Cmp: About Us

All of these Mark A. Craig ALRY titles, in print editions, are available on ALRY, Clarinet World, J. W. Pepper, and other sites. Mark’s CMP titles offer digital download arrangements for multiple ensembles on this website. Visit our Shop to explore them further. His arrangements of popular copyrighted tunes include songs from Broadway hits like Wicked, plus movie music, pop tunes, and jazz standards, as well as plenty of public domain arrangements, which are all available on Sheet Music Direct and Sheet Music Plus.

After 24 years of professional experience as a clarinetist, bass clarinetist, and staff arranger in the U.S. Air Force Bands, Master Sergeant Mark Craig retired and embarked on an MS-LS graduate program at the University of North Texas in Music Library Science, while writing musical arrangements part-time. Then, in 2023, after completing his Master’s Degree, Mark decided to devote his energies to CMP.

Building a Brand

At the time, he had several arrangements published by ALRY Publications and several dozen with Sheet Music Press (the predecessor of ArrangeMe), but no social media presence or website. Although well-known and respected in the U.S. Air Force Bands community, Mark was not as established in the civilian world. Therefore, since 2024, Mark has developed a CMP web presence with social media accounts on YouTube, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Looking forward, Mark will venture into the world of music conventions to increase the CMP brand awareness.

Part of brand awareness is ensuring CMP’s potential customers understand the types of arrangements we write. One of the reasons Mark began writing musical arrangements in 2001 was that many published arrangements sound quite dated and do not sound particularly good or challenging, especially those written for clarinet ensembles, which often feature imbalanced parts because they are written for educational purposes and cater to widely varying levels of technical ability. However, many of CMP’s arrangements were written for Air Force Band ensembles, which featured a great balance of equally talented players. Therefore, CMP arrangements are all equally weighted to allow each group member to play melody, counter-melody, harmony, and technical passages, making the experience more rewarding for all players.

Core Values

CMP’s core values include Integrity, Quality, and Value. After spending 24 years in the U.S. Air Force Bands, Mark understands the importance of integrity. Integrity means being honest with your customers, not cutting corners, and having high moral principles. Quality is essential for a music arranger. It means never publishing a sub-standard arrangement. Quality means using a painstaking, detailed, thorough editing process to meticulously craft exceptional arrangements. CMP also knows the value of its arrangements. These hand-crafted arrangements were chosen for performance by professional groups, military band ensembles, and college groups throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia because they offer outstanding value, providing a reasonable price for a high-quality product.

Credentials

Mark’s credentials include musical studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he earned his Bachelor's Degree, and at the University of North Texas in Denton, where he earned his Master's Degree, as previously stated. Mark’s professional affiliations include membership in ASCAP, Chamber Music America, the International Clarinet Association, the International Double Reed Society, the International Mozarteum Foundation, and the I.S.M.N. Agency (part of the Library of Congress).

CMP arrangements have been featured on the recordings The Holly & Ivy, by the U.S. Air Force Academy Band, San Antonio Rose, by the U.S. Air Force Band of the West, and New England Holidays and Winds and Brass, both recorded by the U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty. Many CMP arrangements have been performed on local ABC-, NBC-, and CBS-affiliate TV stations across the country, as well as multiple U.S. radio stations. For example, two CMP clarinet quartet arrangements were performed by the Bay State Winds on the NPR nationally syndicated radio show Fresh Air. Additionally, Mark’s arrangement of Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, published by ALRY Publications, won the 2016 National Flute Association’s Newly Published Music Competition.

Testimonials

“Arrangements from Craig Music Publishers are always well written. The parts are equally distributed, the selections have great audience appeal, and most importantly, they are fun to play!”

- Gail Tucker, Clarinetist

Music Degrees from Indiana University and Susquehanna University

Retired Chief Master Sergeant & Band Manager of the U.S. Air Force Academy Band

“Looking for something that will be fun to play and also be an audience pleaser? Mark Craig’s arrangements definitely fit the bill. “

- Coreen Levin, Oboist

Music Degrees from Peabody Conservatory of Music, Temple University, and University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Retired Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West

“Mark Craig’s arrangements are true to the original work, yet make the parts lie well for each instrument. These arrangements are always fun to play.”

Cindy Bailey, Flutist

Music Degrees from Washburn University and the University of North Texas

Retired Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force Band of the West

‍”I have personally performed many of Mark Craig’s musical arrangements for nearly three decades. They are among the very best in all of our chamber music repertoire.”

‍Dr. Robert Jordan, Bassoonist

‍Adjunct Professor of Bassoon at McKendree University, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and Southwest Illinois College

‍Owner and operator, Nielsen Bocal Supply

‍ https://nielsenbocalsupply.com/

‍“Mark A. Craig is a well-respected colleague. We worked together for over ten years, and he is a true professional. He is an outstanding arranger and musician who writes accessible arrangements that are regularly performed by top-notch professional civilian and military chamber ensembles.”  

Jeff Castle, Trumpet

Founder and Director of Castle Brass

‍B.A. – UMASS-Amherst; M.M. – Rice University

‍https://castlebrassbq.com/

Summary

Although a native Texan, he has worked worldwide as a professional musician, performing for multiple heads of state, several members of royalty, and both U.S. and international military VIPs. During his Air Force Band career, he had four assignments, performed in 30 countries and 45 states with 25 ensembles for over 120 million people, completed 210 concert tours totaling 880 days on the road with 11 different Air Force Bands, during which he visited roughly 1,500 cities.

His extensive travels and experience have taught him much about the rich musical heritage around the globe, and he has applied this knowledge to his arrangements. Thanks for taking the time to learn more about this music publisher! Now click below to visit the CMP Shop to explore our meticulously crafted, exceptional arrangements for winds.

Updated 7 Mar 2026