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music. He is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), and the New York State Band Directors Association (NYSBDA).