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| welcome mark merritt mark merritt band music teacher cd's tourplan contact about us |
| Music Teacher Mark was born in Virginia, raised in North Carolina and finished high school in Tennessee--a true "wild-eyed southern boy". His musical background started when he was twelve years old, playing clarinet and saxophone in school bands. At the age of fifteen, Mark started playing guitar and singing. After high school, Mark joined the Army, where he studied music and then spent twelve years playing with military bands in Korea, Japan, Germany and the United States. Mark has also played several concerts backing "The Temptations" and has performed with Chris de Burgh. Mark has had a successful career playing in Bands and performing solo for the last 35 years. Mark has worked with (and led his own) big-bands, Jazz combos, country and rock bands covering almost all genres of music. In 1996, Mark started his publishing company, Choo-Choo Seven Musik u. Verlag. Besides recording and marketing his own songs and CDs, Mark has also helped several bands and artists in securing P & D deals to release their own CDs. Mark has also helped songwriters find co-writers and has helped in placing songs with other artists. In 2001, Mark’s career as musician took a different route when he started teaching clarinet and saxophone for the music school in Kirn, Germany. Since 2004, Mark has led the big band from the Stadtmauer High School in Bad Kreuznach and had a 2-year stint conducting a concert band in a local Jr. High School in Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg. Mark also worked as a substitute teacher at the high school in Kirn over a six-month time span and at a middle school in Kirn for 18 months. Mark also currently works in the high school and middle school in Bad Sobernheim teaching music and working with beginner and intermediate bands. Mark conducted the town bands in Daxweiler and Hueffelsheim for several years and is currently conductor for the town band in Feilbingert; where he also conducts the youth orchester. |