Who We Are
Elite Marching is a marching arts design studio lead by band director and show designer, Tim Zeiss.
Tim Zeiss
Owner & Program Coordinator
Tim Zeiss is currently in his 17th year as a public educator. He started his career as the director of bands at South Side HS in Jackson, TN and is currently in his 15th year as director of bands at Murray HS in Murray, KY. A native from Atwood, TN, he received his BME from Murray State University (KY) and his Master’s Degree in Education from Arkansas State University.
During his tenure at Murray HS, he has led the band to numerous local, state, and national achievements. He has grown the band from 60 members to now 136 members with a school population averaging 480 students. The band is a comprehensive program that features one symphonic band, one extra-curricular jazz band, pep band, marching band, two winter guards, an indoor drumline, and many small chamber groups offered throughout the semesters. Murray Tiger Band students are often selected to KMEA district and all state ensembles.
His concert bands have received distinguished ratings every year under his direction with the band often playing grade V literature. The concert band was invited to perform at the Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas, TX in 2011. His marching band has advanced to the KMEA State finals for 14 consecutive years and led his group to four KMEA State Championships in 2017,2018, 2021 and 2023. In addition, his group has been named KMEA State Runner Up in 2013, 2015, 2019, and 2022. The marching band has also been named the Indianapolis BOA Super Regional Class A Champion in 2016, the BOA Class A Clarksville Champion in 2022, the BOA Class A Memphis Champion in 2023 & 2024, and the BOA Class A National Champions in 2021. The Murray Tiger Band was also awarded the prestigious John Philip Sousa Sudler Shield Award in 2021 and was only 1 of 4 programs in the nation to receive such an honor that year. He was awarded the prestigious Phi Beta Mu Young Band Director Award in 2016, the KMEA 1stDistrict Teacher of the Year in 2019 and 2021, and was also named a 2020 McDonald’s Teach it Forward Outstanding Educator. In 2021, Zeiss was also named to the Murray State University’s 40 under 40 class of distinguished alumni. Zeiss was also named the 2022 KMEA High School Music Teacher of the Year.
Zeiss also works for Fannin Musical Productions and Elite Marching where he is a show designer and musician choreographer.
His professional affiliations are NAfME, KMEA, and Phi Beta Mu. Most of all, he is proud to be the husband to Carol Zeiss and father to their two children, Caleb (10), and Abigail (8).
Blaine Bomar
Program Coordinator
A native of Paris, Tennessee, Mr. Blaine Bomar has been involved in music education & marching pageantry arts for over 15 years. He serves as a Program Coordinator, Visual Designer, and Educational & Design Consultant for marching bands and indoor units throughout the Midwest and Southeast. Organizations that he has worked for, and continues to serve, have had great success in the Bands of America (BOA), Winter Guard International (WGI), and USBands circuits, as well as their local and state competitive arenas. Most recently, these groups have earned titles as WGI Regional Finalist and BOA Regional Class Champion at several events, as well as several caption-based awards.
Blaine is a proud member of multiple judging associations across the country. Those include the Gulf Coast Judges Association, East Tennessee Performing Arts Association, Central States Judges Association, USBands Judges, and more. He was also a graduate of the Marching Roundtable Judges Academy where he was given the opportunity to study General Effect and Visual adjudication with the top judges and mentors in the country. Lastly, he has had the privilege of serving on championship panels in several states, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri.
In addition to his work as a designer and judge, Blaine is a highly sought-after leadership clinician in the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Annually, he holds summer camps to educate student leaders in teaching, conducting, score study, and team building. He worked as an instructor for Fred J. Miller Summer Clinics, teaching student leaders and drum majors throughout the United States. Blaine was also featured on the Marching Arts Education podcast with the late Dr. Joe Allison and Tim Hinton on Evaluating Our Drum Majors.
Presently, Blaine resides in Memphis, Tennessee with his dog, Bentley Cooper.
