Testimonials

Over the years, I have met people who are gifted beyond measure, who bring a sense-of-excellence to everything they do, and who are always eager-and-willing to offer benefits to those around them. JOHN MEEHAN is a compilation of all of these positive character attributes, PLUS, he is a caring-sharing educator, a multi-talented composer/arranger, an insightful consultant and above all - A TRUSTED FRIEND! If you havenâ€™t had the opportunity to work with John, you owe it to yourself and your program to connect with one of the professionâ€™s finest. Success guaranteedâ€¦ many times over.

— Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, Vice President of Education for Conn-Selmer, Inc.

Several years ago, I saw an advertisement for a Virtual Clinic with John Meehan. I knew what John could do with a DCI brass section, but wasnâ€™t sure what he had to offer my high school band. At the time, I was in the middle of marching season and thought "for the price, it's worth seeing what this guy has to offer my program. I reached out to John, he replied within a day, and I then sent him a video of my show and a copy of the music score. A couple days later, he sent back two pages of notes with suggestions I could do to make my band immediately better. His suggestions ranged from re-orchestration of chords, changes based on staging, balance fixes, and things we could do to clarify overall style and intent. He didnâ€™t just give me 'tick-sheet' of what wasnâ€™t working, he gave me a legitimate list of ideas on how to FIX what wasnâ€™t working. I was so impressed with Johnâ€™s feedback that I ended up hiring John for several more virtual clinics that season. Now, almost a decade later, I still look forward to the feedback I get from John every time he assesses one of our performances.

— Mike Ary, Director of Bands, James E. Taylor High School, Katy, Texas

John Meehan's composing and arranging style for competitive marching band is amazingly fresh, youthful and scored with vibrant texture and color. His wind scores are easily performed by the high school players of today because of his masterful approach to voicing and orchestration. John's knowledge of the marching activity combined with his creative genius blend wonderfully into "The Best of the Best" of competitive marching band shows. Don't let the opportunity to play a John Meehan original or arranged marching band masterpiece slip through your fingers...

— Wayne R. Downey, Music Director, Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps

John Meehan is among the most gifted of the contemporary band composers. He intuitively creates memorable melodies, and that is a rare and wonderful talent which sets him apart from the crowd.

— Frank Dorritie, Recording Specialist, Judge, and Grammy Award Winner

I have had the privilege of teaching many of John's shows during the past several years. From Pat Metheny and Eric Whitacre to his original shows Clocks and An American Autumn, John's writing is always innovative, detailed and above all - musical. More importantly is John's commitment to each and every show he writes. It is truly a pleasure to teach and listen to his great writing. He is, in my opinion, one of the great arrangers in the marching activity today.

— James Rocillo, Assistant Director of Bands, Ayala High School, Chino Hills, California

Mr. Meehan has been writing for my band program for four years, of which the past three have been original compositions. Through his creativity and musical vision, John has helped enable my students to reach their musical potential on the field. His brass scoring is second to none and his woodwind writing lends to maximum projection and challenge. Because John writes music designed for my students and staff, it is always achievable and offers the band their best opportunity for success. John is also a true professional and is a pleasure to work with. I would recommend him to any band director looking for great music that will make your group sound great!

— Mark Stone, Director of Bands, Ayala High School, Chino Hills, California

We have used John's marching band music arrangements for the past four years (including this year's Planets show) with tremendous success! Not only is John easy to work with (he communicates constantly to make sure the end product is what the director wants), but he is adept at scoring for the strengths and weaknesses of our band. We have scored very, very high in music competencies, mostly due to John's arrangements. His transitional material is highly original, and his creative arrangements have gotten praise from almost every Texas UIL, BOA and Festival judge we've had. They usually remark that the music is "creative", "fresh" and "fits our band beautifully". Most importantly to me is the fact that my kids and audience enjoy his arrangements, the variety of textures, the right mix of soloists, brass and woodwind exposure, full tutti hits, etc. I also appreciate the professional manner in which John works, he communicates regularly and always finishes his work early or on time. John is a real talent.

— David Cutting, Director Of Bands, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy, Texas

The Trojan War show allowed our band to reach a new level by offering all sections to be showcased at one time or another. This is a great show for medium-sized bands. John's writing made our 12 trumpets sound like 20! Lots of visual possibilities for the guard as well.

