Get to Know the New Members of Northshore Concert Band!
As we get ready to kick off our 66th season we welcome new members to the Northshore Concert Band family! Get to know our new members through this series of mini interviews and don’t miss seeing and hearing them perform during our 2021-2022 Season premiere concert Autumn Serenade on October 17, 2021, at 3:00 pm at the Wallace Bowl in Gillson Park in Wilmette, IL.
JORI PULVER-SETTLER
Jori plays the Bass Clarinet and is Band Director at Round Lake Middle School in Round Lake Heights, IL. She is pictured with her daughter Ilana.
What do you enjoy most about playing?
I love playing music because it is the closest I get to meditation. I enter a headspace where nothing else matters except for the sounds that I am creating. The bass clarinet brings a warmth to the timbre of any band, and I love being able to be that piece of the overall puzzle.
Do you have a favorite musical memory?
When I was in third grade I heard an eighth grader play Flight of the Bumblebee on clarinet at a school assembly. That was the moment I knew I wanted to become a musician and eventually a music educator. Follow your dreams, kids.
Who was your most influential music teacher?
My private lesson teacher throughout middle and high school, Jim Kasprzyk. He always had new, challenging music for me to play and sight-reading duets with him was my favorite part of every lesson.
Does anyone in your family play music?
Both of my parents sang when they were younger, and my mom plays the piano. My husband plays guitar, and my almost two-year-old daughter is showing signs of becoming a percussionist. She has had her own paid of Vic Firth kid sticks since she was about six months old and has legitimately good technique!
What makes performing with Northshore Concert Band different than performing with other groups?
When I go to NCB rehearsals, I can count on leaving with my heart and mind feeling lighter. Playing with this group of dedicated musicians is fantastically rewarding and I gain so much knowledge from watching Dr. Thompson rehearse the band. It reminds me why I do what I do with my own band students.
Please add anything else that you would like our audience to know about you.
I’m a returning Northshore Concert Band member. I previously played for three seasons before having to leave and auditioned back into the group this fall.