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Current Members
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Written by Robert D. Schramm
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Monday, 15 February 2010 16:23 |
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John Reeves was born on 2 September 1972, the son of Salvation Army officers, in Greenville, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. His parents remained in full-time ministry until his junior year in high school, and the family continued to attend the Salvation Army as their church home even after his parents had left the ministry. The family moved to the two where both of John’s parents had grown up, and John graduated in 1990 from Hempfield Area Senior High School, where his mother had also graduated. He then attended the Pennsylvania State University, first at the McKeesport commonwealth campus and later at the main campus in State College. Originally majoring in Aerospace Engineering, John changed majors to Secondary Education with concentrations in physics and mathematics in 1994, attaining a Bachelor of Science degree in 1999.
The summer after changing his educational major, John enlisted in the United States Army Reserves, and is still serving as a Reservist today. He works for the Federal government in Washington. His service has included two tours of duty in Iraq, where he served from December 2003 to June 2004 as a member of the Reserves and again from November 2007 to February 2008 as a civilan government employee. In January 2010 he began another round of training to return to Iraq again as an activated Reservist.
John’s commitment to the Salvation Army is as strong as his commitment to the defense of his nation. He attends the Alexandria Citadel Corps, where he serves as the Corps Sergeant-Major and the Corps Cadet Counselor.
Musically, John began playing the cornet at age 7 in Cortland, New York, where his parents were stationed as Salvation Army officers. His principal instruction came through Salvation Army music programs, but he also sometimes participated in classes and school musical ensembles. In junior high school, after being fitted with braces, he began to moving to instruments with larger mouthpieces, spending several years as a baritone and euphonium player in high school concert and marching band, as well as Salvation Army youth and divisional bands. Eventually, one of his conductors asked him to switch to tuba, to assist in that section which only had one player at the time, and he has since settled on the tuba as his primary instrument, playing in the Alexandria Citadel Band, assisting in the National Capital and Virginia Divisional Youth Band, and as a veteran member of National Capital Band.
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Maria Mathieson’s musical career began when she was 4 and her family moved to Thurso, a small town on the north coast of Scotland. Her grandmother, a lifelong Salvationist, took Maria to her first Salvation Army meeting where she fell in love with the band and in particular the trombone. As soon as she was old enough, Maria joined the YP Band and Singing Company. Maria also began her studies in violin at the age of 7 at school and at the age of 12, she added piano lessons.
Maria’s early musical achievements include winning a conducting competition at the age of 11 that afforded her an opportunity to conduct Royal Scottish National Orchestra for a television program called “Highway.” In High School, she won a position in the violin section in the Highland Regional Youth Orchestra, but much to her violin teacher’s disappointment, she opted to become the principle trombonist for the orchestra instead.
In 1991, Maria’s musical studies continued at University of Glasgow where in 1995 she earned a Bachelors of Music (Honors). In the summer of 1992, Maria made her first trip to the United States to work at The Salvation Amry’s Star Lake camp in New Jersey. These summer trips continued throughout her college career first working as a Music Instructor at Camp Walter Johnson in North Carolina and finally at Camp Heart O’Hills in Oklahoma where she ran their Music Conservatory program
In 1995, Maria became the Divisional Music Director for the Arkansas and Oklahoma Division. Maria served as the DMD for 7 years during which time she had the privilege of working with many wonderful musicians who deeply impacted her life. She also had the opportunity to serve as a member of the Southern Territorial Band and Songsters.
In 2002, Maria switched career paths and moved into The Salvation Army’s Development Department in Knoxville, TN. While in TN, she continued to be involved in The Salvation Army’s music programs conducting the Kentucky and Tennessee Divisional Youth Band for two seasons. In 2004, after a brief return to the Music Department for The Salvation Army’s National Capital and Virginia Division, she moved back into Development for the National Capital Area Command.
Upon moving to DC, Maria joined the trombone section in the National Capital Band and took on the role of Band Secretary, a position she held for 3 seasons. Maria is now the Quartermistress for the NCB. She also became involved in the Divisional Youth Music programs and has served as the co-conductor of NCV Divisional Youth Band 2 for 3 seasons.
In 2006, Maria returned to the field of music to become the Assistant Dean at the Levine School of Music, a community music school in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area where she is blessed every day to work with amazingly talented students, faculty and staff and to have an opportunity to share her passion for music with others.
Philippians 3:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 11 November 2009 13:11 |
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Paul has a God-given, life-long love of music. As a very small child, he loved listening to and figuring out hymns and Christmas carols that he heard around the house and at church. Not surprisingly, sacred music has always had a special place in Paul’s heart. He was very fortunate to receive his first piano lessons from his aunt, the organist at the church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that their family helped to found in 1845. At eight years of age, while attending a concert of his future high school’s symphonic band, conducted by his future band director, teacher and life-long friend Donald K. Smith, Paul was first smitten with an undying love for trumpet and cornet, and brass music in general. This condition has made his former membership in the Salvation Army Baltimore Area Band, under Bandmaster Ron Smith, and his current membership in the National Capital Band, under Bandmaster Jim Anderson, personally very rewarding. The expression, “God created music because He likes it!” is a favorite, which makes Paul very grateful to be a musician.
