The Marion Patriot Pride Band program is pleased to announce the addition of two new staff members who will join the program for the 2025-26 school year.
Ethan Andrews is joining Marion from Paragould Junior High School, while Doug Young has been working at Senatobia High School in Mississippi.
"We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Andrews and Mr. Young to our band staff,” said Marion Director of Bands Monty Hill. “Their exceptional experience and dedication to music education will be invaluable as we continue to grow and elevate our program. With their expertise in both performance and instruction, I have no doubt that they will inspire our students and help take our band to new heights. We are excited for the future and the incredible opportunities ahead with them on board."
Ethan Andrews
Originally from Bentonville, Andrews is a graduate of Bentonville High School. He pursued a degree in music education at the University of Arkansas where he graduated summa cum laude. During this time, Andrews was section leader for the tuba section in the Razorback Marching Band and a member of the University of Arkansas Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. He completed his student teaching at Lincoln Junior High and Bonnie Grimes Elementary in spring 2022 before being hired as a band director at Paragould Junior High School.
Andrews was also a member of the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2018-2023 as both a performer and instructor. He also briefly assisted in staffing the Memphis Blues Drum and Bugle Corps.
Andrews is in his third year of teaching at Paragould Junior High School, where he teaches beginning tuba, euphonium, clarinet, and French horn. He assists with the 8th grade intermediate band and is the conductor for the Paragould Symphonic Band, the premier concert ensemble for the school. He also coordinates woodwind and visual instruction for the award-winning Paragould Marching Band where he has helped take the band to its 7th and 8th consecutive state championships. Additionally, he helps coordinate visual instruction for the Paragould Indoor Percussion which has been a repeat medalist for the AMAA circuit and WGI regional finalist.
Doug Young
Young comes to Marion with 10 years of teaching experience in both Tennessee and Mississippi, mostly serving as assistant director of bands and director of choirs at Munford High School in Tennessee and most recently serving as director of bands at Senatobia High School in Senatobia, Miss.
Originally from Adamsville, Tenn., Young was a member of the 12-time state championship marching band program. He is a graduate of The University of Tennessee-Martin with a bachelor’s degree in music education. Young has performed with groups such as the Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps, The Cavaliers Drum Corps, The Santa Clara Vanguard, and the Memphis Wind Symphony. He has also taught with Music City Drum Corps as a visual staff member.
Young’s musical ensembles have earned consistent superior rankings both on stage and on the marching band field, and in 2018, he was selected as Tennessee Music Educators Association’s Young Outstanding Music Educator of the Year. Young has taken groups that have performed in both the Rose Bowl Parade and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Outside of the classroom, he loves fishing and spending time with his wife, who is also an educator and color guard instructor, and their two children, Liam and Avery Jane.
The Marion School District is an innovative and growing district that ensures an equitable, engaging learning community where every student is empowered to achieve academic excellence and personal growth. With more than 150 years of experience serving families in Crittenden County, the district offers a high school, a junior high, a seventh grade academy, and three award-winning magnet schools. For enrollment information, including information on school choice, visit https://www.msd3.org/ or call 870-739-5100.