Today we’d like to introduce you to BRIAN INGELSON.
Hi BRIAN, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am originally from Calgary Canada where I started playing trumpet at 8 the Mount Royal Conservatory of Music, then continuing to the University of Missouri Columbia following an offer to attend after participating and having some of my bands participate in the Opening Ceremonies and Medal presentations at the 1988 Winter Olympics. In 1994, I accepted a position at both the Music and Education Departments at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Community College of Southern Nevada. The following year my family and relocated to beautiful Palm Springs where I assumed the Director of Bands position at Palm Springs High.
Working with his wife Beverley who taught his dance and color guard program in addition to being a Registered Nurse and part of nurse excellence and leadership.Together, the rebuilt the band program from 18 members to more than two hundred with the bands performing around the world in more than fifteen countries on five continents. Part of the success of growing the program was in building relationships with the community performing for community and charitable events from cancer treatment to festival parades fundraisers, in addition to convention and conference work with jazz bands, “Mini-Marching” production bands that helped fund the music program. They also formed the “pit orchestras’ for semi annual musicals from Bye Bye Birdie, to Phantom of the Opera, to Les Miserables… more than fourteen Broadway based musicals in total. This meant that for a number of years, the various band and students were performing for up to one hundred events per year. including being the first high school band to march in a Pride Parade. In 2013 the Palm Springs High School band was selected from more than 2800 groups across the United States to perform at the 47th Inaugural Parade in Washington DC for President Obama representing the state of California.
The jazz bands have performed with Barry Manilow , Max Weinberg, Carol Channing, Gavin MacLeod and Suzanne Somers and opened for legendary bands including the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Maynard Ferguson, Harry James Orchestra, Dallas Brass, Royal Crown Revue, Stan Kenton Legacy Band,Beatles Tribute Bands, and Tim Welch as “Elvis”. Honors include the National Legion of Honor Award, multi year Finalist for the GRAMMY FOUNDATION® Educator of the Year, Steinway Society “For the Children” Award Recipient, several Desert Theater League Awards for Outstanding Music Director, an Alberta Achievement Award for his work with the 1988 Olympics, and has received multiple Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition from Washington D.C.
In addition to leading the bands, Brian and Beverley raised three sons, all of whom went through the program. Sean, a clarinet player, William a woodwind player who went on to become a Drum Major at UNLV, and Matthew a trumpet player, composer, producer, and music educator. Upon retirement from Palm Springs High in 2022, Matthew, a graduate of the Vandercook school of Music in Chicago and Berklee School of Music in Boston was literally passed the baton as the new Director of Bands at Palm Springs High School. He continues the legacy of introducing students to international travel having performed in Spain with the Band in 2023 and this December, will be traveling to Rome to perform as part of a New Years International Music Festival. As part of the celebration, a statement honoring Brian and Beverley Ingelson was read into the Permanent Congressional Record in Washington DC by the Honorable Raul Ruiz of California and a Proclamation by the City of Palm Springs declaring May 18, 2022 “Beverley and Brian Ingelson Day”. I continue to be a consultant and an adjudicator as a sanctioned judge of the World Association of Marching Show Bands (WAMSB) for National, Regional and World Championships in Canada, Germany, Spain, Britain, Colombia, Mexico, and Indonesia.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were many challenges throughout the journey especially in terms of being able to meet the needs of students… financial, emotional, aspirational, and inspirational, When we first arrived in Palm Springs we discovered the majority of the students had never been to the ocean, had never been to Disneyland or to the mountains, let alone across the country or off the continent. The very first year (and that is a story onto itself) we ended up taking the band to Vancouver and having performed well , we received an invitation to go to Australia where we performed at the Sydney Opera House, in Brisbane, and then stopped in New Zealand where we me and stayed and performed at a Māori Village. Whilst planning that tour , we were invited to perform it Italy for an eight country music festival in Brianzza where we represented the United States with bands form Russia, South Africa, Greece, etc. We stopped in Paris France and performed at “Euro-Disney”. After that we would travel every second year performing in England, Scotland, Wales, Denmark, Sweden, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Slovenia, Slovakia,and more. Taking 100 to 165 students overseas changed their lives, their perceptions of the world and more but also meant having to raise tremendous amounts of funds. With cuts in funding rather than cutback we ended up finding new and different ways to raise money. This led to fundraising of all kinds,,, traditional chocolate sales, Xmas Trees, Cookie Dough, and more, but also led to producing and hosting concerts with professional artists where our bands would have a chance to open for the artists. With Palm Springs evolving into a major convention and conference hub, we also were able to work with special event planners to participate in opening ceremonies or adding a “surprise” at an event when the conference attendees needed to be awakened. This led to some really unique performance experiences. It became a win win win situation as students had extraordinary experiences and exposure to unique companies and organizations, the organizers had events that their attendees would remember and reference later on, we promoted the wonderful Palm Springs community, and we built relationships with thousands who many continued to support the band activities well into the future. There were always naysayers you would publicly state “you can’t do that” but we always found a way. I believe when you are doing the right thing for the right reasons, and when it is in the name of service, somehow things always work out.
