John Loos is excited for the amazing opportunity of bringing his musical experience to the South Tama County school district. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

For all of his life John Loos has been making music. As part of his next venture, he’s bringing his talents to the STC choir.

Born in Kansas, Loos has always been connected to music, taking piano lessons from a young age. It was in these lessons Loos discovered he has an ability known as “perfect pitch,” which is the ability to hear notes and name them without a reference pitch.

It is an ability many very talented musicians are born with. Some of the most famous musical sensations of all time have had it, including Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bing Crosby, to name a few.

Aside from his amazing musical gifts, Loos received his music education and piano performance degrees from the University of Iowa this past May.

Throughout his time at Iowa, Loos participated in numerous ensembles on campus. From playing bass drum in the Hawkeye Marching Band, to many piano recitals, choirs, jazz bands, and even his own rock band he helped start with a group of friends. Loos is a very versatile musician who prides himself on singing or playing in any style. Loos plays bass guitar in his five-piece rock band that is still active in and around the Iowa City area.

John Loos pictured on stage playing bass guitar alongside four other members of his rock band. The group plays classic rock but is in the process of writing originals. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Interviewing this past spring, Loos described the experience as welcoming and instantly feeling like home.

“After the interview I thought to myself, this is exactly what I want. Mike and Teressa seemed very excited to have new energy in the music department. It was a very natural fit,” he said.

After accepting the position, Loos began crafting plans and started making himself accessible to the community, performing alongside the community band and high school jazz band at the Lincoln Highway Bridge Festival. During that Friday night of entertainment, Loos showed off some of his piano chops with a brief musical interlude during a 10 minute break.

With the school year in full force, Loos is starting to shape his choirs and hone in on details. With 15 members of the high school choir and 25 in middle school, he mentioned having plenty of room to add members but is committed to providing a quality music education for those in his groups regardless of size. This year Loos is in charge of the high school choir, middle school choir, and sixth grade general music.

Loos has started implementing some music theory and aural skills into the choir room, noting that a strong foundation can lend itself to music far beyond the choral sphere. Describing his teaching style as comprehensive, Loos is certainly aiming for greatness.

Loos would like to thank both Mike Carnahan and Teressa Smith for all their help and advice in starting his new position. The STC choir will make its debut at the winter concert alongside the band, Loos encourages community members to come check out what he’s all about.