An Interview with Tim Thompson

Tim Thompson is a Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based music educator, trumpet player, and composer who writes primarily for the beginning band students he teaches. A trumpet student of Terell Stafford at Temple University, he went on to earn his master’s under composer Dr. Scott Watson. Now in his second year publishing with Alfred Music, he approaches every piece as the start of a story his performers get to tell.

Q: How did you first discover your passion for composing?

When I got my first instrumental job, I took a summer course on composing for beginning band. I’d only had one experience with band arranging and composing in undergrad, so I was really looking forward to learning how to do it. My band performed that piece the following spring, and their reaction was so encouraging that I’ve continued to write primarily for them ever since.

Q: Who has shaped how you think about music?

Wayne Shorter, J Dilla, and my wife’s grandfather.

Q: What was the first piece you wrote that made you think, “I might actually be onto something here”?

I wrote a piece for my beginning band called “The Crowning of the King.” I’d been having a hard time finding slower works for the band to play, so I wrote one myself.

Q: What’s the hardest creative problem you’ve had to solve, and how did you get through it?

I just finished a piece for a co-worker who’s retiring, and I had to find a way to take a melody her son wrote and set it for full orchestra. I decided to create a second melody by taking the original one and playing it backwards, with a few variations.

Q: How has your compositional voice changed over the years?

I’m not sure it has changed much. I’m just becoming more aware of everyone in the ensemble — not only the instruments that typically carry the melody.

Q: Do you have a favorite piece on Alfred.com? What was the spark behind it?

“Khutulun.” I wanted my beginning band students to play a piece with a tonal center of D.

Q: If there were a soundtrack for your life right now, what piece would it be?

Bach’s Goldberg Variations. My foundation hasn’t changed, but it seems like every three minutes I’m having a different thought.

Q: Where are you based, and how does your environment influence your work?

I’m based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I believe being around elementary school kids has a big impact on my work — I’m always looking to give them melodies that stick with them.

Q: How do you spend most of your working hours?

Teaching takes up most of my working hours, but I’m constantly composing, improvising, and performing little pieces in front of my students.

Q: Where did you study, and how much of what you do today traces back to your formal training versus what you figured out on your own?

I studied trumpet with Terell Stafford at Temple, and for my master’s I studied with Dr. Scott Watson. I’m grateful to both of them for their encouragement, their wisdom, and their model of using music to serve others.

Q: Did you grow up in a musical household?

My dad, who wasn’t formally trained, would play piano for church choirs, and as the firstborn I’d tag along — he’d bring me to choir rehearsal and sit me in the front pew while he practiced. My parents were always making live music available to me and my siblings.

Q: How long have you been publishing with Alfred, and how did that relationship start?

I believe this is year two. It started when one of Timothy Loest’s teachers recommended me to him after I took his course.

Q: Outside of composing, is there another role in music that’s been just as central to who you are?

Educator. I believe the goal of teaching is to help students serve others. I want to create music that performers can use to serve their local communities and enjoy the human experience of making music together.

Q: What’s a type of piece or repertoire gap you think the industry still hasn’t figured out?

I think there’s a major gap between the composer and the performers that I’d love to see reduced. Imagine hearing four or five different ensembles perform the same work, each with its own variation that listeners could appreciate.

Q: What do you want your body of work to add up to?

Storytelling. My goal is for my compositions and arrangements to be only the beginning of the story the performers tell their audience.

Browse Tim’s titles on Alfred Music and bring something meaningful to your next concert.

👉 Shop Tim Thompson on Alfred Music