The Knoxville Community Band gives musicians of all experience levels the opportunity to perform in various concerts, including an outdoor concert series during the summer, other festivals and city events throughout the year playing an assortment of light classical, festive and marching pieces. The band meets in the band room at Northwest Middle School at 7 p.m. every Tuesday night.
Meet the Band
Director ~ Larry Hicks
Larry Hicks received his B.S. Degree in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Alabama and his Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision from the University of Tennessee.
After teaching in Alabama for one year Larry and his wife, Shirley, moved to Blount County in 1967. Larry was the band director at Everett High School for 10 years until it was consolidated with 3 other schools to become Heritage High School in 1977. His bands won many awards and were well respected as a competitor throughout his career. He retired from the Blount County School System in 1996 after 19 years as the director of the Heritage Band.
During the 1986-87 school year Larry served as a teacher evaluator for Tennessee’s Career Ladder Program. He was chosen for this honor based on the strength of his outstanding band program and teaching skills.
Larry served from 1981-1986 as a horn instructor for the New York based Avant Garde Drum and Bugle Corps.
From 1990 - 2008 Larry was the director of the United States Musical Ambassadors performing in the Youth Music of the World’s London or Paris New Year’s Day Parade
Larry has been active as either a trumpet player or band director since he was in the 7th grade. He is a charter member of the Maryville College/Community Band and is also a member of the Craggy Top Brass Quintet. Larry played in the Knoxville Community Band for many years before becoming its director in 2010.
Assistant Director ~ Joel Tillman
Joel is a private instructor of trumpet at Carson Newman University and a retired public school music educator
of 34 years. In addition to this, he has been able to maintain a freelance presence in the trumpet performance arena
in Knoxville and surrounding areas. Over that time, he has had the pleasure of backing artists such as The
Temptations, Mark O’Connor, Rachel Barton-Pine, Mel Torme, Judy Collins, Bernadette Peters and as a pit
orchestra musician for the Knoxville Broadway appearances of Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Joel has been a performing member of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, and the Oak Ridge Symphony.
Since 2012, Joel has been employed by the Roane County School System as a band director. He was also Principal
of the Oak Ridge Symphony, Solo Principal Cornet of the Southern Stars Symphonic Brass, and Lead trumpet for
First Baptist Church-Concord’s Studio Orchestra. It was also his pleasure to solo with the Oak Ridge Symphony
and the Southern Stars Symphonic Brass. Joeal has performed with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra,
Knoxville Community Band, and on several occasions performed with the former Knoxville Wind Symphony under Marshall Forrester.
Connect With Us
Sponsered by:
knoxvilletn.gov/recreation
All rehearsals follow with the Knoxville Communtiy School scheduling; please note that if the school is closed for any reason on a scheduled Tuesday rehearsal, then rehearal will be cancelled as well.
