Timothy J. Isham
@timisham.bsky.social
music educator, composer, bassist residing in Webster, NY.
I have taught strings at all levels, currently high school. I primarily compose works for student string orchestras. I play classical, jazz, folk, and whatever comes my way.
timisham.com
I have taught strings at all levels, currently high school. I primarily compose works for student string orchestras. I play classical, jazz, folk, and whatever comes my way.
timisham.com
We made cutout Christmas cookies with our teenage boys. Left to right: a gingerbread man, a crewmate from ‘Among Us’, a figure we call ‘torso man’ which I don’t know what it was originally but is now hopelessly bent out of shape, a holly leaf, another torso man, and a sand worm.
December 22, 2025 at 3:03 PM
We made cutout Christmas cookies with our teenage boys. Left to right: a gingerbread man, a crewmate from ‘Among Us’, a figure we call ‘torso man’ which I don’t know what it was originally but is now hopelessly bent out of shape, a holly leaf, another torso man, and a sand worm.
I started my career as an orchestra bassist, but switched to full-time teaching. After 20 years of teaching, I still feel like an imposter when I am teaching but every time I get to play bass it feels like coming home.
December 14, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I started my career as an orchestra bassist, but switched to full-time teaching. After 20 years of teaching, I still feel like an imposter when I am teaching but every time I get to play bass it feels like coming home.
Reposted by Timothy J. Isham
“The piano is just a big wooden box of decrescendos” is one of the best descriptions I have ever heard.
December 4, 2025 at 10:05 PM
“The piano is just a big wooden box of decrescendos” is one of the best descriptions I have ever heard.
November 15, 2025 at 9:32 PM
I was looking through some of my old lesson books and found this: a hall pass from my high school orchestra teacher. Made me think about him. I don’t think either of us ever dreamed I would one day be doing the same job in the same district in the same building
November 12, 2025 at 10:59 PM
I was looking through some of my old lesson books and found this: a hall pass from my high school orchestra teacher. Made me think about him. I don’t think either of us ever dreamed I would one day be doing the same job in the same district in the same building
My student teacher created this Orchestra House of Horrors in my rehearsal room today #halloween #orchestra
October 31, 2025 at 7:34 PM
My student teacher created this Orchestra House of Horrors in my rehearsal room today #halloween #orchestra
Reposted by Timothy J. Isham
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
October 8, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.
The rain gutter outside my house needed repair, so the Town came and dug the old section up, severing this tree root in the process. They fixed the concrete section and filled it back up leaving the tree root in place, protruding up several inches above the soil. I thought it needed something, so…
October 2, 2025 at 10:59 PM
The rain gutter outside my house needed repair, so the Town came and dug the old section up, severing this tree root in the process. They fixed the concrete section and filled it back up leaving the tree root in place, protruding up several inches above the soil. I thought it needed something, so…
Just had this thought - I’ll take the $10 a month I was spending on Disney and add it to my public broadcasting pledge. Now I’m doing two things.
September 18, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Just had this thought - I’ll take the $10 a month I was spending on Disney and add it to my public broadcasting pledge. Now I’m doing two things.
These days I often feel powerless to do anything, but today I cancelled my Disney/Hulu subscription with extreme prejudice.
September 18, 2025 at 8:30 PM
These days I often feel powerless to do anything, but today I cancelled my Disney/Hulu subscription with extreme prejudice.
Tonight at the dinner table my two teenage boys and I had a serious discussion about whether one’s overall density increases when one farts. My position is that it must. Please feel free to post your thoughts.
September 13, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Tonight at the dinner table my two teenage boys and I had a serious discussion about whether one’s overall density increases when one farts. My position is that it must. Please feel free to post your thoughts.
I made a thing! It’s a fold-down station for my son to do his CAD work for his 3D printing.
September 7, 2025 at 10:57 PM
I made a thing! It’s a fold-down station for my son to do his CAD work for his 3D printing.
I saw this and it looked like fun but I am going to take it next level and not make it transactional - click in to this thread to view all my answers without having to like anything. Because when something is named MUSIC ASK it deserves to be addressed.
cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thu...
cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thu...
September 7, 2025 at 7:24 PM
I saw this and it looked like fun but I am going to take it next level and not make it transactional - click in to this thread to view all my answers without having to like anything. Because when something is named MUSIC ASK it deserves to be addressed.
cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thu...
cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thu...
Slipknot is now officially available for purchase at jwpepper.com! This is the first to be published of a number of “alternative styles” tunes I’ve written or arranged. Students can improvise solos, compose their own, or use the written-out solos provided.
www.jwpepper.com/slipknot-116...
www.jwpepper.com/slipknot-116...
