Ron Keller proudly speaks of the institutions that are singularly Naperville: The Riverwalk, Naper Settlement, Centennial Beach, concerts in the park.
“Naperville has what other towns don’t, and that makes Naperville unique,” he said.
The longtime director of the Naperville Municipal Band, Keller’s name is almost as well known as the famed establishments he cites. His decision to step down at the end of this summer’s band concert season to take on the mantle of director emeritus will leave some big shoes to fill.
Born and raised in Naperville, Keller has over the decades taught thousands of students how to play music. He has been a member of the municipal band for more than 70 years and its director for 57.
In his new role, he anticipates he will guest conduct from time to time and assist as they transition to a new director, but it’s definitely the end of an era for him and the city.
With retirement, Keller, 84, plans to enjoy time traveling to see his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he said.
On Thursday, Aug. 10, the band will hold its final concert of the summer season at Central Park during which they will celebrate Keller’s career. Keller has chosen the repertoire to be performed that evening, including some of his favorite marches, and some of his grandchildren will be performing with the band.
An open house is being planned for Sunday, Aug. 27, at Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 in Naperville.
Keller became the director of the Naperville Municipal Band in 1965, following the death of his mentor, longtime band director Elmer Koerner.
But his roots in the music community were planted long before then.
In the 1870s and 1880s, his great-grandfather, Joseph Bapst, a bugler and cornet player, was the director of the band, which formed in 1859. His mom and dad played in the band for many years, and his wife Vicki, plays in the band today. His daughters have been members and one day, Keller said, he hopes to see his young great-grandchildren play musical instruments.
From the time Keller was a little kid, he knew the band was special.
“I’m going to play in that band someday,” he remembered saying as a young boy.
Keller, who began playing tuba when he was in the third grade, first appeared with the Naperville Municipal Band as a soloist in 1951.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Northern Illinois University and started his four-decades-long career teaching music in Milledgeville, a small town in northwestern Illinois. The school board and superintendent asked if he would stay for three years to build their band program if they were to give him the job. He agreed.
He didn’t know there were two other school districts also wanting to offer him a similar position at the same time.
He stayed in Milledgeville for four years and parents loved how the music program turned around, saying it was the best their band has ever sounded. The students called him “coach.”
“Aren’t you coaching us?” Keller recalled them asking.
He later taught at Dwight High School before returning to Naperville, where he spent the majority of his teaching career.
His favorite memories were teaching junior high school students. He spent about 26 years at Jefferson Junior High.
When the school opened, there were about 70 children in the band. By his fifth year teaching, there were 200, a number that would remain steady for his tenure, he said.
A picture in the Naperville Sun in 1976 showed some of his band students practicing for the Memorial Day parade.
“Every kid was in step,” Keller said.
It was part of his practice and pride philosophy.
“The kids had so much pride in what they do, it made it easier for me to teach,” Keller said. “They wanted to learn.”
Keller was the Naperville School District 203 music coordinator for 18 years while carrying a full teaching load.
When interviewing potential teaching candidates, he would ask if they liked kids.
“You have to like kids to be a good teacher,” he said.
Over the years, he’s heard from many of the musicians he once instructed. Some call him from out of state. Others were students back in Dwight or Milledgeville. Some he runs into at restaurants and stores in Naperville.
The members of the Naperville Municipal Band are equally special, he said.
When he first took the reins from Koerner, the band’s longtime director, he didn’t want much to change. But gradually, the band moved from having concerts only in the summer to performing year round.
With a 2% yearly turnover rate, the band was growing in popularity and quality, Keller said.
The Naperville Municipal Band added winter and spring concerts and a concert to celebrate John Philip Sousa’s birthday. They started performing joint concerts with Naperville Central High School, and the theater at Pfeiffer Hall at North Central College was packed.
One of his most memorable performances was when the band played the 1812 Overture, complete with church bells and cannons.
“It’s just been a great career,” Keller said.
With some increasing health concerns, it’s the right time to pass the baton, he said.
The Naperville Municipal Band has become family to him, and he knows this summer may get emotional. He’s kept a copy of every concert he’s directed for 57 years, and he will pass that knowledge on to whomever takes his place.
“I’m not going to be completely gone,” he said.
Under Keller’s direction, the band has received numerous awards and been featured nationally. In 1991, it was only the fifth band to receive the Sudler Silver Scroll Award from the John Philip Sousa Foundation, which recognizes excellence in community bands.
In 2008, the band played at the Midwest Band Clinic in Chicago, and in 2015, it was featured as one of the top community bands at the Texas Band Masters Association convention in Texas.
Keller said he has enjoyed coming up with programs that featured a wide array of music, including polkas, waltzes, marches, musical or movie medleys, and even an arrangement of Elvis hits.
“Music is everywhere,” Keller said. “It’s in an elevator. It’s in a grocery store. It’s in a mall. It affects people in different ways. There’s always something that stirs your soul.”
Keller, who also plays the cornet, French horn, trombone and clarinet, earned a master’s degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music and a doctor of philosophy music degree from Summit University of Louisiana.
In addition to his time teaching and conducting, he has played with professional music organizations. He’s been a member and served for four years as president of Windjammer Unlimited, an organization dedicated to the preservation of circus music.
He has also belonged to the American School Band Directors Association, the Association of Concert Bands, the Masonic Lodge, the Burlington Route Historical Society and was treasurer of Naperville’s Sister Cities Commission.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.