Tony Sawyer, assistant director of bands at the State University of West Georgia since August 1999, has been named director of marching bands at Elon. He will begin his duties with Elon’s marching band, “The Fire of the Carolinas,” on July 15.
Sawyer had a variety of duties at West Georgia. He directed the marching band and was the primary arranger for the band’s percussion section. He taught numerous courses in the music department and served as coordinator of percussion studies.
Sawyer also has experience as an instructor and arranger with several high school marching bands in the Atlanta area.
He has performed with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the Rialto Symphony Orchestra and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, and served as a judge and clinician at numerous band competitions.
Sawyer earned a master’s degree in percussion performance from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Ga.
Sawyer replaces Bill DeJournett, who accepted a position at the University of Mississippi.