J. Macklin Tweedie

Macklin first began accompanying choirs at Good Shepherd when he was 11 years old.  Ms. Jenn had him helping with the Children’s Choir, and he provided First Friday mass music with the Sacred Heart Home Educators.  With Macklin at the piano and a family of willing accomplices, the Tweedie Family Singers have for years been able to lead music for mass on special days such as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.  When Good Shepherd received their set of handbells, Macklin’s mother, father and sister were permanent members of the Handbell Choir, but Macklin was assigned the position of “permanent substitute” as he was able to fill in at any position during weekly practices when other bell ringers were absent.

Throughout Macklin’s four years at John Paul II Catholic High School, he eagerly took on accompanist duties for everything imaginable: lunchtime choir rehearsals, instrumental and vocal recitals, weekly mass, talent shows, and musical theatrical productions.  He was the sole instrumentalist for their annual musicals, responsible for providing musical cues to the actors, playing filler music between scenes, and keeping large ensemble numbers together.  During his last two years of high school, Macklin took on the accompanist job for the 10:30 A.M. choir at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.  This choir performed two “solo” choral pieces each week increasing his knowledge of choral arrangements.  Macklin’s four years of dedication to excellence, both in academics and in his sharing of talents, at John Paul II Catholic High School earned him the inaugural John Koelemij service award, named for the late Tallahassee homebuilder who dedicated his life to Catholic endeavors.

Macklin spent his first year of college studying piano performance at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers.  He joined the University Chorus and immediately helped out by accompanying the choir.  Just like his younger days, he’d do anything to get out of singing.  He also collaborated with several vocal students during their voice lessons.  His vocalists were appreciative of his absolute pitch as he provided them intonation improvement in addition to piano accompaniment.

All piano practice and no technical sciences made Macklin a dull boy.  He is now a student in the College of Engineering at The Florida State University studying Computer Engineering.  Rather than hours of mandatory piano performance practice, Macklin spends his free time sight-reading piano works of the great masters.  He has previously spent summer weekends bouncing between accompanist duties at St Thomas More Co-Cathedral and Blessed Sacrament Church.  He currently plays weekly for the Good Shepherd 8:00 AM and 10:15 AM choirs and the newly formed Women’s Chorus.