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On a brisk Friday afternoon, you walk down the hall. You hear the faint sound of a rhythm, echoing in footsteps. A single tune that makes your blood spike. Only due to one man, a backbone of the Parker music program, and the legendary introducer of jazz into the school: Mr. Tim McNamara.
Mr. McNamara was born in a small town in the outskirts of Chicago called Oak Lawn, situated near Midway Airport. His family was his mom and dad, and a brother. His parents wanted him to be an engineer, but music called to him. He was mesmerized by a song called "Saxophone Colossus," by Sonny Rollins. Later in school, he had a musical mentor, who let him be on the job with him, and play music with no guidelines really. It wasn’t just he who liked music; his brother would play music in the garage, but not jazz. Mr. McNamara started playing multiple instruments at once: saxophone and piano (he still plays both). He was not a great musician, but starting at a young age gave him benefits, and he got into it a lot. While attending St. Patrick's High School, music seemed to slip away from him but, after his graduation, there was a resurgence of interest, and he also wanted to teach others what he always loved: the art of jazz. He also studied engineering, but he found that quite boring. When he told his parents that he didn’t want to be an engineer and instead wanted to pursue a musical career, they were a little sad, but soon supported him. He attended Columbia College for a time, and then transferred to DePaul to study conducting. Mr. McNamara thinks this was a great move. “I could now hear more music, and notes with my ear,” he said. Unfortunately, Mr. McNamara couldn’t get a band certificate, meaning he couldn’t lead a band. After college, Mr. McNamara played in various churches, and played in O’Hare Airport, which he says was exhausting because of security. After this period, he joined the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, with whom he traveled to exotic places to share his love of jazz with the world.
Mr. McNamara traveled to many places as part of the (still active) Chicago Jazz Ensemble. He traveled to some very cool places including a tour in Italy, where he traveled around the country performing in places like Rome. He loved the atmosphere and energy there. After the tour in the mainland of Italy, he ventured to Sardinia and played a couple of shows there, and then traveled home. A musician in a Broadway show, he also played in Canada. Specific cities include Edmonton, Toronto, Hamilton, Regina, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Sault Ste. Marie. But how did he come from playing all over the world to Parker?
One day, Mr. McNamara was on the phone with a friend when he heard a school needed a music teacher. This school was Parker, and he immediately took the job. When he first applied to Parker, Ms. Hikawa’s husband helped Mr. McNamara out and he eventually got the job of co-teaching jazz band. Currently, he teaches middle and high school bands collaboratively alongside Mr. Greenspan and Ms. Hickey.
Mr. McNamara has many aspects of his job. His private lessons are no less than 30 minutes, and classes are usually an hour. Mr. McNamara loves his job. He is always smiling as he strolls around the school. So what is it about his job that he likes? Not only the music, but the students and fellow teachers. Mr. McNamara loves educating his students. He thinks that one of the best parts of music is when you finally learn a new note, or a new section, but he absolutely loves when all the players are in tune and playing a song beautifully. He also loves the supportive community, the Parker message and keeping the school's ecstatic rhythm alive, just as it has been for a long time.
Just as there are parts of your job that make you feel as though you are the luckiest person in the world, there are parts you could do without. There are two main challenges in playing music for Mr. McNamara. One is that while trying to find jobs, it's stressful and hard, because there are so many musicians, and too few employers and venues. Second, he has an annoying ear condition called tinnitus, where his ears ring frequently, mostly in the morning.
When Mr. McNamara arrived at Parker, the band program was very different from how we see it today. Parker's band program was just starting when he came, so he helped get more kids on board. However, his main focus was to introduce new types of music into the school. Of course, he first introduced jazz. Jazz was so popular that people couldn’t get enough of it, so the music team created an after-school program called jazz band, which was for 7th grade, 8th grade and Upper School. Soon, more musicians were being hired and Parker was expanding its band program. Eventually, a 6th grade jazz band was started to teach younger students the art.
“Life without music is dreary. It is important to a community.”
“Life without music is dreary. It is important to a community.”
Mr. McNamara has a few hobbies other than music. He has a dog he enjoys, and a wife he loves and with whom he has fun making music. Mr. McNamara's wife is an excellent singer. After all, he has loved music all his life. So, at Parker he has learned to expand his music experience and give it to others. Apart from being a band instructor, Mr. McNamara and Mr. Greenspan created a different band outside of regular school days called Middle School Jazz Band. Jazz band has a clear, specific focus, and it is a choice for the students to join or not. Jazz band has a very nice and regular schedule. First, everyone tunes up, then they play their songs. People get a solo (usually everyone), and then, unfortunately, jazz band is over. Mr. McNamara has always loved jazz and is happy to share it with younger students, so they can teach it to more people, no matter how hard that can be.
Mr. McNamara has loved music all his life. He likes jazz most, but that isn’t all he enjoys listening to. He likes 70’s rock, Bruno Mars and a little classical. Mr. McNamara has played piano for 45 years, but he finds home in the tenor saxophone. During college, he felt a pull toward jazz. “Life without music is dreary. It is important to a community,” he says. Community is essential to Parker, so we are lucky to have been able to find a music teacher with these views! Jazz has brightened Mr. McNamara’s life in many ways. He doesn't like to think how life would be without it.
If you see him in the hall, shoot him a “Hi!” or a wave. Why? Because he is no longer a teacher strolling down the hall, he is Mr. McNamara, the man who made Francis Parker School’s music spectacular, whether it is at a jazz band MX, or teaching generations of Parker kids music.
Check out these videos of Mr. McNamara performing with the Frank Russell Band!
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