Richard Gonzales
Richard Gonzales has been the Co-Director of the Talawanda High School and Middle School Bands since 2002. He grew up in the San Joaquin Valley of California graduating from Tracy High School in 1990. Richard earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Northern Kentucky University in 2001 and completed course work for teaching licensure at Miami University the same year. He recieved his Master of Music Education in August 2008 from VanderCook College in Chicago, Illinois. Richard has had the pleasure of working with such bands as Fred C. Beyer HS (CA), Beechwood HS (KY), Madison Central HS (KY), Tates Creek HS (KY), Dixie Heights (KY), and Miami University (OH). Under his direction the middle school 8th Grade Band has performed at the Ohio Music Education Association Conference (2005,2007), traveled to Saint Louis, MO in 2005 for the National Adjudicators’ Invitational, where the percussion section won the Outstanding Percussion Award. In the 2007 the 8th Grade Band traveled to Gatlinburg, TN to compete in the Smokey Mountain Music Festival.
As a performer, Richard has been in various community and professional venues for many years. He was a member of the Sacramento Freelancers Drum and Bugle Corps and the World Champion Concord Blue Devils; he has been a member of the Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band. Mr. Gonzales’s professional memberships include; Music Educators National Conference, Ohio Music Education Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Mike Marston
Michael P. Marston has been a band director for Talawanda High School and Talawanda Middle School since the 2007-2008 academic year. He is a long time member of the Oxford community and is a 1989 graduate of Talawanda High School. Mr. Marston received his Bachelor of Music in Education, from Miami University, in May 1997 and a Master of Music in Music Education, from Miami University, in August of 2008. He served as the Head Band Director for three years, in the National Trail School District, teaching band grades 5-12, the indoor percussion ensemble, Music History, and began a steel band program. Mr. Marston then served for seven years as the Head Band Director in the Eaton Community School District, where he taught band grades 5-12, the high school and middle school Jazz Bands, Music History, Music Theory, and began another Steel Band program--consisting of both curricular and extra curricular ensembles. At Talawanda, Mr, Marston teaches Band grades 6-12 including concert bands, jazz bands, marching band, the basketball Pep Band, the orchestra for the spring musical, the Middle School percussion ensemble, and the Talawanda High School Steel Band.
In addition, to his teaching responsibilities, Mr. Marston performs professionally 20 to 30 times per year with various Caribbean ensembles and has the privilege of performing with many outstanding musicians. He can be heard on the Bacchanal Steel Band CD Standard, several of the Miami University Steel Band CD’s, and is looking forward to upcoming recording projects.
Mr. Marston’s professional memberships include the Percussive Arts Society, the Music Educators National Conference and its affiliate the Ohio Music Educators Association. He is also a member of The Federation of Music Clubs and the Oxford Music Foundation.
Thomas Sparling - Percussion Direction
Thomas Sparling is currently finishing up course work for his Music Education degree by student teaching at Talawanda High School. He is a fifth year student Miami University and upon graduation will hold degrees in Music Education, Music Composition, Music performance, and a minor in Arts Management. He graduated in 2004 from Kettering Fairmont High School where he was involved with the band each year. For the past five years Thomas has been teaching at schools all over Southwest Ohio, some of which include: Bellbrook HS, Miamisburg HS, Mason HS, La Salle HS, and of course Talawanda HS. In addition to teaching these high school programs, he is also a member of the Vic Firth Education Team.
As a performer, Thomas has been involved in various professional venues for many years. He was a member of the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps in the summer of 2006; during which they took a two week trip to Europe to perform at shows and teach clinics in 5 countries. He was also a part of the Rhythm X Indoor Drumline from 2006-2009. In 2007 they were the first indoor drumline to ever go to Europe; where they competed in several shows and taught clinics in 4 different countries. The last two years Rhythm X received the gold medal at the WGI World Championships, being the only group in over a decade to win back-to-back titles. Thomas has also performed with world-renowned percussionists such as Steve Houghton, Anthony Cirone, and Jeff Queen.