— Rob Babel, Director of Bands, Fort Zumwalt North High School, St. Louis, Missouri

THE STORM is truly an impressive musical interpretation of a purely visual concept: Mother Nature's powerful hurricane. John's first movement portrays buoyancy through endless swells and eighth note lines set in a unique waltz feel. Soon, the Storm comes to life as its true power and velocity are unleashed. The ballad's portrayal of innocence though its simple yet poetic melodies are truly memorable. However this innocence is short lived as the show excels you into "The Eye" with woodwind flurries, dissonant chords, accelerandos and a bass line that is relentless. The wonderful pacing, continuity and energy from John's composition is awesome! John was more than creative in his custom orchestration for my band's instrumentation. All of my students and staff enjoyed this show tremendously, along with our audiences across the country (2004 Nokia Sugar Bowl Champions).

— Brian R. Peter, Director of Bands, Valley View High School, Moreno Valley, California

In my first year working with an original composition of John's, I am impressed by the thought and level of detail that has gone into the musical design. My student's relate to and enjoy performing "Identity" and he has made it so that from a competitive standpoint, every section on the field is getting musical exposure. You hear the woodwinds, you hear the low brass, you hear the full band sound, every base is covered. John delivered an excellent product on our timeline and was professional every step of the way. Moving to a new music designer can be risky if you are unfamiliar with the product, but utilizing John's talents has been a move with which I am very happy.

— Jon Grantham, Director of Bands, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, California

I am really enjoying this show (The 47 Ronin). Your music is scored very well and is very creative. After 23 years of teaching, I have heard a lot of stuff. Thanks for the quality work you do! I'm going to be using John Meehan arrangements for a long time.

— Stacey Dunn, Director of Bands, Southwest High School, Fort Worth, Texas

Our entire band loved performing John's show entitled Quest. The students were excited to perform such a unique show, and all season long audiences raved about the music and the show concept. John is very good at arranging to your band's strengths, yet still making the music challenging enough for everyone without it being unplayable while executing a demanding drill. I appreciate the care with which Mr. Meehan works when writing for high school bands. He pays close attention to your needs and concerns, and works hard to customize the music according to your band's ability level. We were excited to perform Quest, it's one of those shows that our band families will remember and talk about for years to come.

— Denny McFarland, Director of Bands, Pattonville High School, St. Louis, Missouri

The show from the get go was fun to play! The kids read thru it before we got out for summer and when they came back in late July, they were itching to get into it. John's writing has a keen awarenss for using every voice in the band and the ranges were very playable and laid down very well. We hit a home-run with 3 Generations! The concept was good and easy to understand for the kids, parents and fans. John takes time to make sure things are done right. JKS Music delivers!

— Tom Finigan, Director of Bands, Colleton County High School Band of Blue, Walterboro, South Carolina

John Meehan was fresh and exciting. He provided timely delivery of score and parts, and was accessible throughout the process with advise, suggestions, and an incredible knowledge of the activity. We look forward to working with John and JKS Music in the future.

— M. Joseph Fischer, Director of Bands, Director of Bands, River Hill High School

I just wanted to thank you for providing our music arrangements this year. We have received very positive feedback from judges, directors and parents about your "Though the Eyes of a Child" show. At our region contest 2 weeks ago, the judges commented on the scoring of the horn book throughout their tapes. They could definitely hear the layers and ensemble scoring techniques that you were using especially in "Dreams". When the band plays the show, it seems as if you planned for the audience to react exactly where you wanted them to when originally writing the music. You can hear chuckles and ooh's and ahh's throughout the production. It's great!!!! This past weekend at our area contest, the Hanna Band placed 1st out of 34 bands and earned a spot to compete at the Texas State Marching Championships. Your music arrangement has made this possible. It is very difficult to find a superb quality music arranger. But, I know that we have done that by using your services to help better our band program for the past 2 years.

— Sam Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Bands, Hanna High School, Brownsville, Texas

Unique, creative and well thought out all describe John M. Meehan's music. John's music was the perfect vehicle for our ensemble. Not only were the parts challenging, but they were achievable. "The Laws of Motion" was a blast to rehearse and perform. The students really dug the music because it grooves! Thanks John!

— M. Edward Nagel, Director of Bands, Fairborn High School, Fairborn, Ohio

Everything is going very well with our ensemble as we continue to work on your â€œShipwreckedâ€ show. The music is being well received by audiences and adjudicators so far this season. I have to complement you on this show. The kids are really enjoying performing the music and are improving every rehearsal. Many people who are familiar with our ensemble are commenting on the refreshing change in our musical programming. Thank you for your talents and work in offering marching bands the opportunity to perform your music.

— Edward J. Lucius, Director of Bands, Lee M. Thurston High School, Redford, Michigan