Westminster College Band Director Designs Marching Band Shows for Area High Schools

Dr. R. Tad Greig, director of bands at Westminster College, spent much of the summer designing competitive marching band shows for area high schools.

 "The process includes knowledge of the instrumentation, the performance level of the musicians, and the concept presented within the chosen music," Greig said.  "I've created over 100 pages of marching band design for Struthers (Ohio) High School and Seneca Valley High School."

 Greig has been a marching band drill writer for 20 years, and has written for many high schools and some colleges, as well.

 "The process used to be very cumbersome, writing free-hand, retracing each final set onto the next page to make sure that each personal symbol was in exactly the correct spot," Greig said.   "Now a majority of drill writers utilize computer technology in the creation of artistic music and motion on the field.  The average marching band show is between nine and 11 minutes.  Within this time, students will learn between 25-35 pages of marching band drill, written to correlate the music to movement.

 "The schools I design for are interested in creative shapes and movement that closely fit the style of the music.  The challenge in drill design is not in the creation of shapes, but rather in the flow and transition between shapes.  I enjoy the challenge of coming up with a visual concept based upon the music, musicians and their abilities."

 Greig, who has been with Westminster College since 1995, earned his undergraduate degree from Grove City College, his master's from Youngstown State University, and his Ph.D. from Kent State University.

 For more information, contact Greig at (724) 946-7279 or e-mail greigrk@westminster.edu.

Dr. R. Tad Greig