H. Brent Barton
Composer & Arranger
For many years, H. Brent Barton has been a well-known Kentucky Music Educator, Show Designer, and Arranger. Taking over a program with 49 students, he built one of the largest and most visible band programs in the state. Under his direction, the Marching Band appeared in Kentucky State Finals 18 times, winning four state championships. His concert bands were picked to perform at the Kentucky State Music Educators Association on five different occasions, and twice were selected to perform at the Bands of America National Invitational Concert Band Festival.
As an arranger, Mr. Barton has designed and written musical programs for bands earning State Championships and Bands of America recognition. His arrangements have been instrumental in earning programs such prestigious awards as the Sudler Shield, and acceptance into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. His arranging philosophy is to write innovative music that will challenge students, while remaining achievable.
Mr. Barton is an advocate for all forms of music education and has won many awards including KMEA State Teacher of the year, Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Band Master. He is the Eastern Kentucky University Hall of Distinguished Alumni and the Kentucky Phi Beta Mu Hall of Fame.
Owen Butler
Color Guard Designer & Choreographer
J. Owen Butler has been an active member of the marching arts community as a performer, instructor, consultant, clinician, and/or judge since 2003. Owen performed as a woodwind musician and color guard member throughout middle and high school in his hometown of Jackson, TN. Owen has consulted, designed, and choreographed for well over 100 different schools throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Texas, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and California. He currently holds the title of Head Color Guard Designer for Fannin Musical Productions, LLC and a spotlight writer for the FIRE Series with the Alfred Music Company, the educational Liaison for the Murray State Racer Band Color Guard, a member of the Board of Directors for the Southeastern Color Guard Circuit. In addition, he is also an alumni member of the Music for All Summer Symposium, presented by Yamaha, Color Guard Instructor’s Academy, and a member of the Gulf Coast Judges Association with completion of the Level 100 and 200 courses of the WGI e-Certify Training. His students have gone on to march at Music City Drum Corp, Carolina Crown Drum Corps, the Cavaliers Drum Corps, Eklipse Winter Guard, Florida State Winter Guard, Project Imagination, Black Diamond Independent, the Pride of Cincinnati Independent World Guard, Inspire World Guard, University of Kentucky Wildcat Guard, Austin Peay Color Guard, Murray State Racer Band Color Guard, and various other college and independent programs throughout the United States. Owen currently resides in Murray, KY where he is the Color Guard Director of all programs (4th-12th grade) for the 4-time KMEA State Champions, BOA Regional Event Class Champions, and the 2021 Class A National Champions program, the Murray Tiger Band. Owen’s full-time career is working in student affairs at Murray State University.
Calvin Warren III
Percussion & Sound Design
Calvin Warren III, a native of Hopkinsville Ky, is the Assistant Director of Bands and Percussion Director at Christian County High School. Warren assists with the concert band and jazz band and directs the percussion program (grades 7-12). Under Warren’s direction, the Christian County Middle School Percussion Ensemble (2020) and the Christian County High School Percussion Ensemble (2021) were selected to perform at the Kentucky Music Educators In-Service Conference in Louisville, Ky. In 2021, 2022, & 2023, the Christian County High School Marching Band was selected as a KMEA Class 4A State-Finalist. Locally, the Christian County Percussion receive many accolades for their excellence. Warren serves as a staff member for the Hopkinsville-Christian County Indoor Ensemble. Prior to his appointment at Christian County, Warren served as the Director of Bands at Todd County Central. They were regular KMEA State Semifinalists and received consistent distinguished ratings at concert band assessments.
In 2007, Mr. Warren earned a Bachelor’s of Music Education Degree from Murray State University. While at Murray State, Mr. Warren competed in the Snare and Tenor Competition at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, placing top five in both categories in consecutive years. Mr. Warren is an active percussion arranger, sound designer, composer, adjudicator, and clinician. He has arranged music for bands in over twenty states. Mr. Warren’s professional affiliations include the Kentucky Music Educators Association, the NAFME, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Percussive Arts Society. He is endorsed by Innovative Percussion.