Tom “TC” Christensen, jazz teacher and Music Department chair, has been teaching at Fieldston for 33 years . He follows in the footsteps of Randy Wanless, a former Fieldston jazz teacher who Christensen credits for building the program in the early 1980s. After Wanless left the school in 1988 to teach in the International School system, the program stumbled because of music teacher turn-over. That changed when Christensen arrived. Christensen bolstered, rebuilt and then expanded the program.
Christensen started teaching part-time at Fieldston in 1991. After becoming full time, and after teaching at Fieldston for ten years, Christensen became the head of the Music Department. Currently, there are almost 100 upper school students studying and performing jazz.
Growing up in Napa, California, Christensen knew from a young age that he was deeply interested in music. Christensen remembers the exact moment he decided to play the saxophone: his friend Dave misled him in 6th grade, saying, “If you can play the saxophone, then you can automatically play any other instrument.” So, Christensen began playing saxophone for the middle school jazz band and first realized in 8th grade that he had a natural talent. He was inspired by his middle school band director, Mr. Dent, who would spend his afternoons playing jazz piano alone in the band room while a young Christensen listened. Christensen’s high school band director, while “strange,” he describes, also played a key role in his musical journey. He took the band to competitions all around California and Nevada, introducing Christensen to many musicians, providing him with formative experiences, and inspiring him to take Fieldston jazz groups on similar trips today.
Concert Jazz and Improv VI Ensembles with their 2nd place trophies (Source: Saskia Sommer)
In high school, Christensen was surrounded by people who encouraged him to pursue music. His friends were musicians and writers, many with similar aspirations to pursue creative, non-traditional careers. His “very liberal and cool” mom, Christensen explains, was supportive of his career aspirations and encouraged her son to give it a go. In high school, Christensen spent his summers working as a counselor at a Boys Scout camp in the Sierra Nevada mountains. He remembers to this day what a co-counselor, who played the guitar and saxophone, once said to him: “If you don’t try to be a musician, you will always wonder your whole life if you could’ve done it or not.” Christensen took those words to heart and from that moment on, knew he would pursue his dream of moving to New York to be a musician.
As a kid, Christensen knew many family members that were teachers, including both of his parents. He quickly realized he shared this love of teaching. “In late high school and early college, there would be the occasional student that would want lessons, like some middle schooler that would want me to help them out. And I always just really enjoyed it,” he explains. After attending the Eastman School of Music, the University of Rochester’s music school, Christensen taught at a public school in Rochester for 3 years. Then when he moved to New York, he had “these weird little gigs” teaching jazz bands and holding music lessons, but Christsen wanted more. These jobs didn’t allow him to be super involved in any school or community. Christensen explains that in his first few years in New York, he thought, “Man, what I’d really like is a place where I can really be involved with the students, get to know them, make a difference, and be a part of the community.” One day in 1991, looking through the career section of the New York Times, Christensen came across Fieldston. Christensen eventually became TC and the rest is history.
While most Fieldston students know TC for his charm or simply his recognizable nickname, most don’t truly understand his incredible skills and accomplishments. I’ve been TC’s student for five years now, and there is truly nothing like listening to him play. He effortlessly rips through scales and solos, each note blending perfectly into the next. Improv IV student Rohann Moresky-Madhavan (VI) says, “TC’s dedication to practicing his instrument inspires others to also devote time and effort to honing their crafts.” When teaching, TC’s music theory knowledge and musical IQ shines through. He also has the ability to play and transcribe music completely by ear, something both musicians and non-musicians know is a rare talent.
Jazz students also know that TC’s talents extend beyond his saxophone abilities. Over the years, he has learned many different instruments, encouraging his students to the same. He learned to play the piano as a child, and after picking up the saxophone, learned to play the flute, clarinet and oboe in high school and college. These abilities proved to be great for the Broadway scene, where he played many different woodwind instruments. Christensen explains that he has developed his drums and electric bass skills since he began working at Fieldston. Explaining his ability to pick up instruments, he says, “It’s like languages. It gets easier the more you learn.” He continues, “It’s not all hard work. I think people have a propensity toward music… It’s an ability to hear music and translate it, it’s motor skills, it’s an ability to decode written music…”
Celebrating winning 2nd place at the National Jazz Festival (Source: Rachel Stulman)
While Christensen loves teaching and playing music professionally, balancing the two has at times brought challenges. When teaching part time at Fieldston, Christensen played many gigs, including parties, weddings and Bar Mitzvahs (including one Fieldston student’s Bar Mitzvah). He has also landed some of the most esteemed roles as a musician. While very discreet about it, Christensen was a full-time Broadway musician for 10 years and part-time for about 10 years, playing shows such as “Bye-Bye Birdie,” “Peter Pan” and “Patti Lupone on Broadway.” These gigs were a huge commitment, running every night for months or years on end. Of course, he also played many jazz gigs, including world tours with fourteen-time grammy-nominated Toshiko Akiyoshi’s band. Playing on Broadway and touring with Akoyoshi were incredible experiences, but coupled with teaching, proved a lot to keep up with.
In 2003, Christenen’s life started to look a little different. That year, he adopted his daughter, Hannah, and the Music Department chair suddenly retired. Christensen decided to be department chair, work at Fieldston full-time, and stop doing so many high-commitment gigs. Since then, he’s had a much easier time managing being a teacher and a performing musician. He adds, “Now, I play fewer gigs but it’s higher-level stuff, more fun, and it’s all artistically satisfying work. And I’m not out every single night.”
Today, he plays gigs with his band, Spin Cycle, and tours with many different musicians. According to TC, it’s typically not hard to manage being in a band today because the band doesn’t practice together, just rehearses before a performance. Last year, my family saw Spin Cycle perform at the Django downtown. My father and jazz enthusiast James Stulman described the music as “really well balanced, allowing each musician in the quartet to shine.” This is especially impressive given that the band doesn’t rehearse together regularly.
If I took away one thing from my interview with TC, it’s that he absolutely loves teaching at Fieldston. He loves having autonomy over what he teaches and working alongside so many other passionate faculty. It is also crystal clear that students have a similar appreciation for TC and are inspired by his gift.
Tom Christensen and his jazz band, “Spin Cycle” (Source: Tom Christensen)
