INTERVIEW: Ryan Royle, Director of Bands at Wichita-Trinity Academy

Bowen Boyack of KBN: Tell me about yourself and what inspired you to get this job as a Band Director at Trinity Academy.

Ryan Royle: I’m currently in my 8th year at Trinity Academy after graduating from Friends University with a degree in Music and Religion & Philosophy. I honestly wasn’t pursuing a career in music education when coming across the job. Dr. Cecil Riney encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and give it a go and I couldn’t be more grateful to him for that! I love my position at Trinity teaching 5th-12th Instrumental Music and High School Worship Band and Music Theory.

BB: Tell me a little bit about the Band Program here at Trinity Academy. 

RR: We are a smaller program, currently 29 students in the High School Band, 25 in the 5th grade Band, 14 in the 6th grade Band, and 19 in the 7th and 8th grade Band. We have been marching at the High School for three years now performing shows of music from Led Zeppelin, Twenty One Pilots, and Imagine Dragons.

BB: What inspired your musical selections this year for marching band?

RR: The majority of my inspiration for music selections for marching band is based on the available instrumentation. How big is my drumline? How strong are my trumpets this year? And then I find pieces that work well harmonically or that can be easily adjusted to fit my more flexible ensemble. This year there were some great Imagine Dragons tunes I came across that fit the size of the group and were a ton of fun to play. Plus we were able to have a show written specifically for our size of band.

BB: What competitions did you go to this marching season and what ratings/scores did you get?

RR: No competitions for the Knight Noise Marching Band just yet. We hope to perform at Andover next year and possibly Kansas Wesleyan.

BB: Tell me about the upcoming trips you will be taking within the next 3-4 years.

RR: No big trips currently planned as of late. Still focusing on growing the size of the ensemble. Hoping to make it to Branson and Kansas City though in a couple of years!

BB: What concert band repertoire are your bands playing this year? When are your upcoming performances?

RR: Our Concert Band is performing a themed concert this March 1st entitled “Let Justice Roll.” Our repertoire reflects a pursuit of justice, diversity, and equal rights featuring music by women, composers of color, and thematic material including a piece by Johnny Vinson entitled “Like a Mighty Stream” which using a narrator honors the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We will also be performing “Metamorphosis” by Andrew Boysen Jr., “Emblem of Unity” by Richards, “Contemplation” by Elena Lucas, “Credo” by Owens, and “Fanfare for Justice” by Saucedo.

BB: Looking forward to 2019, any plans for your band that you would be willing to share? 

RR: Just continuing to grow in our craft and establish ourselves as an expressive and passionate group of bands here in our corner of South Central Kansas! We are planning to perform a show featuring music by Queen in the Fall of 2019 with the Knight Noise Marching Band!

Thank you, Ryan, for the interview. Best of luck to the Knight Bands in the years to come.