Mr. Tipps received both his Bachelor's and Master's and Master's + 30 degrees from Northern Illinois University with an additional 12 hours from VanderCook College. A professional trumpeter, Mr. Tipps has played for Milton Berle, Mel Torme, Patti Page, Bill Cosby, Dianne Carroll, The Smothers Brothers, John Gary Edie Fisher, Frankie Lane, and many others. Mr. Tipps performs locally on a regular basis with the orchestras of Vito Buffalo, Ron Mills, and Tony Casseli.
Mr. Tipps served on the board of directors of Musicians Union - Local 48 from 1988 until 1993 and served as Senior Choir Director at the Congregational Church of Algonquin from 1991 - 1998. Most recently, he was guest trumpet soloist with the Crystal Lake Community Band and served as guest conducter for the Festival Chorus on their tour to Canada in June of 2000. Mr. Tipps has been on the staff of Schaumburg High School since 1976.