Sometimes the best leaders are trombone players.
Dr. Randy Crump ’74, M.S. ’79, Ph.D. ’85, established the Aristocrats, an 8-piece brass band in 1981. Their ditties hit ears at large events including the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and private get-togethers like Westminster Village’s New Year’s Eve Dance.
This past September they serenaded diners at Wahlburger’s in Bloomington, and they have a slate of upcoming performances across Central Illinois.
“We really like the variety of shows we are able to put on, and we are always expanding our portfolio of music,” Crump said. “While we don’t have any arrangements in today’s top 40, we’ve got quite a few rock songs, and we try to have a lot of variety.”
The Aristocrats features a former band director, a pair of State Farm employees, Illinois Central College’s former jazz band director, and a few retirees.
“I’ve got great, talented musicians. They’re all professionally trained, and they do a wonderful job. It’s a good nucleus!”
Learning to lead at Illinois State
Playing music, leading musicians, and working hard is in Crump’s DNA.
As a student in the 70s, he was a member of the Big Red Marching Machine and worked at McDonald’s, just the 88th U.S. site, and two building iterations before the current store that’s on the corner of Main and Beaufort near Illinois State’s campus. It was also his friends’ favorite hangout those days.
However, his other job at the Music Shoppe in Uptown Normal had a larger impact on his career. The business has since moved to College Avenue and opened spots in Champaign and Springfield.
After graduating a semester early with a degree in music education, he took on a larger role at the shop.
The store had partnerships with over 40 schools in the area, and the trombonist was entrusted as the point person to serve their band directors.
“I was initially disappointed at the lack of teaching jobs available that January,” he said. “But I got a lot of hands-on experience working with those practitioners, and it absolutely worked out for the best.”
Crump landed the role of band director for LeRoy High School in the fall of 1976. Before long, he got the itch to try his hand at larger leadership positions, so he pursued his master’s in P-12 educational administration from the Department of Educational Administration and Foundations (EAF). By the end of his fifth year in the profession, he became LeRoy’s principal, around the same time he started the Aristocrats.
There was a unique crossover in responsibilities between band director and principal, removing the “deer-in-headlights” feeling during Crump’s first year as an administrator.
“As a band director, you’ve got a budget, you’ve got a strong community component, you’re managing tours, and when you’re standing in front of a band, you’re a leader of a lot of personalities and instruments,” he said. “So being organized in both positions is really critical. All of those experiences helped me during my first administrative position.”
He said EAF played a large part in his preparation. His professors included Drs. Alan Hickrod, Ben Hubbard, and Ron Laymon.
“They had some very practical courses that really applied to what I was going to be doing as principal,” he said.
Crump immediately enrolled in EAF’s superintendent coursework after wrapping his M.S. degree. One of the integral parts of EAF’s endorsement was and continues to be an internship experience where candidates rubbed shoulders with practicing superintendents. That component, which is now required by the state of Illinois, is one way EAF’s program stood above the rest. It’s also one of the reasons the Redbird found the confidence and ability to serve as a district-level leader.
“My internship experience was very valuable. I can definitely tie a lot of my success back to that part of the program because I had hands on experience,” Crump said.
He also went on to earn his Ph.D. from EAF in 1985. Not long after completing his terminal degree, he was chosen as LeRoy’s superintendent, a role he held for seven years. His next stop was as the leader of Eureka School District for 22 years.
Times he won’t forget
When Crump officially retired in 2012, the district opted to show its appreciation for his leadership by rebranding Eureka High School’s main gathering space the Randy K. Crump Auditorium. The announcement was a huge shock to Crump.
“It was definitely one of the happiest and albeit humbling moments of my career,” he said.
In retirement, he’s busy managing the Aristocrats. He only recently retired from being his church’s choir director, a position he served in for over a decade.
When he looks back on his career, there are a lot of wonderful moments he holds high. That includes the time he swapped roles with Eureka’s band director back in the mid-80s as part of an April Fool’s joke the district’s employees played on their students.
The faculty and staff kept the switcheroo a secret from the students. That day, every teacher and administrator taught a different class or served a different role.
“When I got up there in front of the band, I don’t know how good of a job I did. I was pretty rusty. But it was one of the most enjoyable days of my career. We all laughed a lot.”
While Crump retired in 2012, he loves being in community with folks across Central Illinois, whether that’s volunteering, helping his church, or jamming out with the Aristocrats.
In fact, the next time you hear a big brass band playing at a Central Illinois event, you might be listening to the superintendent of sound, himself.
