Timothy Anderson is the new director of the UMass Amherst Minuteman Marching Band.
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Keeping in Step
Timothy Anderson leads Minuteman Marching Band
Tim Anderson entered the University of Iowa intending to major in English. Like so many other freshmen, he changed course, and joining the university’s marching band was the reason. “I found the experience so enjoyable,” he says, “I was determined to figure out a way to make music my living.”
He changed his major to music education, went on to earn his master’s degree at the University of Florida and his doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has been living his dream, doing what he loves, ever since. He has directed high school and middle school marching bands in Iowa, and for the past five years taught music and directed the marching band at California State University, Fresno. He is originally from El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Anderson was named director of the Minuteman Marching Band in May. When he arrived on campus in July, his first task was to move the band into its new home, the George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building, named in honor of his legendary predecessor who passed away unexpectedly in the fall of 2010. The new building will be officially opened and dedicated in November.
“Everyone in the marching band world is familiar with George Parks and all that was accomplished during his tenure,” says Anderson, who is most conscious of Parks and his legacy. “I am reminded of Thomas Jefferson’s words when he took over as ambassador to France following Benjamin Franklin. I am not here to replace him, I am only here to do the job.”
Anderson has big plans for the marching band this year. “Our repertoire will be a mix of old and new,” he says. “It is very important to the students to keep his [Parks] memory alive. I need to tread slowly and work with the students.”
In addition to playing at all home and away football games, the band will participate in festivals in Lowell, Mass., and Cheshire, Conn., the Collegiate Marching Band Festival, in Allentown, Pa., and the Bands of America Grand Nationals in Indianapolis in November.
Anderson admires the extraordinary enthusiasm of band members and alumni and is working to create additional traditions and experiences for a new generation of Bandos:
A Look Inside the George N. Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building: