Bill Moffit
Encyclopedia
William C. "Bill" Moffit (born 1926 in New Philadelphia, Ohio
; died March 5, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida
) was an American
musician
, music arranger and marching band
director, best known for his innovations in marching band show techniques and for hundreds of arrangements for marching bands.
Moffit was the third director of the Purdue University
"All-American" Marching Band
, serving from 1981 until his retirement in 1988. After his retirement, Moffit was named Professor Emeritus of Band. Moffit also served as director of the University of Houston
Spirit of Houston
marching band from 1969 to 1981, and assistant director of bands at Michigan State University
from 1960 to 1969. He began his career as a band director at Tippecanoe High School
in Tipp City, Ohio
.
Moffit was an innovator in both marching band style and music. His "Patterns of Motion," based on a constant-motion system using four-player squads, revolutionized bands and their halftime show
s, moving away from the military style of marching. His style dominated both college and high school marching band shows and competitions from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, when drum corps began to become popular.
A prolific arranger, Moffit arranged more than 450 popular songs for marching bands as part of his famous Soundpower Series published by Hal Leonard, a staple of collegiate and pep bands for decades and still in widespread use today. Moffit was known to hear a new song on radio and have it arranged for his band the following week — sometime so fast that proper copyright clearances could not be obtained.
New Philadelphia, Ohio
New Philadelphia is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, 71 miles south of Cleveland on the Tuscarawas River. It was first incorporated in 1808. Coal and clay are found in the vicinity...
; died March 5, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, music arranger and marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
director, best known for his innovations in marching band show techniques and for hundreds of arrangements for marching bands.
Moffit was the third director of the Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
"All-American" Marching Band
Purdue All-American Marching Band
The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...
, serving from 1981 until his retirement in 1988. After his retirement, Moffit was named Professor Emeritus of Band. Moffit also served as director of the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
Spirit of Houston
Spirit of Houston
The Spirit of Houston, is an umbrella term that represents the official spirit groups at the University of Houston. Included in the Sprit of Houston are the Cougar Dolls Dance Team, the UH Cheer teams, and primarily, the Cougar Marching Band. The Spirit of Houston is currently under the direction...
marching band from 1969 to 1981, and assistant director of bands at Michigan State University
Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band
The Spartan Marching Band is Michigan State University's Marching Band. Founded in 1870 as a 10-member student group, the 300-member SMB has since grown into one of the premier college bands in the nation...
from 1960 to 1969. He began his career as a band director at Tippecanoe High School
Tippecanoe High School
Tippecanoe High School is a public high school in Tipp City, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Tipp City Exempted Village Schools district. The mascot of the school is the Red Devil.-Band:...
in Tipp City, Ohio
Tipp City, Ohio
Tipp City is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,689 at the 2010 census. Formerly known as Tippecanoe, and then Tippecanoe City, this town was renamed to Tipp City in 1938 because another town in Ohio was likewise named Tippecanoe...
.
Moffit was an innovator in both marching band style and music. His "Patterns of Motion," based on a constant-motion system using four-player squads, revolutionized bands and their halftime show
Halftime show
A halftime show is a performance given during halftime, the period between the first and second halves, or the second and third quarters, of a sporting event. Halftime shows are not given for sports with an irregular or indeterminate number of divisions , or for sports that do not have an extended...
s, moving away from the military style of marching. His style dominated both college and high school marching band shows and competitions from the late 1960s to the early 1990s, when drum corps began to become popular.
A prolific arranger, Moffit arranged more than 450 popular songs for marching bands as part of his famous Soundpower Series published by Hal Leonard, a staple of collegiate and pep bands for decades and still in widespread use today. Moffit was known to hear a new song on radio and have it arranged for his band the following week — sometime so fast that proper copyright clearances could not be obtained.