Colin Miller, a Timber Creek senior who pays the saxophone, is co-teaching Timber Creek’s own jazz band.The jazz program at Timber Creek is two years old. Jazz music is a style of music that dates back to the 1920s Its known for its intricate mixture of brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments.
Miller started playing the saxophone in the sixth grade and immediately fell in love with it. For the reason that jazz is so different from concert or orchestra.
“Its all I really listen to,” Miller said.
Miller started to pursue jazz band outside of school by going to camps at the University of North Texas and Kansas City University to strengthen his skills.
“At Kansas City, they have a Grammy award winning saxophone player as one of the teachers,” Miller added.
Darla McBryde, a Timber Creek band director, soon learned that he was one of the most talented people in the jazz band class and had a strong background in jazz music.
“He can serve as an example of how to play something when the only other person in the room that would understand is the teacher,” McBryde commented.
Miller considers himself as “more of a role model” and less of a teacher but the band directors think differently. Yet, Miller doesn’t mind having this positive attention on him.
“I like to lead rather than follow most of the time,” Miller joked.
Miller is planning to go to the University of North Texas and major in jazz studies to become either a jazz educator or a jazz performer. Miller auditioned on the weekend of Jan 30 to see if he can get any scholarships and placement into his desired major. He will hear about how well he did around the end of March.