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Mr Mike Lyons
I was born in 1956 in Bolton and educated at Thornleigh Salesian College under the guidance of Father 'Jock' McGovern who totally corrupted me and turned me into an Eb bass player. I started playing with the Eagley Mills Band aged about 13 and rapidly became soloist. After leaving school I did a combined maths and music degree at Manchester, followed by a PGCE at Didsbury and then became a music teacher in the Wigan area.
I now have over 40 years of experience as a tuba player. I've always had a love of music that keeps me going when times are bad.
I have been a teacher for 26 years, 21 of those in the same school. That's more than most murderers get - and it feels like it sometimes - of course, the kids are rarely the problem. I was appointed as a teacher governor at my school in 2006 and have just been re-appointed for another 4 year term.
I have played with several local brass bands, including Eagley, Eccles Borough, Orrell Silver and Old Hall Brass. I returned to Eagley in January 2008 as their Associate Conductor, as well as Solo Eb Bass. My school band has won prizes at Wigan Music Festival when it ran. I still do lots of arranging for bands and the school band and lately for woodwinds - it's what happens when your colleagues play squeak-oids :) and now I'm adding choral music to my oevres. Two of my carols were performed at the school's Christmas service in 2006 and another in 2007.
I now have lots of published music including a range of brass/brass band music published by MMI Music, Devilish Music Publishing, Pennine Music Publishers and Jagrins. I am now starting to publish music I have written for other ensembles/instruments but some more brass band music as well.
I have recently completed a number of collections for brass quintet for Devilish Publishing, including music by Beethoven, Verdi, Mendelssohn, Mozart and J.S.Bach.
Likes : cheese, languages (especially German and Italian), brass bands, composition, teaching composition, reading, learning, playing, red wine, other alcoholic liquids, chocolate. Dislikes : Gelatinous substances, children, teenagers, babies, their parents, grandparents and all their forebears (little joke there :)) lies, pastels, gin, 'career' teachers (those whose only desire in teaching is to take the golden hello and then get out of the classroom as quickly as possible before retiring early on a fat pension), political correctness, being poor.
I would like to be rich. I would like to be famous. I'll probably die poor and unknown - though to help avoid that, you could visit my personal website on www.mike-lyons.co.uk
Don't be afraid of upsetting my feelings. Please go ahead and review my stuff. If you find any mistooks please let me know. Sometimes you can hear what you want to hear, rather than what you have actually written. In this case, familiarity breeds deafness. :-)
NOTE : None of the settings of The Lake Isle Of Innisfree are the same. They are all totally different from each other, in character/style as well as orchestration/voicing. Don't be afraid to try them all.
