Neil Simon was born in Lafayette, Louisiana in 1965. He received a degree in Music Education from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette). Mr. Simon has been teaching bands and orchestras for over 25 years and is also active as a professional trumpet player. A former member of the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps, he has been arranging music and designing drills for marching bands for over 20 years, and his engaging and pedagogical music is the direct result of his daily work with students in the classroom and his extensive arranging background.