ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Dr. Jorge E. Garcia has been involved in music education since 1969.  He has taught music on all levels from Kindergarten to College in four nations: the United States, Canada, the Republic of China, and the Republic of the Philippines.  He has conducted several honor groups including the Memorial Orchestra for President Chiang Kai-Shek, the Sino-American Honor Band, and the Taiwan Youth Symphony Orchestra.  This tuba player has toured Europe with the School Band of America and won several solo competitions in both California and Germany.  He is President-Emeritus and founder of the American Drum Line Association, a member of the American Guild of Handbell Ringers, and the National Consortium of Life Long Learning.  A noted lecturer and presenter on Music and Lifelong Learning, he has given presentations in several different countries including symposia in Australia, Taiwan, and Hungary.  In 2008, Dr. Garcia received his D.M.A from the University of Southern California/Canyon College in Music Education with a specialization in Lifelong Learning.  His current activities include the assistant conductor of the Pomona Concert Band and founder and musical director of the Faith Music Camp, Davao, Republic of the Philippines.

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Norman F. Rowe, founder of Talent Music Publishers, was born with music in his blood.  Both parents were active musicians in their school years and his father had been a member of the prestigious Handel and Haydn Society chorus.

As an active performer since third grade, Mr. Rowe distinguished himself as a tuba player through his high school years, capped by selection as first chair tuba in the 1963 All-California High School Symphony Orchestra and three full tuition grants to attend the Music Academy of the West and spent three seasons as principal tuba with the Santa Barbara Symphony.  His performing activities have continued ever since in a wide variety of styles and instruments.  In addition to his tuba playing, he was selected to perform at the All-State level in choir and on percussion; he was featured as Dick Deadeye in H.M.S. Pinafore, as Frederic in Pirates of Penzance, tenor soloist in Bruckner's Te Deum, and the Sheriff in Kurt Weill's Down In the Valley at the college level; presented two graduate recitals on bass trombone; has played principal oboe with two symphony orchestras; participated in several community and semi-professional bands on several instruments; and performed with a number of early music ensembles.  His working knowledge of and performing experience on practically every modern band and orchestra instrument stands him in good stead to understand how to handle them.  With theory, composition, and orchestration training from Mahlon Balderston, Donald Pond, Donal Michalsky, Andrew Charlton, and others, Mr. Rowe has been composing and arranging for a variety of ensembles over the years.

Mr. Rowe became a member of the American String Teachers Association in 1965, was granted Life Membership in the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) in 1965, joined Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (music fraternity) in 1967, and has taught music (general music and band) in California, Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and New Mexico at elementary school, junior high/middle school, high school, and undergraduate college levels.  Mr. Rowe passed away on December 16th, 2011.