Music instructor Guy Chamberlin helped build the foundation for Ottawa’s musical tradition

“He loved seeing the kids succeed and surpass him. He was just amazed by what they’d do. When they succeeded, he’d be right there, singing their praises and celebrating for them.”

—  Mary Chamberlin, Guy Chamberlin's wife

An instructor like Guy Chamberlin is essential in a city with a music history as rich as Ottawa.

Chamberlin passed away Jan. 23, at the age of 57, from cancer.

Chamberlin was the band director for Ottawa Elementary, joining as a teacher in 1994 and overseeing the development of elementary school students, who would go on to create a winning tradition for Ottawa High School’s band program.

His wife, Mary, said he’d always try to keep up with the students who continued on in band, even into college and after.

“It’s one of those things where, yes, he helped build their foundation,” Mary said. “He could trust in the teachers at higher levels to take the kids to new heights. It kept building on the next person in the process.”

His daughter, Peoria resident Sadie Salzman, said he always was impressed to see the kids improve at the next level.

“He loved seeing the kids succeed and surpass him,” Salzman said. “He was just amazed by what they’d do. When they succeeded, he’d be right there, singing their praises and celebrating for them.”

Mary said her favorite performance always was the first fourth-grade recital of every year, where Guy would play a recording of the students’ first attempt at playing a song on a sightread on the last day of the summer band program. It would be a song they’d spend the entire fall learning how to perform.

“The kids would cringe and giggle because it was so bad,” Mary said. “Then they’d perform it for their parents and they’d do so well, they’d swell with pride because of the improvement.”

Donna Martin, a retired band instructor from Ottawa Elementary, said Guy came in at a difficult time when he was hired in 1993.

“The band program was on its way back up, and you’ve had some part-time people working with us expanding into full time,” Martin said. “We were able to bring him in then as a second band director, so he had a long career.”

Martin said Guy was able to teach children to love their instruments and appreciate music from day one.

Shepherd Band Director Justin Marxman said Guy took great interest in seeing the bigger picture of the Ottawa music program. He was invested in his students, and he made sure to attend every concert he could.

“He was always looking forward to going to the high school concerts to see, essentially, the students that he had to teach how to open up a case,” Marxman said. “He was able to say ‘that’s exactly what I was when I started’ every single year, and he took great pride in seeing the whole progression of those students from the very beginning, up through their senior year and beyond.”

Marxman said he has a few students who play professionally, which is something Guy took great pride in.

Guy began every single year teaching his students how to open up their instrument cases correctly.

“Sometimes we learn those things as a teacher, like, all it takes is one kid opening up their case upside down when you realize that’s a skill that needs to be taught,” Martin said. “It’s hard to remember what kids don’t know because we’ve been doing this for so long. He had the skill of being able to go back and think, ‘OK. This child knows nothing about his musical instrument. What do I need to show them?’ ”

He also was tasked with showing each student how to put their instrument together.

“For a brass instrument, that’s not much,” Martin said. “But for a clarinetist, it takes the entire first lesson and part of the second lesson to get that clarinet apart in a reasonable, respectable manner.”

Erika Heth, a choir teacher with Ottawa Elementary, said Guy was a hit with more than just band students. They picked up on his dry sense of humor that came along with the music lessons.

“He came across to them as real, somebody who was straightforward and professional, but then suddenly they’d see him crack a joke,” Heth said. “Then they have private lessons with him, and he’s cracking jokes.”

Kesha Sanders, who teaches at both Lincoln and McKinley Elementary, said it wasn’t unusual for him to write on the students’ practice charts that they should remember to wake up in the morning and enjoy the sunshine, or other lighthearted things.

“Kids would come home with an assignment on what they need to practice, and sometimes it was just him throwing his dry sense of humor out there,” Sanders said. “The kids caught on and thought it was hilarious.”

Heth said they took a survey of students to ask what classes they enjoyed the most, and Chamberlin’s music classes always finished at the top.

“We realized how much they enjoyed their music classes with him and his sense of humor,” Heth said. “We had the recorders, which was a good way to get instruments that don’t break easily into the kids’ hands, and a lot of kids would sign up just from that.”

Sanders said he would have the students in smaller groups after that and they’d see just how much fun he was having.

“He’s the one that had to hear those squeaking clarinets over and over in the beginning, and he’s the one that had to teach these kids a practice routine and show them how important it is to show up for early morning band practice and be committed,” Sanders said. “I’m sure he had to talk several of those kids into not giving up and not quitting. I think, sometimes, the high school deserves credit for the championships, but Mr. Chamberlain was central to helping them build that foundation.”

Martin said when they found out he was sick and had to retire, they planned a drive-by parade when they found out they couldn’t have a typical retirement party or retirement concert for him.

They hoped to get 20 cars, or 50 if they were lucky.

Marxman said it was the summer, so they assumed everyone would have a crazy summer schedule – and then more than 100 people showed up.

“I mean, they just kept pouring in, and there were people that we haven’t seen in years, but they’d heard Guy was sick and they wanted him to know what he meant to them,” Martin said. “That spoke right there what he meant to his community and his former students and colleagues. There were former administrators, colleagues, people he played in the IVCC Wind Ensemble with. There were people that drove quite a distance for this parade.”

Guy also was involved in the Starved Rock Civil War Roundtable, and Mary said if he wasn’t going to be a music instructor, he would have been a history teacher.

“My husband discovered the grave of George Wallace near the area, but he found out it wasn’t being kept up, so he was actually the one who was the impetus to get it cleaned in every spring,” Mary said. “They go and clean the graves in that area now.”

George W.H.L. Wallace was a Union war hero during the Civil War depicted in a G. Byron Peck above Jeremiah Joe on La Salle Street in Ottawa.

The family has not yet scheduled a celebration of life because of COVID-19 restrictions, but Mary said she’s tentatively looking at July 10, Guy’s birthday, to hold a celebration of life open to the community.

“We have just gotten so many cards that have had lovely stories, but one of the things we’re also doing is welcoming people to write a memory or story and send it to Seals-Campbell Funeral home,” Mary said. “I’m going to try and have a scrapbook at the celebration service that people can look at and share in the memories they have of him.”

If you have a memory or story, send it to Seals-Campbell Funeral Home at scfh5151@mtco.com or by mail to 1009 E. Bluff St., Marseilles, IL 61341.