Marshall Kirby just recently retired after 31 years of public school teaching.  He received his Bachelor of Music Education and performance degree from Converse College where he received a distinction in Performance and was in the Honors music program.  He  received his Masters Degree from Converse and also has 30 hours above the masters at various institutions. He taught at Jonesville High School and Boiling Springs High School: ten years at each school.  His Jonesville band was the first class A band to win the SCBDA OPA and won it 8 times and his elementary band won it two times at Jonesville. While at Jonesville, he won the Class A state championship 3 times. He taught at Spartanburg School District 7,as high school director and band coordinator for 7 years and his last 4 years at Whitlock Junior High.   The Spartanburg High School Wind Ensemble won the Honor band award at the Orlando Dixie Classic in 2003.

Bands under his direction have performed for the USC Band Clinic and Conductors Symposium and performed at the SCMEA In-Service Conference three times and received many superior ratings in concert and marching festivals.  Mr. Kirby is the recipient of the 1983 ASBDA Stanbury award for the Outstanding Young Band Director in South Carolina and won the regional award for the eleven southeastern states. His bands have won the South Carolina Band Director’s Association (SCBDA) Outstanding Performance Award 22 times.  His professional affiliations include MENC, SCBDA, Phi Beta Mu and the National Band Association.  He served as President of Phi Beta Mu for one and a half terms.  He has twice been awarded the NBA Citation of Excellence. He was president of SCBDA from 1991-93 and currently is the awards chairman and has served on the SCBDA executive board since 1989. Marshall Kirby was inducted to the SCBDA 1997 Hall of Fame and still is its youngest member.