Levi Downing

A self-taught music arranger, Levi (b. 1996) discovered a passion for arranging during high school and independently cultivated this skill while pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Texas. He continued expanding his music experience and education by joining the University of Texas Longhorn Band and by marching with the world-class Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps in 2015 and 2016. He first had the opportunity to begin arranging for the Longhorn Band in 2017 under the guidance of Director Joshua Gall. Since then, Levi has continued evolving as an arranger, drawing inspiration from director feedback and actively engaging with performances of his compositions.

Today, Levi is an active wind/brass arranger partnered with Michael Glasser (Read more below), a percussion arranger, while working as an engineer in Austin, TX. Each year, they are commissioned to arrange music for high school and college marching bands across the country including Iowa State University, Ole' Miss, the University of Maryland, the University of Texas, and West Virginia University. Their approach to arranging focuses on incorporating ensemble instrumentation and director input, ensuring each arrangement is tailored to be exciting for both performers and audiences.

In 2023, a halftime show written for the Iowa State Cyclone Marching Band by Levi and Michael was selected as a finalist for the Inaugural Metallica Marching Band Competition.

Michael Glasser

Michael (b. 1995) began his percussion journey in middle school. Throughout school, he participated in many different programs to expand his skills and knowledge of percussion. He continued expanding his percussion experience and education by joining the University of Texas Longhorn Band and by marching with the world-class Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps in 2014 and 2015. Michael began arranging for percussion in college and took many of his inspirations from his previous teachers across the many programs he participated in including Ben Pyles who serves as his primary source of instruction and writing inspiration

Today, Michael arranges percussion parts for Levi while working as an engineer in Austin, TX. His approach to percussion arranging is writing parts that support what the winds and brass are playing. This allows the wind and brass parts to be highlighted but still leave room for the percussion to shine when appropriate.