Dr. Frank Blanton is in his tenth year as director of bands and coordinator of instrumental music for the Mountain Brook City Schools.  Dr. Blanton has also served as Director of Education for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and was music director/conductor of the Alabama Youth Symphony from 2003-2006.  He has also served as chairman of District IV of the Alabama Bandmasters Association.

In 1998 Dr. Blanton was the recipient of the annual Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra Teacher Fellowship.  This provided a one-month summer residency in Washington, D.C.  Activities included conducting lessons with Elizabeth Schulze and Barry Jekowski, associate conductors of the National Symphony Orchestra.  He also met with players from the orchestra, members of the administrative staff, and music director Leonard Slatkin.  Dr. Blanton’s residency also included observing rehearsals and attending performances at the Kennedy Center and at Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts.  One of his most memorable activities was a morning spent at the Marine Band headquarters where he observed a rehearsal, met with director Colonel Tim Foley, and was shown original music manuscripts by John Phillip Sousa.

From 1973-1976 Dr. Blanton served as drum major for The University of Alabama Million Dollar Band.  He holds a Masters degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois where he studied under Dr. Harry Begian.  He also holds a Bachelors and Doctoral degree from the University of Alabama.  Previous band positions have included director of bands for Oak Grove High School from 1976 to 1979 and Hueytown High School from 1979-2002.  His research study “Effect of Two Instructional Methods on High School Band Students’ Sight Reading Proficiency, Performance, and Attitude” was published in Update: Applications of Research in Music Education.

Outside of band, Dr. Blanton’s other interests include reading, religion, most types of quality music; opera, theater, film, and the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Dr. Blanton lives in Mountain Brook with his beautiful wife Kimi, a native of Guatemala and Spanish teacher at Crestline Elementary in the Mountain Brook School system.  He has three adult step-children; David, Oliver, and Ellen, and a son-in-law; Matt Godfrey.