John Edmondson

From Wind Repertory Project
John Edmondson

Biography

John Edmondson (3 February 1933, Toledo, Ohio - 30 December 2016, Coral Springs, Fla.) was an American composer and educator.

A graduate of Sarasota (Florida) High School (1949), he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida in 1955, majoring in music theory, with minors in English and sociology. After a two-year stint with the U.S. Army 8th and 9th Division Bands, he received his Master of Music degree in composition from the University of Kentucky in 1960, where he studied composition with Kenneth Wright and band scoring with R. Bernard Fitzgerald. He was the first recipient of the graduate degree from this university.

He taught public school music for 10 years in the Central Kentucky area, where he wrote extensively for his own students. During this same time, he free lanced as a writer for various university and high school marching bands, including seven years as staff arranger for the University of Kentucky Wildcat Marching Band. In addition to free lance composing and arranging, he was a professional trumpet player and pianist and developed his own educational publishing firm.

Following his teaching career, he was appointed Alfred Reed's successor as educational editor with Hansen Publications in Miami Beach, Florida, and remained in that position ten years. He was responsible for hundreds of publications, including works for concert band, marching band, the Fun-Way Band Method (co-authored with Paul Yoder), instrumental solo books and other instructional materials. From there he went to Wisconsin as director of concert band publications for Jenson Publications, adding several new works to his growing catalog.

Mr. Edmondson was known throughout the world for his more than 700 publications in the field of band and educational music. His contributions to the literature are accessible, enjoyable to perform and exciting to hear. Perhaps most importantly, his music has helped train the young musicians of today.

In addition to his achievements in educational music, he wrote several hundred arrangements and compositions for various professional, military, college, and high school groups in the areas of marching band, concert band, jazz band, dance combos, and choral, as well as commercial television and radio jingles. This varied writing experience brought a unique perspective to his educational writing.

Mr. Edmondson and Anne McGinty formed Queenwood Publications in 1987 and were responsible for the creation, production, promotion, and international sales and distribution of Queenwood's catalog of concert band, jazz band and string orchestra music. They sold their company to the Neil A. Kjos Music Company in March, 2002, and are writing exclusively for them under the Queenwood/Kjos company name.

John Edmondson was honored in 1991 as the recipient of the University of Florida, Department of Fine Arts, Music Department Alumni Achievement Award. He was a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and is listed in the International Who's Who of Music.

His interests included the study of philosophy and politico-economic theory.


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