Marcus L. Neiman

Ask anyone in Medina (Ohio) to name the music man, and the immediate answer will be Marcus Neiman.Recently retired (December, 2000) fine arts consultant for the Medina County Educational Service Center (MCSESC) (since 1980), formerly as director of bands at MedinaHigh School (1972 through 1980), and continuing as conductor of the Medina Community Band (since 1973) Neiman has earned the title. He attended the Akron Public Schools, received his bachelor of science in music education degree from The University of Akron, master of music in music education degree from The University of Michigan, postgraduate hours at The Kent State University, and The University of Akron.

Neiman returned to the Medina County Schools Educational Service Center (MCSESC) in March of 2001 as director of fine arts tours and festivals. He served The University of Akron as an assistant lecturer with major responsibilities of teaching the MCSESCs popular grant writing class and supervising visual arts student teachers. Neiman was appointed to the position of adjunct faculty for the music department at Case Western Reserve University with major responsibilities of teaching their “Foundations of Music Education Course” and supervising music education student teachers.

Active in local affairs, Neiman is an associate member of the Medina Area Chamber of Commerce, a member of the 1993-94 class of "Leadership MedinaCounty," and has served on various arts committee for school and community. He is a founder, past president, and current member of the Medina County Arts Council. He is a founding trustee and president of the Medina County Performing Arts Foundation. He has served as a panel member and consultant for the presenter-touring component of the Ohio Arts Council and is a fee support artist on the OAC presenter-touring roster. Neiman is a past executive board member of the Ohio Arts Presenters Network and Ohio Alliance for Arts Education. He also served as the director of development for the Chicago based (William D.) Revelli Foundation.  Neiman also serves as the grant writer for Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME).

Neiman will continue to consult MCSESC to coordinate county arts festivals and honors programs, as director of fine arts tours and festivals (beginning March 5, 2001 until Spring 2010). He is also responsible for creating and implementing the Medina County Schools' Fine Arts Tours, an annual series of professional arts tours that reach out into all of Medina's seven school systems. Since its conception in 1980, over 800,000 students have experienced "first-time" live arts performances. He is the primary grant writer for the fine arts tours and highly regarded for his fundraising abilities for these arts programs.

Neiman has served The Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA) as a member of the governmental relations and adjudicated events committees, district president, vice-president, state chair for Music In Our Schools and public relations, state editor of their professional journal TRIAD, and state chair for their council of supervisors. He was elected by OMEAs membership to serve as state president from July 1, 1998 through July 1, 2000, and is currently state historian for the association. Neiman has been published in Music Educators National Conference journal MEJ, The Instrumentalist, The School Musician, The Music Educator, OMEAs TRIAD, FANFARE magazine, and Bands of America Newsletter. His first book, edited for MENC, entitled Life in the Music Classroom, was published by MENC in April 1992. He is listed in Marquis “Who's Who in America (58^th Edition).

Neiman has appeared with junior high/middle and high school, college and university, community bands, and American Federation of Musicians union professional bands as a guest conductor and in his characterization of famed bandmaster John Philip Sousa in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, (state of) Washington, and Wisconsin. In addition to conducting the Medina Community Band (since 1973), he formed his own professional touring band The Sounds of Sousa Band (in 1992) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the formation of Sousa's first non-military band. To this date he has performed for over 200,000 people in the role of Sousa. Neiman is a member of Local 24 (Akron), American Federation of Musicians.

During his quarter-century as conductor of the Medina Community Band, Neiman's goal has always been to preserve the presence and character of the traditional “town-band.” There are no auditions, membership dues or fees, or chair placements in the ensemble. Membership is open to adults who desire to continue their growth as instrumentalists. In addition, Neiman has encouraged composers to write for the band. Over the years the band has commissioned works by Douglas Court, Robert Feldbush, Percy Hall, Stuart Ling, Edmund J. Siennicki, and David Shaffer.

(as of September 22nd, 2009)