About Us

The Mission

The Marching Source is the drill design company of John Miliauskas, a longtime band director and accomplished drill designer. This venture reflects a commitment to providing affordable, high-quality, and hassle-free drill design for band directors, with a specialization in novice, basic, and intermediate levels.

In the vast world of marching artistry, basic-level programs are often underserved. The Marching Source exists to meet those needs with effective drill design. Each drill emphasizes strong musical staging, logical flow, and is student-friendly to learn and perform. After many years of planning and research to serve this part of the marching band community, The Marching Source is proud to launch!

John Miliauskas

Owner and Designer

John Miliauskas recently concluded a successful 20 year career as Director of Athletic Bands at Towson University (Towson, MD) where he directed the Marching Band, Pep Band, and Concert Band. Previously, he spent 17 years teaching instrumental music at the middle and elementary school levels.

Growing up with a band director as his father (Lake-Lehman High School, PA), John has spent his entire life immersed in instrumental music and the marching activity. Throughout his career, he has designed drills for countless successful high school marching bands, drum and bugle corps, and indoor ensembles of all sizes. His work has ranged from basic to advanced-level programs for both competitive and noncompetitive bands.

John’s designs have reached national audiences, including five drills that were performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC. John holds a Masters of Music in Music Education from West Chester University (West Chester, PA) and continues to serve the marching arts community as a sought-after designer, adjudicator, consultant, and clinician.

John resides in Glen Rock, PA with his wife, Sarah, and their daughters Ava and Ella.

Testimonials

I had the privilege of working with John during my days as a band director. John's visual designs are impeccable and helped our marching band achieve success at the state and national level including a performance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. I would highly recommend the Marching Source for any high school program looking to step up their game!

Michael J. Miller Composer

I have worked with John for more than twenty years in competitive high school marching band programs, show bands, and college marching band productions. His work is consistently creative, student-centered, and engaging, and he brings both professionalism and artistry to every project.

Dr. Mark Lortz Director of Music/Director of Bands for Stevenson University

I have worked with John on multiple projects over the past 25-30 years. His design is not only relevant and innovative, he does a great job with designing at just the right level for the program to allow success both from a performative and competitive standpoint. His communication is incredibly strong, and he knows how to assess the program and advise on the best path forward. I cannot recommend him strongly enough!!!!!!

Howard Weinstein Leadership Ladder

Ever since I've gone through The Marching Source, I have had so much more success with my bands field shows! John really cares about making your school band successful with the shows being completely customized for your group regardless how big or small they are. He works hand in hand with the director to make sure visions line up for the show and he incorporates horn visuals and video examples for your students to see of the drill! My faith in John's writing is immense and highly recommended for any program!

Lindsay Lund Band Director Kearney Catholic High School, Kearney, NE

My Band Camp was a huge success, in part because of your charts and videos. I just gave the charts & coordinates to my students and they easily transferred everything to dot books and to the field. Your animations and general effect videos were perfect complements to the extensive instructions given on each set chart. After three days of camp my band was already marching and playing the first three tunes! In a few days, we’ll add the closer and be ready for Friday night primetime. The color guard routines prepared by your staff and delivered on DVDs were of equal merit. Our instructors were able to begin teaching routines along with fundamentals from day one. Every color guard member now has DVD copies of each routine at home to aid in their practice and preparation. Thank you again for your thorough communications, your attention to our needs, and especially your ability and willingness to modify the drill on the first day of camp.

Frank McKinney Band Director Towns County High School, Hiawassee, GA

Your show has helped take our group to the next level. We received a standing ovation at an away football game last Friday night. VERY COOL!

Mark E. Beltz Band Director Tamaqua Area High School, Tamaqua, PA

John, "M", created a wonderful drill design, tailored to the music selections that I choose, and to the ability level and needs of my students. Flow and transitions were manageable for my novice students and they really enjoyed executing the design. Additionally, our shows were a crowd favorite at both competition and home football games, resulting in enthusiastic applause and verbal feedback. I recommend his work with zero hesitation.