Let us help save time and money while creating a quality production that's just right for you!!!
ABOUT
MG Marching & Music has been in the works for quite some time. Prior to becoming an official LLC in January 2020, Mike Garnand had been writing drill for Marching Bands, Indoor Ensembles and Winter Guards all over the Southeastern United States since 1984. He is dedicated to providing teachable and cleanable design shows that keep student success in mind. MG Marching & Music's drill designs strive for the highest quality of general and visual effect while bringing the primary focus to the music. All drill designs will be extremely effective no matter your group level.
MIKE GARNAND
Owner/Lead Drill Designer
Mike Garnand is recently retired after a fulfilling 35-year career as Director of Bands. During that time, his high school bands, middle school bands, have consistently received superior ratings and many first-place awards. Before retirement, Mike served as Director of Bands for the Petal School District, Jackson Central Merry High School, Greenwood School District, and Dresden High School Band. A few of his highest achievements include participating in the 75th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade, winning the 2007 Mississippi 5A State Marching Championship and winning 2012, 2013 and 2016 Mississippi 6A State Marching Championships, participating in the 2008 IKEA Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade, having the distinct honor of participating in the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Parade and serving as Marching Band Director for the Mississippi All-State Lions Band during the 2010 Lions Band International Championship in Sydney, Australia.
During his teaching career, Mike enjoyed writing drill during summers for various groups and organizations. His dedication to understanding his client and their needs led to increased bookings and the start of MG Marching & Music.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Masters of Music from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee.
BLAINE BOMAR
Contracted Program Coordinator
Blaine Bomar is our program coordinator who has served in every facet of the marching arts:
performer, instructor, clinician, consultant, designer, contest coordinator, and judge. He has served/ serves as a Program Coordinator and Artistic Director for marching bands, indoor percussion, indoor winds, and winter guards throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas. Programs that he has consulted and worked with have performed in venues such as: Tennessee Division One & Two state finals, Middle Tennessee State University’s Contest of Champions, Kentucky Music Educators Association State Finals, Winter Guard International Regional Finals, Bands of America Regional Finals, and the Bands of America Grand Nationals Championships. Blaine’s design work has been on display at both the Midwest Band & Orchestra Conference and the Texas Music Educators Association Conference.
ASHTON SENECA
Contracted Wind & Battery Choreographer
Ashton Seneca is a marching band and leadership specialist. She is the creator of "Basics in a Box" an online marching fundamentals course and is a sought after leadership clinician. She regularly conducts student leadership presentations in the north Dallas area and most recently she led her workshop “Kids These Days…” at the Mississippi State Band Clinic.
From 2015-2019 Ashton was the associate director and in charge of the visual program at Wakeland High School in Frisco, TX. During the 2019 marching season, she was a part of the visual team for the silver medalist drum corps “The Bluecoats”, wrote and taught choreography to several Plano ISD schools, and was a part of the visual team with the 2019 Grand National bronze medalists, Hebron High School.
Ashton lives in Frisco, TX with her husband Jeremy Seneca.
OWEN BUTLER
Contracted Guard Choreographer
Owen Butler has been active in the marching band community as a performer, instructor, consultant, clinician, and judge since 2003. Mr. Butler performed as a musician and marching color guard member throughout middle and high school. He later marched and was assistant director for an Independent A winter guard where is also served as a choreographer. Mr. Butler has consulted, designed, and choreographed for well over 100 different schools throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and California. He currently holds the title of Head Color Guard Designer for Fannin Musical Productions, LLC, Color Guard Director for the KMEA State Champions and BOA Regional Class Champion Murray High School Tiger Band and is a former choreographer for the Murray State Racer Band Color Guard. Mr. Butler also is an alumni member of the Music for All Summer Symposium presented by Yamaha Color Guard Instructors Academy. His students have gone on to march at Music City Drum Corp, Carolina Crown Drum Corps, Cavaliers Drum Corps, Eklipse Winter Guard, Flordia State Winter Guard, Project Imangation, Black Diamond Independent, the Pride of Cinncinatti Independent World Guard, Inspire World Guard, University of Kentucky Wildcat Guard, Austin Peay Color Guard, Murray State Racer Band Color Guard, and various other college and independent programs throughout the United States.