Paul finds personal satisfaction in serving others, and especially in serving those who have served America. He has sounded Taps at many military funerals and wreath-laying ceremonies, half of which were performed as bugler for the United States Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard, at Arlington National Cemetery and elsewhere. He greatly values his diverse musical and non-musical opportunities to serve America as an enthusiastic member of Team Coast Guard.
Paul received his bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of Maryland School of Music, where his teachers were Emerson Head and Chris Gekker. In addition to being an enthusiastic music teacher, Paul is an active free-lance musician. He resides in Crofton, Maryland with his wife, the former Jean Obear, a Pediatric Registered Nurse at Prince George’s Hospital Center, whom he first met in the University of Maryland Marching Band. Jean and Paul have two children: Michael, a sergeant in the United States Army, and Rebecca, an equestrian instructor. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 October 2009 19:44 |
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Matt Sims was born in Bristol, England. A fifth-generation Salvationist, his grandparents were Salvation Army officers. His parents, Jan and Dean, are members of the Bristol Easton Corps along with his sister, Vicky, and her husband, Kevin. Several other members of his family are active Salvationists in England.
At the age of 2, he was introduced to the cornet by his father, who was the Bandmaster of the Pill Corps at the time. As a teenager, he played in the senior band at Bristol Horfield Corps and later at Bristol Easton, under the direction of Bandmaster Don Jenkins. In 1996, he joined the West of England Symphonic Wind Band and toured Spain with that group. In the summer of that year he was accepted into the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, becoming principal bass trombone of that band in 1998. During his time with the NYBBGB, he was privileged to play under the direction of fine conductors such as Roy Newsome, David King and Robert Childs.
Matt graduated from St. Katherine's Comprehensive school in 1998 with qualifications in Music, English, Theatre Studies and Geography. He entered one of London's finest music conservatories, Trinity College of Music, graduating with full honors in 2002 with a performance degree in Bass Trombone and Conducting and qualifications in Music Therapy. During his time at college he became the bass trombonist with the British Youth Orchestra at Covent Garden and played with several orchestras in the BBC Proms concerts.
During Christmas 2001, Matt began teaching at Charles Edward Brookes Performing Arts College. After moving back to Bristol, he accepted the position of trombone teacher in residence at Clifton College, and in 2003 was teaching at all of the private colleges in Bristol, including Colsten Collegiate, Bristol Grammar, Queen Elizabeth and Downs School, where he was a musical therapist to autistic children.
In 2005, Matt became principal bass trombonist for the Bath Philharmonia, Bristol Philharmonic and Bath Operatic Society orchestras, and later became Trombone Professor at Bath University. He was the principal conductor of the Shepton Mallet wind band and prepared brass bands for competitions in the Bristol area. He also was a guest conductor in Europe, performing in Sweden, Norway and Spain. With brass bands, he has toured most of Europe, North America, South Korea and Japan. Matt has been lucky to play with several well-known British brass bands, including First City Brass, Yorkshire Imperial and the GUS Band.
Matt's involvement with Salvation Army music in the United States began in 1998 when he was a music instructor in Oklahoma for the summer. He has also worked in Kentucky and at Camp Walter Johnson in North Carolina, where he had a wonderful relationship with the staff and campers from 2000 - 2006. He has also been a trombone instructor at the USA Southern Territorial Music Institute for several years, and formed the TMI Jazz Band in 2006.
In January 2007, Matt decided to become more involved in music ministry and moved to Richmond, Virginia, where he became the area music director for the Salvation Army, founding the School of Performing Arts which operates in the Richmond and Petersburg area. He is still an active trombonist as a member of the Richmond Pops Orchestra, The Herb Stone Big Band, the Virginia Commonwealth University Trombone Choir and the Central Virginia Jazz Orchestra. Upon his arrival in Richmond, Matt joined the National Capital Band on bass trombone. He served as Band Secretary for two seasons, and was named Deputy Bandmaster at the beginning of the 2009 - 2010 season. He is also a principal member of the instruction team for the National Capital and Virginia Divisional Youth Band.
His work with the children in Richmond is extensive, and he has a huge desire to give the children of Richmond the gift of music and arts. He hopes that many lives in Richmond will be mended and comforted by music, but also wants those who do not know the Lord to come to Him.
John 8:12 - I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
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Last Updated on Monday, 19 October 2009 21:28 |
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For "Robbie" (as he's known in the band), the National Capital Band has been a family affair. His mother and his sister both played in the band, and his wife was a member of the National Capital Timbrels for two seasons, including the 1991 tour of Scandinavia. His father, Robert C. Schramm, retired as the Deputy Bandmaster of the NCB in 1998, after 37 seasons. Robbie has two daughters, Elizabeth and Rebekah, both of whom are currently members of the NCB.
He joined the baritone section of the NCB in 1976, took a leave of absence after the 1991 tour, and rejoined the band in 1998. During his time in the band, he has served as the Quartermaster, Acting Band Secretary, and currently as the Webmaster of this website. From 1974 through 2005, he was a member of the Prince George's Corps Band, the last six years of that time as Bandmaster, and is currently a member of the Arlington Citadel Band. He has been an instructor at divisional music camps, the NCV Music Conservatory and Junior Conservatory and with the Divisional Youth Band at various times over the years.
Professionally, Robbie is a senior software developer for a large health care company headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland. He is also the proprietor of The Brass Crest (www.brasscrest.com), a web site featuring news and information about brass bands and music, focusing on the Salvation Army brass band tradition. |
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