Liberty, SC (March 8, 2023) – Liberty High School is excited to announce that Mr. Bryan Bone has been selected as the new Director of Bands. This announcement follows Mr. Matt Smith’s resignation last month. Mr. Bone brings three decades of experience leading award-winning middle school and high school bands, including leading large 5A programs at Boiling Springs and Byrnes High School for the past 16 years.
Bone is the only director in state history to lead high school bands to the South Carolina state marching finals in all five classes (1A Ben Lippen, 2A Swansea, 3A Camden, 4A Berkeley, 5A Boiling Springs and Byrnes). His bands have won Upper/Lower State Championships eighteen of the last twenty years. Five of these years, his bands have won State Championships. The first state championship, won by Swansea in 1999, is the only time in SC history that a band was named state champions in their first year of qualifying for finals.
Early in his career, Bone had a successful marching band arranging business. He has written shows for bands across the southeast. Bands performing his arrangements won state and local championships as well as qualifying for finals at Bands of America events.
Bone is currently the Director of Bands at James F. Byrnes High School located near Spartanburg, SC. Under his direction, Byrnes won the 2016 and 2018 State 5A Championships. Byrnes has also won the past eight Upper State 5A Championships.
Before moving to Byrnes, Bone was director of Boiling Springs, where they were very successful, winning five Upper State Championships. Boiling Springs also won their class and placed in the top five in BOA Regional competitions.
Bone is one of only two band directors from South Carolina to lead three different programs to BOA Regional Finals–Swansea, Boiling Springs, and Byrnes. In addition to marching band awards, his bands have earned consistent Superior ratings in Level VI symphonic band events. The James F. Byrnes Wind Ensemble was selected as a featured performer for the 2021 SCMEA Convention.
“We are thrilled to have Mr. Bone join us at Liberty High as his extensive background in teaching, as well as his band leadership experience, is exactly what we were looking for,” said Johnny Garrett, Liberty High School principal. “He has proven that he has the skills necessary to build award-winning programs at all levels and is committed to enriching the lives of his students through their participation in band. We look forward to the new experiences he will create for our students and our entire Liberty community.”
Mr. Bone begins at Liberty High at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year.