For March 2025, meet Emily Binder, NMB Band Director and Tuba player
Instruments: The baton and the tuba
Number of years in the NMB: 28
Past and/or Current Occupation(s): Music educator in Indian Prairie School District 204
Hobbies or Interests outside of music: Spending time with family, gardening, playing pickleball, photography, watching football (pro and college) and basketball (college)
How many years have you conducted and played the tuba? What drew you to these things? My first musical love was my tuba. I switched to the tuba (thank you, Chip Staley) when I arrived in Naperville for my freshman year of high school at Waubonsie Valley. I started taking tuba lessons with Ron Keller that same year and quickly knew that music had to be in my life forever. I was very drawn to the low sounds and loved the great responsibility that tubas have in every ensemble. Ron invited me to play with the Municipal Band when I was 15 and though that was terrifying, it was also an incredible experience that would turn into a lifelong passion. I was drawn to conducting when I became a drum major at Waubonsie Valley and knew that I wanted to pursue other opportunities to lead and direct musical groups. Music education and tuba performance became my mission and led me to the University of Illinois. Upon graduation, I was lucky enough to return home and teach music at Gregory Middle School and now at Neuqua Valley High School. I was also fortunate enough to become the Assistant Director of the NMB for many years. It has been a privilege to bring people of all ages together to make music. I can’t really imagine doing anything else!
Why have you kept playing and conducting all of these years? The feeling of playing or performing with other people is like nothing else. To me, music is a connection: to my own feelings or story, to the composer, to the audience, to my culture or the cultures of other people, to someone else’s story, and to the other musicians with whom I am performing. Being a musician is being a part of something much bigger than myself. That is powerful. It is the most joyful and organic way to serve or honor other people. And, simply stated, it is downright fun and rewarding.
Do you play anywhere else? I play in the brass group at my church.
Who were/are your greatest musical mentors and why? I am beyond fortunate to have been blessed with incredible mentors. My grandparents and parents made music a way of life in our family. I now know how impactful it was to have such a wide variety of music as the soundtrack to my childhood and I am so grateful that they raised me in such a fabulous environment. Charles Staley was my high school director at Waubonsie Valley, later became a colleague when I started teaching, and is now one of my dearest friends. Since 1986, Chip has empowered me to be the best version of myself and has seen potential in me that I did not see in myself. He remains one of my greatest sources of vision, confidence, and inspiration. Ron Keller gave me the love of the tuba, the City of Naperville, marches and classic band repertoire, and the Naperville Municipal Band. It is my honor to carry on his legacy of lifelong musicianship and service to our wonderful community. Tom Birkner (my big band director at U of I) and Tom Wisniewski (my advanced conducting professor at U of I) inspired me to discover new levels of musicality and expression in every piece I encounter. Lastly, the colleagues and students I have been so fortunate to work with in the last 31 years have taught me countless lessons that have shaped who I am today. Lucky me!
What makes the Naperville Municipal Band so special? Simple. The people.The people are so special that I chose to marry one of them! My husband Bob and I have the band to thank for our happily ever after. I also really love that the band is made up of lifelong musicians who have many, many different careers or pursuits outside of music, yet they all gather for the common cause of performing TOGETHER. We are so fortunate to have such an incredible facility and unwavering support from our community.
What is a favorite memory or funny story from playing in the Naperville Municipal Band? I suppose I could share about the time that the tuba section got locked in the Racine Zoo after a performance while the rest of the band was enjoying a banquet, but nobody from the band wants to acknowledge that it happened… What I cherish most about being in the band is seeing joy on the faces of our musicians and audience and seeing the wonderment in the eyes of the children when they experience live music at our concerts. That, my friends, is the power of music.
