Music City Drum Corps Announces Brass Leadership Team
BRASS ARRANGER
Michael J. Miller is an acclaimed composer, arranger, and educator based in Nashville, Tennessee, whose works for concert band, orchestra, and chamber ensembles are published by many of the most respected names in the industry, including Alfred Music, Carl Fischer Music, F.J.H. Music, Excelcia Music, Murphy Music, R.W.S. Music, and Tapspace. His compositions are performed across the United States and internationally, with recent high-profile appearances at the prestigious Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago and the Jeju Composition Competition for Wind Ensemble in South Korea.
A leading voice in the world of competitive pageantry arts, Miller designs innovative and award-winning programs for indoor and outdoor ensembles nationwide. As a principal music writer for Synced Up Designs, he collaborates annually with 30–40 ensembles, shaping productions that blend artistry, precision, and audience appeal. His expertise as a brass arranger has contributed to four consecutive Drum Corps International (DCI) World Class Finals appearances (2022–2025) with the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, as well as back-to-back DCI All-Age Open Class Championship titles with the Cincinnati Tradition Drum and Bugle Corps (2024-2025). His music for collegiate marching bands has been showcased on the world’s largest stages, including the Super Bowl and numerous BCS bowl games.
Before focusing exclusively on composition and design, Miller enjoyed a distinguished career as a public-school band director. Under his leadership, the Joe E. Newsome High School Band (Lithia, FL) achieved the Florida Bandmasters Association’s Otto Kraushaar Award for superior performance, earned the title of Bands of America Regional Grand Champion, reached WGI World Championships Finals, and marched in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. His contributions to music education have been recognized with the Hernando County School Board’s H.E.R.O.E.S. Award, the Superintendent’s Excellence Award, and the National Band Association’s Certificate of Merit for outstanding contributions to marching bands.
Miller holds a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Syracuse University. He is an active member of the National Association for Music Education, the National Band Association, and the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, and is a proud brother of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Michael enjoys traveling the world, playing golf, and exploring exceptional dining experiences, all alongside his wife and closest companion, Vivian.
BRASS CAPTION HEAD
Daniel Scott is Director of Bands at Cambridge High School in Milton, GA. He is a graduate of Western Carolina University where he received a BM in Trombone Performance and a minor in Bassoon, a BS.Ed with a minor in psychology, concentrating on adolescent development. He completed his master’s degree in Educational Psychology with a focus on motivation and cognition from the University of Georgia and began pursuing his Doctorate in Music Education from Boston University in the Fall of ’23 with plans to focus his dissertation on student learning and motivation within the music classroom.
In his four years at Cambridge High School the ensemble has garnered statewide and national recognition. The robust jazz program has performed at national events such as the Mingus Big Band Festival, Jazz Educators Network Conference, and the Essentially Ellington Regional Festivals in Cincinnati, OH, and Newark, NJ. The Cambridge High School Marching was named a Bands of America Regional Finalist at the 2023 BOA Maryland Regional in the bands second ever appearance at a BOA event. Recently, the Cambridge Band Program was recognized by the Georgia Music Educators Association as an Exemplary Performance Award Winner for the program’s comprehensive success and the Cambridge Wind Ensemble was invited to perform as a featured ensemble at the 2024 In-Service State Conference. The Cambridge Jazz 1 has recently been selected as a featured ensemble at the 2026 In-Service State Conference.
Prior to being the director at Cambridge, Daniel was the director of bands at Swansboro High School in Swansboro, NC. In 2019 Daniel was named the Swansboro High School Teacher of the Year, the 2019-20 Onslow County Teacher of the Year for his school district and was named the 2020 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Southeast Regional Teacher of the Year for the State of North Carolina.
In his time in the performing arts, Daniel has worked with numerous award-winning programs across the country, including the World Class organizations, Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps, where he was named the Brass Caption Head in the Corps’ 2020 season and served in this role for 4 seasons, and most recently the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. In the summer of 2014 was a member of The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. In addition to the outdoor sector, Daniel was the Music Director for the WGI Open Class Winds Group, Carolina Gold Winds, which won the silver medal at the 2016 WGI World Championship.
He is a member of The North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program (2020 Cohort), and the Compliance Commission for Accountability established by the NC Board of Education to advise the State Board on testing and other issues related to school accountability and improvement. His professional organizations include the National Association for Music Educators, Jazz Educators Network, Georgia Music Educators Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity INC.
He currently lives in the heart of Atlanta, GA, in the Midtown Arts District.
