John Carroll was born in El Paso to Darwin and Sadie Carroll on October 23, 1952. His parents provided him with a loving atmosphere in their home. John was the middle of three children, Don being his older brother and Kathy being his younger sister. John has several musical memories of his early years growing up. He loved going to his aunt’s house in El Paso and playing on her piano. He also enjoyed his elementary music class taught by Mrs. Navar. Based on activities in that class, he auditioned for and made the El Paso Children’s Choir. His brother Don sang in the choir as well, and that just pleased John to no end.

One day when John was in his 4th-grade class at Rusk Elementary School in central El Paso, a man named Neal Hollis came to his classroom and announced that anyone who was interested in playing in the band should go to the auditorium the next day. John does not even remember
thinking about band before that, but it intrigued him enough that he did that very thing. John shudders to think how much his life would be different if he had been absent from school that day. He had originally wanted to play the trumpet (he had never heard of the word “cornet”), but he was somehow guided to the world of the snare drum and bells. His sister Kathy was also destined to become a band percussionist. After a few months, John began taking private lessons from his band director.

John’s tenure in the Rusk Elementary School band was for 4th- and 5th-grade. He was sad as the end of his 5th-grade year was ending because he knew he would be leaving Mr. Hollis. However, lo and behold, Mr. Hollis announced on the last day of school that the next year, he was to become the band director at Bassett Junior High School, where John would be attending. John was so excited and couldn’t wait to start his junior high band career. Mr. Hollis soon told John’s mother that he was to the point where he could not really teach John anymore, that he had advanced to the level where he needed an actual percussion teacher. That was when John was referred to a teacher who had played with big bands in Los Angeles and Las Vegas—Johnny Vana. With the help of Mr. Vana, John made great advances, and made the High School All-Region Band as an 8th grader. In that band was future Hall of Fame member and Bandmaster of the Year Kenny Capshaw.

After his junior high band tenure, John started in band at Austin High School, the second oldest high school in El Paso. He started there in the same year that Roy Brooks started as the head band director. John respected and adored Mr. Brooks. That being said, John also learned that the band to emulate in El Paso was Coronado High School, which was directed by future Hall of Fame member and Bandmaster of the Year Rick Lambrecht. This was the beginning of John’s admiration for this man and it continues to this day.

While in high school, John attended several different music camps. One was held at the University of Texas at Arlington. Another one was the McMurry Summer Band Camp. It was this camp that gave John his first knowledge of future Bandmasters of the Year and Hall of Fame members Barbara Prentice Lambrecht and Bill Woods. John eventually made All-State, where he played with several future band directors, including future Hall of Fame member Dick Clardy.

When John was ready to attend college, he chose Abilene Christian University and decided to not be in band. However, at the very first football game, he knew he had made a mistake as he experienced the great sounds and marching of the ACU Big Purple Band. Over the Christmas break that year, he called the director, future Hall of Fame member and TBA president Charles Trayler, and said he had made a tremendous mistake and that he would like to be in the band in the spring semester. Thankfully for John, Dr. Trayler said he was more than welcome to jump in. John absolutely loved the ACU band and served as band president two different years. He also developed such a great respect for his director, Dr. Trayler.

John remembers a specific day in August 1972 at ACU when he met future Hall of Fame member and this year’s Bandmaster of the Year Fred J. Allen. Fred immediately struck him with his friendliness and wit. A close friendship began on that day, and it continues to this day. Fred and John even roomed together on two different occasions in college, and John has always said that this fact is his claim to fame in the Texas band world.

While a student at ACU, the band marched several times at Dallas Cowboy games, as well as at Houston Oiler games. The Symphonic Band played at TMEA twice and at a regional CBDNA convention. John credits Dr. Trayler in helping him decide to major in music education.

In the spring of 1977 as John was about to graduate from ACU, Dr. Trayler asked him if he was going to attend TBA. John said, “Sure, if you’ll tell me what that is.” When he told him what he meant by TBA, John then traveled there with several college friends, and from that point forward, he has attended TBA 48 times.

John was a bit restless during his early career, teaching two years each at Dumas, Stephenville, and Quanah, and then three years at La Feria. John was looking for that elusive “perfect job”, and finally realized that it didn’t exist. However, when Charles Trayler, who had transitioned into high school band directing at Dalhart, asked John to come be his assistant, John happily accepted. This was an opportunity to learn under his college teacher and mentor. He stayed in Dalhart for nine years, learned much, and made many great friends. While teaching in Dalhart, he earned his master’s degree from West Texas A&M University.

In 1995, a very special thing happened in John’s career, and even his life. Future Hall of Fame member Van Ragsdale, then the director at Permian High School in Odessa, offered him a job as a brass itinerant teacher and band director in the Permian cluster. John will always be grateful for this life-changing event. John remained at Permian for a glorious 27 years. He was fortunate to work with Van, Mike Watts, future Hall of Fame member Cindy Bulloch, and many other talented people in Odessa. While there, John had consistent UIL Sweepstakes bands, award-winning jazz ensembles, and winners of marching percussion festivals. The Permian Percussion Ensemble appeared twice at the Music For All National Percussion Festival in Indianapolis. He was fortunate to have students willing to work; forty-four of them made it to TMEA All-State. In 2017, he received the Master Teacher of the Year award at Permian. John is constantly running into former students, and when possible, takes selfies with them.

While at Permian, he was able to enjoy life in Odessa with his brother Don, for the last years of his life, and he met his girlfriend, Beth Carrell in 1998. Her last name is pronounced the same as his but spelled differently. Just recently, he told a practicum about his twenty-six-year-old girlfriend, and when they gasped, he realized what he had said. He quickly clarified by saying, “No, she’s not twenty-six. I mean she’s been my girlfriend for twenty-six years.”

John finished his active teaching the same way that he started—in a small school. His last year to teach was in Monahans, where he got to teach even more great students.

John served as TMEA State Band Chair from 2018-2020, and then served as TMEA President from 2021-2022. He treasures the memory of those five years of serving on the TMEA Executive Board. He was amazed at the vision and insightfulness of the people serving on the board. The other band directors that he was able to work with on the board were Andy Sealy, Joe Muñoz, Dana Pradervand-Sedatole, and Shane Goforth. John worked with two of his longtime heroes while on the board— Hall of Fame member Frank Coachman and Bandmaster of the Year and Hall of Fame member Bob Floyd. They will always be dear to his heart.

On the very same day that John was elected to the position of TMEA State Band Chair, he was also notified that he would be receiving one of the three 2018 TBA Meritorious Achievement Awards at the summer convention. John was completely flabbergasted by that, and still is. His wonderful friend Van Ragsdale received the same award that year. He is grateful to TBA for that recognition.

John says he has many grand memories of the past 46 years of teaching. However, nothing matters as much as the thousands of students that he was able to teach. He wishes he could do it all over again. John is blessed to count many former students as music educators themselves. However, he knew his job was not to turn out music majors and band directors. His job was to help young people become well-balanced adults, and he did this through the great God-given gift of music. He now gets to do the same through consultation work.

John could not possibly mention all the people who have helped him along the way, but he does want to acknowledge Hall of Fame members and Bandmasters of the Year Dan Gibbs, Charles Nail, J.R. McEntyre and Gary Garner for what he has learned from them.

John would like to express his sincere thanks and appreciation to Phi Beta Mu for this honor and will always be humbled by it.