JOHN MCFARLAND
Composer/Arranger
JACKSON RIFFLE
Composer/Arranger
John McFarland - owner http://sixtofiveproductions.com is an active composer/arranger in WGI, DCI, and BOA. He is currently the Program Coordinator for Legends Drum and Bugle Corps from Kalamazoo, Michigan , a position he has held since the 2016 season. From 2013 to 2015 he was the percussion composer/arranger for Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2018 he was the percussion caption head and arranger for the Erie Thunderbirds Drum and Bugle Corps in Erie, PA. In WGI, John has composed and arranged for many ensembles ranging from Scholastic A Class all the way up to Independent World Class. Many notable clients include Eastside Fury (2012-2014), Notre Dame Indoor Percussion Ensemble (PIA Finalists 2012, 2013) Ferndale Independent Percussion (2015 PIA Silver Medalists), Farmington United Percussion (2017 PIA Silver Medalists), and Decatur Central Indoor Percussion (2018 PSCA Gold Medalists). John also composes marching band shows for high schools and colleges all over the country.
Jackson Riffle is a performer, educator, composer, and arranger, originally from Pleasant Hill, Ohio. He received his Bachelor of Music with concentrations in Piano and Percussion Performance from Wright State University, under the mentorship of Mr. Gerald Noble and Dr. Jackson Leung, and currently studies with Mr. Tim Adams in pursuit of his Master's at the University of Georgia. Jackson has appeared as a soloist with the Dayton Philharmonic, Wright State University Chamber Orchestra, Wright State University Symphony Orchestra, Kettering Civic Band, Greenville Municipal Band, Sinclair Community College Wind Symphony, and has performed with the Springfield Symphony (Ohio), Richmond Symphony (Indiana), Carmel Symphony (Indiana), Dayton Bach Society/Oakwood Brass, for Dayton Public Radio as a guest artist, was a performing finalist for the “President’s Own” Marine Band’s Concerto competition, was the Adult Duet/Duo division winner for the 2019 Ohio MTA/Graves Piano Competition, and was the winner of the 2020 Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Agnes Fowler Competition. In the summers of 2020 and 2021, he received fellowships to attend the National Orchestral Institute + Festival and in the summer of 2018, Jackson attended the Brevard Music Festival, in North Carolina.
Jackson has appeared as a guest conductor with the Dayton Philharmonic Concert Band and the Greenville Municipal Band, and, as an educator, has served as a music clinician and instructor for many different schools across the state of Ohio, such as Kettering Fairmont High School, Grove City High School, Beavercreek High School, Troy High School, Milton Union High School, Marion Local High School, and Fort Loramie High School. As a composer and arranger, Jackson has written music for several schools including Grove City, Fort Loramie, Troy Christian, and Newton High School Marching Bands. Jackson is also an arranger for Fannin Musical Productions, a published composer for Tapspace Publishing Company, and has received commissions to write for various organizations such as the Springfield Youth Symphony, Greenville Municipal Band, Wright State University Wind Symphony, and the Wright State University Percussion Ensemble.
RYAN TODD
Composer/Arranger
GREG FHIARAS
Composer/Arranger
Ryan Todd - Ryan Todd, currently in his 20th year teaching band in the state of Mississippi, is the Director of Bands at Itawamba Community College in Fulton, MS. In addition to teaching at Itawamba Community College, Pontotoc High School (Pontotoc, MS), and Madison Central High School (Madison, MS), Ryan also served on the brass staff of the Phantom Legion Drum and Bugle Corps (1998) and the Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps (2003, 2004).
After attending Itawamba Community College, Ryan earned the Bachelor of Music Education and the Master of Music Education from the University of Mississippi and completed significant coursework toward the Doctor of Musical Arts in Brass Performance and Pedagogy at Louisiana State University.
Ryan has been a guest clinician and adjudicator in both concert band and marching band venues throughout the Mid-South and is in high demand as a music arranger and composer. He has arranged and composed for state champion marching bands throughout Mississippi and has had several commissions performed by premier high school and university concert ensembles.
Hi my name is Greg Fhiaras (pronounced Fee-AIR-iss) I was born in Cleveland Ohio , but grew up in Gulfport Mississippi and I'm a graduate of Gulfport East High School I received my formal training from Mississippi State University where I was principal percussionist , percussion arranger for the Famous Maroon Band and a member of Lambda Phi Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. I studied composition/arranging under Dr. Peyton Crowder. I taught band at all levels for 27 years in the public and private schools of Mississippi. and have served as a percussion adjudicator and clinician in Mississippi and Alabama. I am retired and reside in Gulfport, Mississippi. How did I become a composer? I started writing drum cadences for our two feeder junior high bands at age 16.At that time I read a book on orchestration and wrote for a small instrumental group. Writing music is something I dreamed of doing. . I wrote my first band piece in 1999 which ended up being premiered at a local band clinic and played at State Concert evaluation. It wasn't until 2015 , that my first piece, Pirates' Cove Adventure was published.. I have written mostly for young concert band but I also arrange and compose for marching bands. My piece "Synchronized Energy" was performed at the 2018 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. In 2021 my composition "Country Tune from County Perry" was one of seven winners in the Grand Mesa Music Publishers composition contest.