Slipknot | J.W. Pepper
Slipknot lives in the part of the Venn diagram where fiddle music intersects with the rhythms and grooves of classic funk. Students will engage with 16th note rhythm patterns and pre-shifting skills (...
www.jwpepper.com
August 18, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Slipknot is now officially available for purchase at jwpepper.com! This is the first to be published of a number of “alternative styles” tunes I’ve written or arranged. Students can improvise solos, compose their own, or use the written-out solos provided.
www.jwpepper.com/slipknot-116...
www.jwpepper.com/slipknot-116...
I was today years old when I learned that Mayor McCheese plays the bass. With a bow even!
August 17, 2025 at 1:21 AM
I was today years old when I learned that Mayor McCheese plays the bass. With a bow even!
My boys are 18 and 16 - working on cleaning out unneeded items. We got rid of most of their old toys without too much problem, but today I’m working on the kids’ books. Difficult to dispatch - each book carries a specific memory of reading it together.
August 6, 2025 at 2:14 PM
My boys are 18 and 16 - working on cleaning out unneeded items. We got rid of most of their old toys without too much problem, but today I’m working on the kids’ books. Difficult to dispatch - each book carries a specific memory of reading it together.
Reposted by Timothy J. Isham
My philosophy and experience with students is that they can almost always do incredibly difficult work, but if you ever waste their time with soul-killing meaningless work, you have essentially poisoned the well when it comes to getting them to spend any additional effort on your class.
August 4, 2025 at 7:05 PM
My philosophy and experience with students is that they can almost always do incredibly difficult work, but if you ever waste their time with soul-killing meaningless work, you have essentially poisoned the well when it comes to getting them to spend any additional effort on your class.
I have 2 teenage boys who I can’t get interested in any kind of movie or tv show, but they will happily shout wrong answers at the screen as long as I keep clicking on YouTube trivia quizzes.
August 5, 2025 at 12:41 AM
I have 2 teenage boys who I can’t get interested in any kind of movie or tv show, but they will happily shout wrong answers at the screen as long as I keep clicking on YouTube trivia quizzes.
I finished what I intend to be my last score in Finale recently. Currently learning the ropes at engraving with Dorico. It's something I previously wrote using Finale, and imported into Dorico via xml.
So far, so good. Not as difficult to learn the basics as I feared. Maybe this won't be so bad.
So far, so good. Not as difficult to learn the basics as I feared. Maybe this won't be so bad.
August 2, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I finished what I intend to be my last score in Finale recently. Currently learning the ropes at engraving with Dorico. It's something I previously wrote using Finale, and imported into Dorico via xml.
So far, so good. Not as difficult to learn the basics as I feared. Maybe this won't be so bad.
So far, so good. Not as difficult to learn the basics as I feared. Maybe this won't be so bad.
Recently I've been writing pieces for string orchestra that offer the opportunity to improvise - like jazz band pieces but for strings.
As a preview, here's the page turner video for Slipknot, soon to be published by Trees and Steel Music.
youtu.be/nf48yE8tiDc
As a preview, here's the page turner video for Slipknot, soon to be published by Trees and Steel Music.
youtu.be/nf48yE8tiDc
Slipknot for Intermediate String Orchestra by Timothy J. Isham
YouTube video by Timothy J. Isham
youtu.be
July 26, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Recently I've been writing pieces for string orchestra that offer the opportunity to improvise - like jazz band pieces but for strings.
As a preview, here's the page turner video for Slipknot, soon to be published by Trees and Steel Music.
youtu.be/nf48yE8tiDc
As a preview, here's the page turner video for Slipknot, soon to be published by Trees and Steel Music.
youtu.be/nf48yE8tiDc
My summer studio. Finally making some progress.
July 25, 2025 at 9:20 PM
My summer studio. Finally making some progress.
This year I transferred from teaching middle to high school orchestra, which also made me the orchestra director for my oldest son’s senior year. Having a hard time getting through writing his report card comments with a dry eye.
It was amazing. He was amazing. 10/10 recommend.
It was amazing. He was amazing. 10/10 recommend.
June 24, 2025 at 3:59 PM
This year I transferred from teaching middle to high school orchestra, which also made me the orchestra director for my oldest son’s senior year. Having a hard time getting through writing his report card comments with a dry eye.
It was amazing. He was amazing. 10/10 recommend.
It was amazing. He was amazing. 10/10 recommend.
All the concerts, rehearsals and lessons are over and the children have gone home. A wise teacher will use this moment to prepare for the upcoming school year.
Anyway, I feel like I’m ready now.
Anyway, I feel like I’m ready now.
June 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM
All the concerts, rehearsals and lessons are over and the children have gone home. A wise teacher will use this moment to prepare for the upcoming school year.
Anyway, I feel like I’m ready now.
Anyway, I feel like I’m ready now.