ARRANGERS
MARCHING365 DOES NOT FAVOR OR ENDORSE ONE DESIGNER OVER ANOTHER. THESE ARE MUSIC ARRANGERS AND COMPOSERS THAT WE WORK WITH ON A CONSISTENT BASIS.
Luke McMillan is a composer, arranger, and designer for the marching arts. Luke has been writing music professionally since 2005 and has composed and arranged full-time since 2015. Luke’s music is regularly heard at numerous competitive circuits, including BOA, USBands, and multiple local and state-sanctioned events across the country. Luke’s music has been played by several state marching band finalists and medalists around the country and has been described as achievable and fun for the performers, and entertaining and engaging for the audience.
Before becoming a full-time composer/arranger, Luke was as a band director for 11 years at Wylie High School in Abilene, TX. During his time at Wylie, Luke designed the shows for and co-taught the Wylie “Pure Gold” Marching Band, which advanced to the state marching contest several times playing his music. Luke also directed the Symphonic Band which earned consistent sweepstakes awards, and the Wylie High School Jazz Band, which earned “Best in Class” awards for most jazz festivals they attended.
Luke is a 2003 graduate of The University of North Texas holding a Bachelor of Music degree. While attending UNT, he played in the marching band, concert band, and nationally recognized jazz lab bands. Luke lives and works in his hometown of Abilene, TX.
Paul Jaso is an active arranger/composer in the Marching Arts as well as a highly sought-after clinician and consultant for various band programs across the state of Texas.
Previously, Paul was an assistant director at Waxahachie High School and served on staff there for 7 years. He assisted the band in winning the 5A Bronze Medal at the 2017 UIL State Marching Contest, as well as being a 6A State Finalist in 2018. He also assisted the band in being named the 2017 TMEA Honor Band and conducted on the concert in 2018.
Paul currently resides in Waxahachie with his lovely wife, Cera, and four children: Noah, Sonora, Philip, and Abram.
Bass Deese has been a life-long member of the Four States area and has been teaching high school band for 2 years, this year being the 3rd. He is currently the Head Band Director for Pleasant Grove ISD in Texarkana, Texas. Bass is also currently the Brass Caption Head and Arranger for Lone Star Drum and Bugle Corps in Fort Worth, TX.
Bass is a freelance composer, arranger, and musician on both trumpet and piano. His primary influences for composition have been his teachers Alan Baylock of the University of North Texas and Lester Pack of the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He has learned from several famous jazz musicians, such as Clark Terry, Mike Williams and David Kane. Bass has performed in several groups in the Four States area such as the Texarkana Jazz Orchestra and the Bill Causey Big Band. Bass had the opportunity to perform with famous jazz artists and big bands, such as “Blue” Lou Marini, Tom “Bones” Malone, Mike Williams, Dennis Montgomery III, Steve Lippia, and the Fabulous Equinox Jazz Orchestra. He has also performed in near and distant venues, such as the Four States Jazz Festival in Texarkana, TX, Northwestern State University Jazz Festival in Natchitoches, LA, Elmhurst College Jazz Festival in Chicago, IL Chicago Midwest Convention, and the People’s Republic of China.
Bass currently holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies with emphasis in piano performance and composition/arranging, and a Bachelor of Arts in Trumpet Performance from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He is an alumnus of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, and Tau Kappa Epsilon. He, also, is an alumnus of the 2012-2015 Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, acting as trumpet section leader for the 2014 and 2015 season. He has also worked with Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps brass staff in 2018. Bass currently lives in Texarkana, TX with his beautiful wife, Antonia.
Christian Guillen is a composer and arranger who presently resides in Marshall, TX. His compositions have been performed by many of the state’s top ensembles, including the Dallas Winds, the University of Texas Trombone Choir, and the Texas A&M University - Commerce Trombone Choir. He has written for several marching bands across the state of Texas, at both the high school and college level. Christian has been fortunate to have worked with, studied, and received mentorship from some influential arrangers and composers, including John Meehan, John Wasson, Allan Goodwin, and Michael Klesch. Most recently, Christian has been accepted into an internship program led by John Meehan, brass arranger for the Blue Devils, where he will be able to work alongside John for an entire season, continuing to hone his skills to become an even better arranger.
