Pat Lay
Pat Lay is the ultimate musician and teacher, playing in orchestras since he was in the eighth grade and teaching budding musicians for thirty years. He grew up just outside of Chicago in Villa Park, Illinois. At the age of 13, he began watching rehearsals of the Chicago Symphony, dreaming about one day being part of this prestigious group.
Throughout his high school and college years, he played in orchestra, brass quintet, and symphonic band. He also played with Jumbo, a professional Jazz Ensemble in Chicago and recorded demo albums and promos while he was in college. Pat received his Bachelor of Science and Masters of Science in Music at the University of Illinois in 1974.
After meeting his future wife, Frosty, he decided that being married and having a family meant more to him than being in a full time orchestra, so he began his career as an educator. "I was meant to be a life long teacher," he stated. All those students and adults, who have had the opportunity to be taught by Pat, are certainly glad that he made this life-changing decision. He and Frosty have two sons, Brian, 24, and Christopher, 20; and also Amber, 20, who has lived with the Lay family for three years.
Pat has taught in the public schools since 1974, most of which was in the Springfield-Eugene area, before he came to the McMinnville School District in 1990. During his twelve years in McMinnville, he produced many award-winning bands and excellent student musicians. Throughout his teaching career he remained active in musical organizations. He was principal trumpet for the Eugene Opera and the Eugene Festival Theater and played in the Eugene Symphony, the Eugene Brass Quintet, and the Mozart Players for 20 years. He has also performed several solos with college bands in the Eugene area. Pat's tenure in McMinnville ended in 2002, when he left to take a position in Reno for a year.
He returned to Oregon and taught at Ranier for a year. He is now the music teacher at Amity High School in Amity, Oregon.