Tyler Shropshire: Where Is He Today?

It has been a little over a year since Tyler Shropshire won the college division of the Wm. S. Haynes Texas All Star Competition. Held in 2018 to 2019, the Wm. S. Haynes Texas All Star Competition was open to middle-schoolers through college flutists in the state of Texas. There were three divisions open: the middle school, the high school, and the college undergraduate division. All prospective players were required to submit pieces written, premiered, or commissioned by Haynes artists, along with selected standards from the TMEA All State music for high schoolers and other standards.

For the undergraduate competitors, this meant submitting individual recordings of one of the following works: Dr. Timothy Hagen’s Blowout, Mike Mower’s Flute Concerto, Claude Debussy’s Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune, Jacques Ibert’s Jeux Sonatine, C.P.E Bach’s Sonata in A minor, and Amanda Harberg’s Court Dances. The recordings were due in early December and were adjudicated by well-respected Haynes artists, including Ransom Wilson, Flute Professor of Yale University; Abigail Burrows, flute teacher at The Purcell School; Cobus Du Toit, Assistant Flute Professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Brook Ferguson, Flute Instructor of the University of Northern Colorado; and Jennifer Grim, Associate Professor of the University of Miami.

A month later, Tyler was notified that he was the competition's winner of the undergraduate division.

For winning, Tyler was awarded a brand-new custom handmade silver flute by Wm. S. Haynes. It was a flute, according to him, that matched his personal voice and everything wanted to express.” In addition, along with the winners of the other two categories, Tyler was gifted an all-expenses-paid trip to San Antonio to perform with the Latin Grammy winner Nestor Torres and the UT San Antonio Jazz Ensemble for the TMEA Convention. This all happened on February 15, 2019.

Since this incredible victory, Tyler’s life has settled into a comfortable routine. Tyler now begins his day, every morning after waking up, with a run. He gets up every day at 5:30AM to run between three to five miles. Upon returning to his apartment, he follows a different schedule depending on the day of the week. Most weekdays he prepares for his lessons, studies, and attends his classes. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, however, Tyler teaches his private students. These days are what he considers to be his favorite part of the week.

In fact, teaching is the reason why Tyler decided to major in Flute Performance in the first place. As a junior studying under Terri Sundberg at the University of North Texas, he chose to concentrate his degree around composition and teaching.

“[Teaching] is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me,” he affirms. “I absolutely adore it.”

He recently had the opportunity to take over the studio of Abilene Philharmonic principal flutist Mary Kerr. Her private flute studio consisted of twenty-one students in Frisco ranging from elementary school to high school and he helped inspire them all to develop, in his words, “hearts of creativity and leadership.” Now, he is teaching at the East Plano Independent School District as a private instructor, and he is currently teaching at the East Plano Chamber Winds Camp.

One of the most touching traits about Tyler is that he is someone who truly cares about people. As he finished taking over Kerr's flute studio, Tyler wrote individualized letters for all twenty-one of those students. He then wrote an elaborate post on Facebook, reaffirming that they all held a special place in his heart. Tyler even told me that he would always be available to talk. When asked to predict himself in ten years, he replied, without a heartbeat, that he will be teaching and obtaining his doctorate in Flute Performance.

“I just want the best for my students,” Tyler explains.

Tyler realized his passion for teaching and the flute later in his life. Growing up in East Tennessee, he did not receive the most enriching middle and high school band experience. There were exactly six players in Tyler's sixth-grade band and by the time he reached eighth grade, Tyler was the only player left. However, Tyler warmly remembers his band director, Kathy Sotelo, for inspiring him. In music, he felt that there was “nothing else in the world that [he] felt more accepted and understood in.” Tyler originally wanted to pursue biomedical engineering because it was creative, secure, and intellectually stimulating. But for emotional and logistical reasons, he decided to pursue a career in flute-playing and teaching his senior year of high school.

He believes that had he decided to pursue a music career earlier, he would have achieved a lot more. During his high school years, he was selected to attend Interlochen Academy of Music, the Tennessee All-State Band as first chair twice, and the Governor’s School of the Arts. And that was back when he was not planning to pursue a musical career.

As a player, Tyler Shropshire plays with unyielding passion with sensitivity to dynamics and control. As a person, he is polite and caring, the type of person that you always want to be friends with. Tyler Shropshire is definitely someone to watch in years to come.