Tyler Schwirian
Brass Staff
Tyler J. Schwirian is an educator, performer, and adjudicator based in Westchester, NY, with a distinguished career in both music education and performance. He currently serves as the Music Department Coordinator (K-12) and Middle School Band Director for the Rye City School District in Rye, NY. In this role, he teaches the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade bands, leads instrumental group lessons, and is the Assistant Director of the Rye High School Jazz and Pep Bands. His ongoing commitment to fostering dynamic, student-centered learning environments continues to be the cornerstone of his educational philosophy.
As a performer, Tyler has served as Principal Tuba with the Springfield Symphony (OH) from 2014 to 2019. He has also performed with the Louisville Orchestra, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Mid-Atlantic Opera Orchestra, York Symphony Orchestra, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra , Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, among others. As a soloist, Tyler was a semi-finalist at both the 2012 ITEC Artist Tuba Competition in Linz, Austria, and the 2011 Leonard Falcone Artist Competition in Michigan. He also won the gold medal at the 2011 Miami Valley Low Brass Solo Competition, the silver medal at the 2009 Leonard Falcone Young Artist Tuba Competition, and was a finalist at the 2008 ITEC Young Artist Tuba Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio.
As an adjudicator, Tyler was actively involved with the National Judges Association (NJA) within the Tournament of Bands (TOB) organization from 2014 to 2024. He evaluated Individual Music, Ensemble Music, and General Effect Music and served on multiple Atlantic Coast Championship (ACC) panels. From 2018 to 2021, he served as IA Music Facilitator, playing a critical role in training and developing adjudicators. From 2022 to 2024, Tyler was Music Caption Head, overseeing the music adjudication for both the Tournament of Bands (TOB) and Tournament Indoor Association (TIA), including the jazz programs. In this role, he was instrumental in rewriting and refining the jazz adjudication sheets, ensuring that the evaluation criteria aligned with contemporary standards and practices.
Tyler holds an Ed.M. in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, an M.M. in Orchestral Performance from Manhattan School of Music, and a B.F.A. in Tuba Performance from Carnegie Mellon University. Additionally, Tyler holds Advanced Certificates for New York State School Building Leader from the College of Saint Rose and School District Leader from Russell Sage College. His primary teachers include Craig Knox of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Alan Baer of the New York Philharmonic.