Christian is a band director at Marshall High School in Marshall, TX. During his time at Marshall, the “Big Red Pride” Marching Band has received consistent superior ratings and makes regular advances to the area level UIL marching contest. Prior to his appointment at Marshall, Christian taught at Berkner High School and Apollo Junior High School in Richardson, TX. While in Richardson, he had the opportunity to work alongside top marching band coordinators and designers.
Christian graduated from Texas A&M University - Commerce with a bachelor's degree in music education. During his time at Texas A&M University - Commerce, Christian had the opportunity to perform with the university's wind ensemble and trombone choir across the United States and Europe. He also had the opportunity to be on staff with the Texas A&M University - Commerce "Pride" Marching Band, which has made appearances as the exhibition band at numerous marching contests across the state and country, including the Texas State Marching Contest in San Antonio, and the Bands of America Grand National Championships, in Indianapolis.
His professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Marching365 is proud to sponsor this young and upcoming arranger, and you can find his library of marching band arrangements by clicking here. For more information on pricing and availability of one of Christian’s shows, fill out the form on the Contact Us page.
Owner/arranger of MJM Works LLC
Producer, Marching Band Movement
Manuel James “Manny” Maldonado is the director of operations and principal arranger for MJM Works LLC, a marching band design company he founded in 2007. His company provides marching band custom arrangements, drill, program consultation, guard choreography/work, and electronic samples for programs across the United States. His previous arrangements are also for sale in his vast library of over 100 shows at the MJM Works website.
Before designing and arranging full time, Manny was a band director for 14 years, most notably at Claudia Taylor Johnson and Cedar Park High Schools.
As a designer and arranger, Manny noticed that many directors lacked the knowledge and resources to teach modern movement to their marching bands. For this reason, he reached out to friends Conrad Isenhour and Katie Hopkins, and Marching Band Movement was born: a course designed to teach directors and students alike about modern movement techniques for their marching programs.
Manny began arranging music for his first client in 1997. In 2007, he founded MJM Works, a marching band design company dedicated to giving bands the highest-quality music, drill and guard work. His company has since expanded to include electronic sampling/soundscaping, design consultation, clinician services, concert band commissions, and leadership training. Many of Manny’s clients achieve success at the state and national level.
More information on Mr. Maldonado can be found by visiting his company’s website www.mjmworks.com
Manny lives in Bulverde, Texas. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Candace, and their two children, Jameson and Owen.
Scott Ward has been an active teacher, arranger and composer since 1997. Scott earned his B.S. in Music Education from Texas A&M University-Commerce in 2002, and his M.M. in Percussion Performance from Texas Christian University in 2004, where he held the position of graduate assistant.
Mr. Ward was the percussion specialist at Berkner High School in Richardson, TX from 2004-2015, where he helped his students develop a life-long passion for music. Together, they earned the opportunity to perform at the UIL State Marching Contest 6 times, were finalists at numerous BOA Regional and Super-Regional Events, and performed at the Midwest Clinic in 2011. Previously, Scott was an Adjunct Percussion Professor at TCU in 2004-05, where he taught Applied Percussion Lessons, and taught the award-winning TCU Horned Frog Drum Line.
Currently, Mr. Ward is active as a clinician, adjudicator, writer and consultant throughout the United States. He is the owner and operator of The Music Ward, an education-based show design and consultation company that creates wind and percussion arrangements for high school and college marching bands. He arranges for marching bands of all sizes and ability levels, and his shows have consistently been performed at the Texas UIL State Marching Contest at all classification levels from 2A-6A. In addition, his original compositions for winds and percussion are published by C. Alan Publications.
His professional affiliations include: Texas Bandmasters Association, The Texas Music Educators Association, Percussive Arts Society, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.