Band Directors
John McAllister - Coordinator of District 7 Band Activities, Director of Bands at SHS
John McAllister is a native of Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is a graduate of Furman University, where he graduated with honors and received his BM in Music Education. John studied trombone with Mark Britt and conducting with Les Hicken. He has been teaching in District 7 since 2008 and has taught at EP Todd School, Park Hill Elementary, Carver Middle School, and McCracken Middle School. Under his direction, bands and students have received numerous superior ratings at SCBDA events. As a performer, you will find him playing in various brass groups and bands around town; you might even find him playing tuba or clarinet!In addition to teaching and performing, John is also an active music composer and arranger. He arranges for local marching bands regularly, as well as writing/arranging the music for many performances of the Spartanburg Band. He maintains a catalogue of self-published works on his website and provides plenty of free resources for his band director colleagues. John is also active as a composer in the commercial realm, composing original music for video games, films, and various tv ads. One of his largest music placements has been in a Wounded Warrior commercial that aired on CBS in December of 2015. He also composed several cues for the Emmy Award Winning Film "The Greatest Honor." When John isn't teaching, performing, or composing, he likes to get lost in the woods... Whether it be hiking, camping, or kayaking, he thoroughly loves being outdoors. John lives happily in Spartanburg with his wife Katee.
Jeff Key - Associate Director at SHS
Jeff Key grew up in Pickens, SC and began learning about music at an early age. Both of his parents were local performing musicians. Mr. Key spent much of his childhood in a band room tagging along with his father who was a high school band director. His father also owned and operated a small recording company that produced recordings for many local bands, Furman University, and some state competition events sponsored by the SCBDA.
Mr. Key earned his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of South Carolina where he studied tuba. During his time in school, he performed with the UofSC Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Left Bank Jazz Band, and USC Brass. During the summer months while in college, Mr. Key was a member of The Cadet's Drum and Bugle Corps, the oldest and most honored drum and bugle corps in the world. As a member of The Cadets, Mr. Key served as section leader, won a world championship, and earned the Distinguished Member Award for 2005. (click HERE to see a portion of the performance). Mr. Key began teaching in Union County. He spent seven years there and served as Director of Bands from 2015-2018. Jeff Key is excited to be a part of the Viking band program!
Mr. Key earned his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of South Carolina where he studied tuba. During his time in school, he performed with the UofSC Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Left Bank Jazz Band, and USC Brass. During the summer months while in college, Mr. Key was a member of The Cadet's Drum and Bugle Corps, the oldest and most honored drum and bugle corps in the world. As a member of The Cadets, Mr. Key served as section leader, won a world championship, and earned the Distinguished Member Award for 2005. (click HERE to see a portion of the performance). Mr. Key began teaching in Union County. He spent seven years there and served as Director of Bands from 2015-2018. Jeff Key is excited to be a part of the Viking band program!
Matt McDaniel - Director of Percussion Studies, Drayton Mills Elementary, Jesse Boyd Elementary, Pine Street Elementary
Matthew B. McDaniel has served as the Elementary Band Coordinator for Spartanburg District 7 since 2006. Mr. McDaniel currently teaches band at McCracken Middle School as well as Boyd and Pine Street Elementary Schools. He is proud to be the director of the Spartanburg High School Percussion Ensemble.Raised in Conyers, Georgia, Matt graduated from Georgia State University in 1997 having student taught at Cobb County's Mabry Middle School. While earning his degree he was fortunate to have worked with some of the finest high schools and independent percussion programs in the Atlanta area. In 2004, he graduated with a Master of Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and received National Board Certification in 2011. Matt considers himself blessed with having studied with many of the finest music education and percussion professors, including Dr. Thomas Goolsby, Dr. Thomas Wubbenhorst, Mr. Jack Bell, Mr. John Lawless, Dr. Thomas Fraschillo, Dr. John Wooton, Dr.Jennifer Shank, and Dr. Charles Elliott.As a percussionist, Matt was a member of the 1993 Spirit of Georgia and 1994 Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps, and a player instructor of the 1995 Atlanta Rhythm Machine - the WGI Independent World Class Indoor Drum Line Champion. He was honored to be selected as a featured marimba soloist for the Evenlyn Glennie master class during the 1994 Percussive Arts Society International Clinic in Atlanta. In 1998, Matt was one of the 164 marimbists in the Marimba Festival Orchestra in West Point, conducted by Frederick Fennell.He is a member of many professional music associations: the National Association for Music Educators, the South Carolina Music Educators Association, the South Carolina Band Directors Association, and the Percussive Arts Society.Matt and his wonderful wife Adena perform as the co-Principal Percussionists for the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra; and they have two wonderful sons, Killian and Finnigan.
Sharon Atherton - EP Todd School
Sharon Atherton is a native of Charleston, SC. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and received a Masters in Flute Performance from Converse College. Mrs. Atherton has been a member of the District Seven band staff since 2010. Prior to teaching in District 7, Mrs. Atherton served as Director of Bands at Oakbrook Preparatory School, Pacolet Junior High School, and as an assistant at Broome High School. Additional teaching responsibilities have included numerous theatrical productions, general music, and high school chorus. Bands under Mrs. Atherton's baton have received Superior ratings at state and regional festivals and the SCBDA Outstanding Performance Award. Her students have earned positions annually in Region and All-state bands and many have gone on to careers in music. She has performed with the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Carolina Wind Orchestra, the Spartanburg Community Band, and numerous church orchestras in the Spartanburg area. From 2003-2010, Mrs. Atherton served as Director of Personnel and Operations with the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra. Mrs. Atherton's professional affiliations include the National Band Association, NAfME, SCBDA, and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. Mrs. Atherton is married to David Atherton and has three children, Greg, Steven, and Kelly, who have all participated in the Spartanburg High School band program.
Vern Weygandt - McCracken Middle School
Dr. Vern Weygandt holds a DMA in Music Education from the University of Georgia, an MM in trombone performance from Winthrop University, and a BA in Music Education from Limestone College. After touring the Eastern U.S. as a jazz/R&B performer, he directed band in York and Union South Carolina, and served on the faculties of Limestone College, Converse College, and the University of South Carolina Upstate, where he taught courses in music education, music theory, composition, jazz studies, commercial music, and applied low brass. Recently, he served as a graduate TA at the University of Georgia, lecturing in elementary and secondary music education, brass methods, and practicum supervision. He is currently the Director of Bands at McCracken Middle School in Spartanburg, SC. Dr. Weygandt is an active freelance trombonist and member of NAfME, SCBDA, Music Teachers National Association, International Trombone Association, and the Society for Music Theory.