On the personal side, work/ life balance was always a challenge however, with a strong partner who shared every bump and turn in the road, remarkable sons who were willing to share their parents with a few thousand other kids and who developed their own love of music and the arts, and to the band community who embraced the goals and who understood sharing the joys, challenges and responsibilities of sharing the world with their children as well as others.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
When teaching music, I have always believed that music is a way to communicate and find bridges between generations, between cultures, between genders, between economic diversity, and even between political beliefs. As a performer, musicians must all work together to produce the highest quality product. There are so many possibilities as well that exist and each culture brings to their performance (hopefully) their own experiences and beliefs. I often said when we travelled that the members would learn that things would not be the same… not better, not worse, just different. I also tried to ensure that the students appreciated how similar people were from other countries and how, at the base level, they very much wanted and aspired to the same things as our children. I believe we also taught them that anything was possible and I this extended to the groups that came back and visited us in Southern California from other countries and cultures. We hosted a World Championship for the World Association of Marching Show Bands WAMSB) in 2017 the first time in the organization’s three decade history that it had been held in the USA. This event was such a wonderful experience for the community and the bands form California and those from around the world to share they music and compete in a way in which every person who attended went away with a positive experience. Following Covid, bands all over the world were struggling and so many performers events were lost… in 2022 I had the pleasure of consulting and helping Buckhannon, West Virginia host another World Championship on American soil when the anticipated host country had to withdraw, becoming the second time the Championships were held in the US. The continue to run a festival in conjunction with their 85 year old Strawberry Festival that again attracts bands form around the world.
There is nothing better than hearing from former students who reach out and share their professional accomplishments, family news, someone they reacquainted from a band previous band experience, or just to reach out to relate something that has just happened that reminded them of something we had shared when they were part of the band. There are so many rewarding parts of my forty year career with bands, seeing students grow in confidence and achievement (virtually all of our band students went on to college, university, or into military service) and to see them succeed as being great citizens, family members, success in careers, but most important, just wonderful caring human beings who contribute back in helping others.
When I retired from teaching, i had a great friend and mentor who said “Brian you don’t need to retire, you need to REFIRE!” … do the things that you enjoy and that gives you the most satisfaction. To this end, I continue to consult, helping band directors around the globe, adjudicate and offer suggestions and solutions for challenges that they may be facing. It is, I believe, part of paying it forward as the result of experiences and opportunities that I have no idea how I was so fortunate to have had in my life. I
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love LA and Southern California as a whole due to its wonderful diversity, creativity, opportunities to succeed, the giving generosity of so many, and the willingness to listen and help those who are in need. I get very upset when I hear people make discouraging comments about California, los Angeles, etc. but I believe we can change opinions through our actions. It is usually due to the ignorance, lack of experience or opportunity, and yes lack of willingness to be open to change their opinion but I will do my best to show them the wonderful people and communities that make up our communities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Bingband.com
- Facebook: Brian Ingelson
- LinkedIn: Brian Ingelson
- Other: psband.org (to help support music students who will represent the city, state, and country in Rome 2026)
