Welcome!
Hi,I'm Jeff Waggoner a retired high school band director from the suburbs of Chicago. I've written quite a few pieces for my own concert bands, marching bands, and jazz ensembles over the years. Now that I have more free time, I'm making some of those pieces available to others.
Since I'm my own publishing company, and I distribute everything as Adobe Acrobat pdf files, I can provide my music to you very affordably - usually for less than half of what a print music publisher charges! (And when your first trumpet player loses his part, you're not stuck - you can just print another!)
I've revised some of my existing files, which were created in Sibelius, mostly just to make them more readable and usable by students and directors. It's an ongoing process.
You may also wish to visit my blog at blog.waggonermusic.com. From time to time I discuss composition, arranging, my journey in using the notation program Sibelius, and concert/marching/jazz rehearsal and performance issues. I confess I've not done much there lately.
I have quite a few arrangements for marching band and jazz ensemble available as well. They are not listed on this site, but they are available in a pdf document. If you would like the list, please or email me.
All of the listings on the Music page on this site have links so you can download a non-printing version of the full score, so you can see the whole tune before you buy it. Most have either Sibelius realizations or live performance recording excerpts as well.
If you want to find out a little more about me, check out the Bio page. I've also left some performance tips on...wait for it...the Tips page! There will be more tips to come as I have the opportunity to write them up.
I'm also available for clinics, commissions, adjudication and workshops. I would love to come work with your groups! I have learned some "tricks of the trade" over the years and I would be delighted to share them with your students! My resume of music-related experience can be downloaded here.
UPDATES!
First, I've been serving as the Assistant Director of the Central States Judges Association for the past seven years. While it's not full-time, it certainly keeps me busy enough that I have been doing very little writing for concert band. If you host a marching band contest, I encourage you to look to CSJA for high-quality judges for a reasonable price. We continually train our judges and we monitor their work throughout each year. We aren't just a booking agency for people who want to judge. Becoming a CSJA member is a year-long training and vetting process. I'm very proud of our cadre of judges and I invite you to consider us if you are looking for a panel of judges for your show.
The Band Director's Guide To Marching Band Arranging has been available for over five years now, from Amazon.com from this link. See the Arranging Book Page for more details about the book. The page I have created for owners of the book may grow and develop with time. I hope it will be a resource for those interested in the art and science of marching band arranging. This is the Second Edition of the book, substantially improved over the version previously available. New material on how to use sample libraries with Sibelius and Finale is included, as is a section on using electronics with the marching band.
I hope to get a Third Edition out sometime...but that depends on a lot of factors. There have been many changes in the activity over the past few years, particularly regarding electronics and amplification. The sunsetting of Finale as an arranging tool and the ascendancy of Dorico also changes the landscape a great deal. And NotePerformer alone is a game-changer for those working with Dorico or Sibelius! So no deadline date on the new edition, unfortunately. I'll try to document some of the changes on my blog - which has been much neglected of late - for those of you who have bought the current edition.
The book is also available for only $ 19.95 as a Kindle ebook, at this link. The Kindle book has embedded music examples that play if you have a newer Kindle Fire. For the pdf version, see the link below!
The arrangements shopping cart was unwieldy. I've disabled it. If you want to buy something, let me know via email and we can work something out!
I write for area high school marching bands. I believe my experience as a marching band and drum corps judge is making me a better writer. If you are looking for someone to write your show, email me. My rates are reasonable and I can work in a variety of styles!
Last modified on February 4, 2025.
Since I'm my own publishing company, and I distribute everything as Adobe Acrobat pdf files, I can provide my music to you very affordably - usually for less than half of what a print music publisher charges! (And when your first trumpet player loses his part, you're not stuck - you can just print another!)
I've revised some of my existing files, which were created in Sibelius, mostly just to make them more readable and usable by students and directors. It's an ongoing process.
You may also wish to visit my blog at blog.waggonermusic.com. From time to time I discuss composition, arranging, my journey in using the notation program Sibelius, and concert/marching/jazz rehearsal and performance issues. I confess I've not done much there lately.
I have quite a few arrangements for marching band and jazz ensemble available as well. They are not listed on this site, but they are available in a pdf document. If you would like the list, please or email me.
All of the listings on the Music page on this site have links so you can download a non-printing version of the full score, so you can see the whole tune before you buy it. Most have either Sibelius realizations or live performance recording excerpts as well.
If you want to find out a little more about me, check out the Bio page. I've also left some performance tips on...wait for it...the Tips page! There will be more tips to come as I have the opportunity to write them up.
I'm also available for clinics, commissions, adjudication and workshops. I would love to come work with your groups! I have learned some "tricks of the trade" over the years and I would be delighted to share them with your students! My resume of music-related experience can be downloaded here.
UPDATES!
First, I've been serving as the Assistant Director of the Central States Judges Association for the past seven years. While it's not full-time, it certainly keeps me busy enough that I have been doing very little writing for concert band. If you host a marching band contest, I encourage you to look to CSJA for high-quality judges for a reasonable price. We continually train our judges and we monitor their work throughout each year. We aren't just a booking agency for people who want to judge. Becoming a CSJA member is a year-long training and vetting process. I'm very proud of our cadre of judges and I invite you to consider us if you are looking for a panel of judges for your show.
The Band Director's Guide To Marching Band Arranging has been available for over five years now, from Amazon.com from this link. See the Arranging Book Page for more details about the book. The page I have created for owners of the book may grow and develop with time. I hope it will be a resource for those interested in the art and science of marching band arranging. This is the Second Edition of the book, substantially improved over the version previously available. New material on how to use sample libraries with Sibelius and Finale is included, as is a section on using electronics with the marching band.
I hope to get a Third Edition out sometime...but that depends on a lot of factors. There have been many changes in the activity over the past few years, particularly regarding electronics and amplification. The sunsetting of Finale as an arranging tool and the ascendancy of Dorico also changes the landscape a great deal. And NotePerformer alone is a game-changer for those working with Dorico or Sibelius! So no deadline date on the new edition, unfortunately. I'll try to document some of the changes on my blog - which has been much neglected of late - for those of you who have bought the current edition.
The book is also available for only $ 19.95 as a Kindle ebook, at this link. The Kindle book has embedded music examples that play if you have a newer Kindle Fire. For the pdf version, see the link below!
The arrangements shopping cart was unwieldy. I've disabled it. If you want to buy something, let me know via email and we can work something out!
I write for area high school marching bands. I believe my experience as a marching band and drum corps judge is making me a better writer. If you are looking for someone to write your show, email me. My rates are reasonable and I can work in a variety of styles!
Last modified on February 4, 2025.
Buy the print version of "The Band Director's Guide To Marching Band Arranging" from Amazon.com for $24.95 at this link.
Buy the Kindle textbook version for only $19.95 at this link.
Buy the Kindle textbook version for only $19.95 at this link.
Not sure? Download a pdf sample here:
| arranging_book_excerpt.pdf |
Check out Marching.com!
