Melanie Britton is a graduate of Arizona State University and has been teaching in the State of Arizona for 18 years. Her career began as the Director of Bands and the District Music Coordinator for the Florence Unified School District. While there she built a district wide band program from 30 members to over 200 hundred within four years despite stagnant enrollment. She also developed the Florence Music Academy which provided private music lessons by professional musicians to underpriveledged children and was nominated for the "Silver Bell in Education" Award.

After four years Mrs. Britton moved to the Phoenix area to teach at Washington High School where she built a nationally recognized music program where the marching band and concert band were consistent recipients of Superior awards and winners of national parades and music festivals. Mrs. Britton left Washington to open the brand new Sandra Day O'Connor High School with the dreams of building a world class band program.

Over the last 8 years, the Sandra Day O’Connor “Eagle Pride” Band program has been recognized on a national level and are consistent recipients of Superior and Superior with Distinction awards as a marching band, symphonic band and jazz band. In only their 2nd year they were the Sweepstakes winner in Palm Springs, CA. At the 2005 Holiday Bowl they won 1st place in all divisions of parade, field show, concert band and jazz band. In 2007 the were the Grand National Champions of the “Festivals at Sea” performing on Royal Caribbean Cruise lines, winning top honors in BOTH symphonic band and jazz band. Their most recent honor is being invited to perform this summer at the prestigious Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Canada!

Mrs. Britton has performed with the Phoenix Symphony and is a past member of the Joseph Wytko Saxophone Quartet and the all-women “Opposite Sax” Quartet. She is the recipient of the 2008 Deer Valley “Teacher of the Year” and is the current “Mrs. Arizona” United States serving the State of Arizona through various charities and promoting advocacy for the importance of keeping the Fine Arts as an integral part of our nation’s public school curriculum. Along with serving as an Ambassador with Free Arts of Arizona and the Arizona Representative to the Women Band Directors International organization, Mrs. Britton remains an active clinician and performer, has recorded several CD's, and is a member of the Music Educators National Conference and past Vice President of the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association. She is also honored to be listed in "Who's Who Among American Teachers" and "Who's Who Among American Women".

Email: Mrs. Melanie Britton