Making Music at East: Excellence Extraordinaire!

David Gale, Ace Trumpeter

East High School offered extraordinary opportunities for students interested in music. The programs in which we participated either as performers or audiences won national awards and were led by faculty with national reputations for excellence. Like East’s renowned athletics coaches, Ken Thompson (left) and Gratia Boyle (right) drew great performances from their students and conducted beautiful music from their respective podiums.

A wide range of options were available for student musicians.

• The instrumental program included orchestra, concert band, pep band, small ensembles such as string quartets and brass ensembles. According to the 1960 Echoes, “115 band members met fourth hour every day to practice musical numbers ranging from popular to classical and to rehearse for public performances. In 1959-60, the band gave two evening concerts and played at four Wichita junior highs. The pep band played for football and basketball games in Wichita, Wellington, and Shawnee Mission East in Kansas City.” The band played for civic groups and marched in parades. (Below, Ken Thompson with his very large and very talented Concert Band)

• Choral groups performed all over Kansas for public and private audiences. Students could choose from three choirs (Boys, Girls or Mixed Choir), Glee Club, Madrigal, Boys Quartet, or the Sophomore Girls Ensemble.  
• “Pit” orchestras participated in musicals and plays.
• The full orchestra was too large to travel, so they performed in the East auditorium. Many of us came to East on buses from junior high schools to hear the orchestra. Ensembles such as string quartets performed across the city.  (Below, the impressive East High Orchestra)

 

Individual lessons could be arranged for choral and instrumental students. (Left, Ken Thompson coaches – is that Marilyn Holmes?)

 

Some graduates of the East High programs went on to become national and international performers. David Gale earned honors as a Broadway musician. Dan Tontz remembers: “David Gale—the best musician of our class. He is featured in a solo photo in our yearbook.  He was lead trumpeter in both the East High band and orchestra.  He went on to Broadway to have a successful career playing in orchestras for many well-known Broadway plays.”   Others, including Dan Tontz, continued to perform professionally in local and regional venues. Dan’s stories will be published here in June. The majority of music students went on to enjoy performing with church choirs, choruses and bands. All of us shared the privilege of listening to fine performances.

At least two products of the East High Music program appear on the school’s list of Famous Graduates. Diane Bish ’59 practiced on the grand pipe organ in the East High Auditorium. A flamboyant performer, she has played hundreds of organs all over the world and starred in her own television series. Bob Gates ’61 sang with East High ensembles; maybe his music-making skills were a factor in his ability to orchestrate the work of the CIA and the Department of Defense.