For February 2025, meet Bob Binder, trumpeter in the Naperville Municipal Band
Number of years in the NMB: 22
Past and/or Current Occupation(s):
- Dean’s Assistant, Neuqua Valley High School, 2021 – Present
- IT, Variety of roles and responsibilities with several different companies, 1981 – 2020
Hobbies or Interests outside of music: Cooking, Spending time with family and friends, Following the White Sox and Bears, Supporting Illini athletics
How many years have you played your horn and what drew you to your horn? I’ve been playing my trumpet since the fourth grade. When growing up, my Mom always played all different types of music on the stereo. I was always particularly interested in listening to the albums featuring trumpet players such as Maurice Andre, Harry James and Doc Severenson. In 1967, when the Beatles released the song “Penny Lane,” the trumpet part in that tune really spoke to me. That pretty much sealed it. I knew that the trumpet was the instrument for me.
Why have you kept playing all of these years? Nothing feeds the soul quite like music. I played sports through high school, which I really enjoyed, but nothing in sports gives you the same euphoric feelings you experience when making music. Playing the trumpet brings me great joy, an escape from the pressures of everyday life, a sense of both personal and group accomplishment, a way to serve the community, and something which I can do for life. I can’t imagine my life without playing the trumpet.
Do you play anywhere else? I also play with the Naperville Municipal Band Big Band; I play in a brass group at my church; I’m also the bugler for the Naperville Honor Guard, rendering taps for military funerals and other military events.
Who was/is your greatest musical mentor and why? I’ve been so fortunate to have had so many great music teachers throughout my life. All have made huge impressions on me, and all have contributed to and shaped me into the player that I am today. I have to say that my private teacher throughout junior high and high school, Ron Pryble, was the most influential of them all. He constantly challenged me to be the best that I could be. His practice assignments were always difficult and challenging. He worked me hard, which I both sometimes hated and appreciated back then, but really appreciate today! He never let me settle for playing just “ok”, and he pushed me to always improve in all aspects of my playing. Ron encouraged me to volunteer to play whenever opportunities were presented. He was ultra supportive of me and my playing, and someone who I knew was always in my corner.
What makes the Naperville Municipal Band so special? Serving the community since 1859 is so unique and special! I’m honored to be a part of a group that has such a storied history. The band offers a musical challenge to me as well as the whole group. Our directors do a great job of getting us to play as an ensemble, linking us all with a common focus and goal, which is to create beautiful music to share with our community! The people who make up the band make it a special place to be. They come from all walks of life and all have different musical backgrounds and stories. Although we are a diverse group, we do share a common trait, which is to create music together.
What is a favorite memory or funny story from playing in the Naperville Municipal Band? There are so many memories and great stories that I can recall from my years with the band. My favorite memory was my very first outdoor summer concert in Central Park. The exhilarating feeling that I felt seeing so many people who came out to hear us play. The huge crowd was so appreciative of the music that we provided to them. What a sense of pride and joy I felt that night!
