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professor and director of jazz studies at PLU. He is a native of Memphis, Tenn., mentored by jazz piano great James Williams. Deacon-Joyner came to western Washington from the University of North Texas in Denton, where he held the position of associate professor of jazz studies from 1986 to 2000. He has served as clinician and adjudicator at festivals and workshops in Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Ohio, Oregon, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Idaho and Washington. He is the lead instructor for the Great

, and how he became such a talented musician. How did you first become interested in music? My musical journey was slow at first. The piano was my first instrument. I had a natural ear for music as a child, and taught myself to play. When I turned 10, I moved from the Pacific Northwest to North Carolina, where I started singing in the children’s choir and playing handbells for my church. I joined a concert band at school … band was my favorite. I played euphonium. The Essential Elements band folders

appeared in period performances with the Madison Bach Musicians playing repertoire including Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Dr. Gillie’s doctoral dissertation is entitled “Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Music for Soprano, Horn and Piano: an Original Composition, Professional Recording, and Research of Significant Pieces.” Information and recordings from the project are featured on Dr. Gillie’s website. Rebecca Good, trombone, is Lecturer of Trombone at Pacific Lutheran University where she teaches