Paul V. Yoder
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Paul Van Buskirk Yoder (October 8, 1908 – April 4, 1990) was an American
musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
,
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...
, arranger, and band director.


Life

Yoder was born on October 8, 1908, in
Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...
.Smith, Norman E., and Stoutamire, Albert, Paul Yoder, Band Music Notes, Kjos West, 1979, p.257 He obtained an undergraduate degree from the
University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
, which later conferred an honorary Doctorate upon himPaul V. Yoder papers, Vandercook University, and, in 1941, a master's degree from
Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...
in
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. He co-founded the Japanese Band Director's Association,Jordan, Douglas M., Alfred Reed, a Biography, Google Books result, 1999, p.50 served as president of the
American Bandmasters Association The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music.Raoul F. Camus. "American Bandmasters Association." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/sub ...
, and served on the board of directors of the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Following years of vascular ailments, Yoder died April 4, 1990, in
Hendersonville, North Carolina Hendersonville is a city in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. It is south of Asheville and is the county seat of Henderson County. Like the county, the city is named for 19th-century North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leon ...
.Kelly, Steven N., Paul Yoder, A Pioneer in Public School Band Education, Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education, Volume 17, Number 2, Ithaca College Press, 1996, P.117


Involvement with Japan

While investigating where in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
his music was being played, and generating royalty checks, Yoder met many band directors interested in and performing western music. Thus began an involvement with
music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...
and
concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...
s in Japan that would include coordinating performance at the MidWest Clinic by many Japanese bands and being dubbed by contemporary
Alfred Reed Alfred Reed (January 25, 1921 – September 17, 2005) was an American neoclassical composer, with more than two hundred published works for concert band, orchestra, chorus, and chamber ensemble to his name. He also traveled extensively as a ...
"an unofficial ambassador of band music between the US and Japan". Today, Yoder's arrangement of "
Anchors Aweigh "Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and unofficial march song of the United States Navy. It was composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmermann with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. When he composed "Anchors Aweigh", Zim ...
" is often used by bands of the
Japan Self-Defense Forces The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...
, as well as those of other national militaries.


Composer and arranger

Yoder's first band composition, "Our Family Band", was published in 1933.Chance, Michael R., ''The Original Band Music of Robert Ward'', University of Memphis Press, 2007, p.4 He wrote over 1,500 original compositions and arrangements during the course of his career. He composed and arranged with a focus on works for young bands and also produced several instrumental methods. Biographer Steven Kelly stated "his emphasis on ensemble class instruction changed the manner in which bands were taught" and also that a band student between the 1930s and 1970s in the U.S. would be unlikely to be able to go without experiencing a Yoder piece. Yoder published primarily through Neil Kjos publishing, but also nearly 100 other firms worldwide. Yoder was also the author of charts for over 30
marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
shows. Yoder also composed Tennessee Tech’s fight song in 1946 and Texas State's Fight song "Go Bobcats!" in 1961. Yoder's arrangement of "
You're a Grand Old Flag "You're a Grand Old Flag" is an American patriotic march. The song, a spirited march written by George M. Cohan, is a tribute to the U.S. flag. In addition to obvious references to the flag, it incorporates snippets of other popular songs, includ ...
" is commonly used today by the U.S. military in its performances of the song.


Awards and recognition

Though recognized for his "warm, humorous personality" and "humble lifestyle", Yoder was an honorary life member of the National Band Association and was awarded, amongst other awards, the Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts, the
Distinguished Service to Music Medal The Distinguished Service to Music Medal is an award presented by Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity. It is awarded to people who have contributed to the advancement of the wind band "as a cultural, musical and educational medium. ...
, and was inducted into the prestigious National Band Association Hall of Fame of Distinguished Band Conductors. The program notes for the 1969 awarding of the AWAPA award by the National Band Association listed Yoder as "one of the most influential band personalities of the mid 20th century, he was at one time the most popular composer/arranger of band music in America"National Band Association, list of AWAPA recipients, retrieved 7/24/2011


References


External links


Paul V. Yoder Collection
- Special Collections in Performing Arts at the University of Maryland

- VanderCook College of Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Yoder, Paul V. American male conductors (music) 1908 births 1990 deaths American male composers Musicians from Tacoma, Washington Distinguished Service to Music Medal recipients 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians