The LYWS teaching staff represents a dynamic team of over 30 music professionals committed to bringing their best to student musicians. This collaborative team represents middle school, high school, and collegiate band directors, private studio instructors, and UofL faculty guest artists.
Conductors
Dr. Amy Acklin, artistic director & conductor
Amy Acklin serves as Professor of Music and Associate Director of Bands at the University of Louisville where she directs the UofL Symphonic Band and teaches courses in undergraduate conducting and music education. Under her direction, the UofL Symphonic Band performed at the 2016 CBDNA Southern Division Conference and the 2023 and 2015 Kentucky Music Educators Association Professional Conference. Previously, Dr. Acklin served for 12 years as the Director of the UofL Cardinal Marching Band and taught middle and high school band for six years in the California public schools.
Dr. Acklin is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the country. She serves as the CBDNA Southern Division President-Elect, the National Band Association KY State Chair, is a member of the John Philip Sousa Foundation Legion of Honor Committee, and an active member of KMEA, having served as the past College/University Chair, NAfME Collegiate State Advisor, University & College Band Directors Association President and Intercollegiate Band Coordinator. Dr. Acklin is the recipient of the 2023 Phi Beta Mu Psi Chapter Outstanding Bandmaster Award, the 2021 UofL Distinguished Teacher Award, the 2019 KMEA College/University Teacher of the Year Award, the NBA Citation of Excellence and an inductee of the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. In 2024, Dr. Acklin was elected to membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.
Dr. Acklin’s research focuses on the wind band repertoire of Grawemeyer-award winning composers. She has publications in The Journal of Band Research, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, National Band Association Journal, Florida Music Director, and GIA’s “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series. Dr. Acklin has presented at international and national conferences, including The Midwest Clinic, the WASBE International Conference, and multiple CBDNA and NAfME national conferences, as well as numerous state conferences. Dr. Acklin holds B.M. and M.M. degrees from the University of Louisville and a Ph.D. in Music Education/Instrumental Conducting from The Florida State University where she was privileged to study with mentors Richard Clary, Patrick Dunnigan, Clifford Madsen and Frederick Speck.
Dr. Kevin Callihan, associate conductor
kevin.callihan@jefferson.kyschools.us
Dr. Kevin Callihan is currently the Director of Bands at the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, KY and an Associate Conductor of the Louisville Youth Wind Symphony. He has previously held Director of Bands positions at Longwood University (VA), Kentucky Wesleyan College, and Apollo High School (KY). Callihan holds degrees from Morehead State University, Northwestern University, and the University of Kentucky. Ensembles under Dr. Callihan’s direction have been selected to perform at the Midwest Clinic, the Music for All National Concert Band Festival, and the Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference. The YPAS Wind Ensemble was selected as a 2023 National Winner in The Foundation for Music Education’s Mark of Excellence/National Wind Band Honors Project in two divisions (AAAAA & New Music). In addition, Dr. Callihan has presented and/or performed at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference, the Virginia Band & Orchestra Directors Association Clinic, the Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference, the International Tuba & Euphonium Conference, the International Trombone Festival, the College Band Directors National Association Conference, and the International Society for Research and Promotion of Wind Music International Conference. Dr. Callihan is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the Kentucky Music Educators Association, the American School Band Directors Association, the National Band Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Honorary Music Fraternity, and Who’s Who in America. He is an active performer, clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator both regionally and nationally. Callihan currently serves as the KMEA State Jazz Chair and the KMEA District 12 president-elect. He resides in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife Kaitlin and their daughter Katherine.
Scott Cooksey, associate conductor
Scott Cooksey began serving as Director of Bands at Floyd Central High School in 2024, having previously been Director of Bands at Louisville Male High School and Jeffersonville High School. In addition to his current role, Mr. Cooksey has served as a conductor for the Floyd County Youth Symphony since 2002 and staff member for eight european tours with Kentucky Musicians Abroad. Mr. Cooksey is a graduate of the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville and holds degrees in Music Education from the University of Louisville School of Music, as well as a graduate degree in Educational Leadership and principal licensure. Mr. Cooksey’s ensembles have performed at many regional conferences and national festivals including; KMEA and IMEA State Conferences, MENC Division Conference, National Adjudicators Invitationals, and three appearances at Carnegie Hall, New York. The band program at Jeffersonville received a Grammy Signature School award during his tenure and Mr. Cooksey was selected as a Semi-Finalist for the first-ever Grammy Music Educator Award in 2013.
Mr. Cooksey currently holds professional membership in the National Association for Music Education, the National Band Association, Indiana Bandmasters Association, the Indiana and Kentucky Music Education Associations, and Phi Beta Mu. He lives in Prospect with his wife Jennifer, they enjoy performing together on their instruments in several local community bands.
Administration
Adam W. Thomas, administrative specialist
Adam W. Thomas is the Administrative Specialist for the Band Department at the University of Louisville School of Music, where he previously earned a Master of Music in Wind Conducting, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and a Bachelor of Music Education. He is also the Associate Conductor of the Louisville Civic Orchestra, a board member of the Chamber Music Society of Louisville, and the music director for CenterStage’s 2024 production of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.
Adam recently served as the Director of Operations for the Louisville Orchestra, during which time the orchestra won a Grammy Award for The American Project with Yuja Wang and performed with Yo-Yo Ma in Mammoth Cave. Prior to that, Adam was the Director of Bands at Henderson County High School. Under his direction, Henderson’s concert ensembles received consistent distinguished ratings and performed on the steps of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D. C. A clarinetist and percussionist, Adam has been a member of Chamber Winds Louisville since 2009, including performances at the KMEA Conference and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. He has guest conducted the Kentucky Chamber Orchestra, performed in multiple countries across Europe on three tours as a Kentucky Ambassadors of Music staff member, and has performed in Carnegie Hall on three occasions.
Katelyn Blazsynski, manager
katelyn.blaszynski@louisville.edu
Katelyn Blaszynski is a second-year graduate conducting student at the University of Louisville, where she serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the University of Louisville Bands. She studies with Dr. Frederick Speck and Dr. Amy Acklin. Prior to her studies, Katelyn was the Director of Bands at Bullitt Lick Middle School, where she received the Bullitt County Public Schools Students Matter Most Award for 2023. She has also earned a Bachelor’s in Music Education with a Jazz Track at the University of Louisville. Currently, she teaches private saxophone lessons and sectionals in the Kentuckiana area.
Katelyn is an active performer, most notably at The Midwest Clinic in 2023 and 2019 with the Louisville Concert Band, under the direction of Dr. Frederick Speck, and the Louisville Winds, under the direction of Nan Moore. Additionally, she was the UofL Concerto Competition Winner of 2018, performing Roger Boutry’s Divertimento with orchestra in January of 2019.
Katelyn is looking forward to serving as the Louisville Youth Wind Symphony Manager in their first season!
Teaching Staff
David Jaggie, band director
robert.jaggie@madison.kyschools.us
David Jaggie is the Director of Bands at Madison Central High School where he oversees a program of more than 300 students. He has served on the faculty of Madison Central since 2006, where he began as an Associate Director. Mr. Jaggie is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. Additionally, he has participated in a number of conducting workshops at The University of Texas at Austin, the Eastman School of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, England). Through these experiences, Mr. Jaggie has had the opportunity to work with some of the finest conductors in the wind band field.
Mr. Jaggie has served the Kentucky Music Educators Association as District Band Chair, District 11 President, and a member of the Band Graded List committee since its inception in 2009. He is a former conductor of the Brass Band of Louisville and former director of bands at James T. Alton Middle School in Hardin County, where he began his career. In 2012 Mr. Jaggie was honored as the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Young Bandmaster and KMEA District 11 High School Teacher of the Year. Recently he was chosen by the Richmond Chamber of Commerce as its 2019 Educator of the Year and was recognized in 2020 by the UK College of Education as A Teacher Who Made a Difference.
When he’s not working with the students at Madison Central, David is an avid runner and a founding member of Frontrunners Lexington.
Jennie Kling, band director
Dan Klipper, band director
Dan serves as the Director of Bands at Oldham County High School in Buckner, Kentucky, where he teaches two concert ensembles, percussion ensemble, jazz band, marching band, pep band, and music theory courses. He holds a Master of Music in Wind Conducting from the University of Louisville, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and a minor in History from Butler University. Previously, he taught in Indiana at Mater Dei High School, LaPorte Middle School, and Perry Meridian High School
Students and bands under his direction have been part of Indiana Junior All-State and All-State Bands and have consistently achieved Gold and Gold “With Distinction” ratings at ISSMA Solo and Ensemble, Jazz, and Organizational events. Dan was the founder and former director of the University of Louisville Clarinet Choir, an ensemble made of music majors and non-major students performing in the greater Louisville area. He is a staff member for the annual Indy 500 All-Star Marching Band. Dan performed with the Louisville Concert Band at the 2023 Midwest Clinic and presented his session on “Musical Phrasing at All Ages” at the 2024 Indiana Music Educators Association Conference.
He is extremely grateful for his teachers and mentors, including Frederick Speck, Amy Acklin, Mickey Stisher, Robert Grechesky, Bobby Lambert, and Greg Bimm. Outside the school day, Dan enjoys hiking, cooking, and spending time with his wife, Angela, a speech pathologist working in southern Indiana, and their two cats, Bubba and Tinkle.
Linda Pulley, band director
Linda.Pulley@jefferson.kyschools.us
Linda Pulley is the director of bands at Noe Middle School. Ms. Pulley is currently serving her 19th year of teaching instrumental music in Jefferson County Public Schools. Her current responsibilities include guiding and mentoring in the performing arts of concert band and jazz band at Noe Middle School. Ms. Pulley’s band programs have performed many community exhibitions and consistently received distinguished ratings at events in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Florida.
Ms. Pulley has received a number of individual recognitions, including the 2016 Kentucky Music Education Association State High School Music Teacher of the Year and the 2023 Zambia Nkrumah Living the Legacy Middle School Teacher of the Year.
Ms. Pulley’s professional affiliations include KMEA/National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), Tri-M Music Society, Delta Omicron Fraternity Inc., Association of Black Women Band Directors, American School Band Director Association, and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity.
Anjali Sivaainkaran, band director
anjali.sivaainkaran@bgreen.kyschools.us
Anjali Sivaainkaran is currently band director at Bowling Green Independent Schools where she teaches with Mrs. Christi Shores and Mr. Lucas Allen. At BGISD, the band directors team teach at both Bowling Green Junior High and Bowling Green High School grades 6-12. Sivaainkaran is in her 7th year of teaching and joined BGISD in 2020 after teaching in Metro Nashville Public Schools at Antioch High School. Ms. Sivaainkaran holds a Bachelor Degree in Music Education from Tennessee Technological University and a Masters Degree in Clarinet Performance and Literature from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Stephanie Wallace, band director
stephanie.wallace@franklin.kyschools.us
Stephanie Wallace just completed her 26th year as band director at Western Hills High School in Frankfort and 29th year of teaching. Her band program is made of approximately 140 students performing with two concert ensembles and two jazz ensembles. All students in the Western Hills band participate in their non-competitive marching band while still being active in a variety of school sports and activities. At Western Hills, Mrs. Wallace serves as the Fine Arts Department Chair, a Senior Class Sponsor, Tri-M Music Honor Society and Photography Club Sponsor.
Before Western Hills, Mrs. Wallace taught high school band for three years in Western Kentucky at Union County High School. She graduated from the University of Louisville where she received her Bachelor of Music Education in 1996, then returned to receive a Master of Music in Conducting Performance with a focus on band literature in 2005. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher and Google Certified Level 1.
During her time teaching, students have nominated her numerous times for Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers, Who’s Who Among American Women, and National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teachers. Three times she was named an All-Academic Teacher, and three times she has been named a “Teacher Who Made a Difference” by the University of Kentucky’s School of Education. Recently, she was selected as Kentucky’s representative in School Band and Orchestra Magazine’s “50 Directors Who Made a Difference”.
Mrs. Wallace has served as an adjudicator for solos and ensembles, district and state level auditions, and marching band competitions throughout Kentucky. She has been a frequent music director for shows with the Bluegrass Theater Guild and has been a guest conductor for all-district ensembles at the middle and high school levels. She has also served as the festival coordinator for District 7 band assessment.
Her professional affiliations include Women Band Directors International, Kentucky Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, Franklin County Education Association, Delta Omicron, Phi Beta Mu and Alpha Delta Kappa.
Her ensembles have consistently rated distinguished in concert and jazz performances and are well known throughout Frankfort for their community involvement and altruism.
In addition to teaching, Mrs. Wallace also owns and operates a photography business called B# Photography, where she photographs families, high school seniors, children, weddings, and sports. She focuses on donating her profits to help send band students to music camp each summer. Mrs. Wallace resides in Frankfort with her husband, Mark and their sons Carson and AJ.
Private Studio Instructors
Tony Watson, flute
Tony Watson has more than forty years studio flute teaching experience. His students have won concerto competitions and seats in youth orchestras, All-State Bands, and university orchestras. Also an active performer, in 2023 and 2024 he has been selected by audition to play with the National Flute Association’s Professional Flute Choir at conventions in Phoenix, AZ and San Antonio, TX. Locally, he has performed in pit orchestras at Kentucky Country Day School, CenterStage and the Sacred Heart School of Performing Arts and on stage in Whitney Hall and the Brown Theater with the Louisville Orchestra. He has also performed with the Kentucky Opera, the Louisville Master Chorale, the Louisville Philharmonia, and the Evansville Philharmonic. Other collaborators have included Actors Theatre and Squallis Puppeteers. In 2006, he was a winner of the National Flute Association’s Convention Performers Competition in Pittsburgh.
Dr. Watson has presented at the National Flute Convention, The Kentucky Flute Society, the Indiana Music Educators Association Conference and the Kentucky Music Educators Virtual Professional Development Conference. A founding advisor and past President of the Atlanta Flute Club, Dr. Watson is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Flute Society of Kentucky and served as Program Chair for the Kentucky Flute Festival held at the University of Louisville in 2015. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Georgia, the Master of Music degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Valdosta State University. Tonywatson.org
Kaitlin Callihan, clarinet
Kaitlin.Callihan@jefferson.kyschools.us
Dr. Kaitlin Callihan is currently the Director of Bands at Westport Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky. She has previously held teaching positions at Longwood University (VA), Kentucky Wesleyan College, Bullitt County Schools, Owensboro Public Schools, and Ohio County Public Schools (KY). Dr. Callihan holds degrees from Morehead State University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Kentucky. Ensembles under Dr. Callihan’s direction regularly receives distinguished ratings at the Kentucky Music Educators Association Large Ensemble Performance Assessment. In addition, Dr. Callihan has presented at the Virginia Music Educators Association Conference, the Kentucky Music Educators Association Conference, the International Society for Music Education, and the New Directions in Music Education Conference. She is an active performer, playing with Chamber Winds Louisville, Louisville Winds, and freelance opportunities throughout Louisville. Dr. Callihan is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the Kentucky Music Educators Association, the International Society for Music Education, and the International Clarinet Association. She resides in Louisville, Kentucky with her husband Kevin and their daughter Katherine.
Doug Harville, oboe
Jackie Royce, bassoon
Jackie earned her Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance from the University of Louisville, where she studied with Matthew Karr and was honored as a Presser Foundation scholar. Before college, she studied with Roger Soren and attended the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville. Throughout her studies, Jackie participated in the Interlochen Summer Music Institute, the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, and the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival at Juilliard, and is an alum of the American Wind Symphony Orchestra. She has performed at the Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland, as well as in venues in Costa Rica and Switzerland. Jackie has played with the Louisville Orchestra, Owensboro Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, Orchestra Indiana, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and Orchestra Enigmatic. Other bassoonists she has studied with include George Sakakeeny, Jeff Keesecker, Steven Wilson, Sue Heineman, and Monica Ellis. She is also a member of the artist faculty at Mozart in the Knobs. Jackie was one of the musicians on the GRAMMY Award-winning recording The American Project with the Louisville Orchestra and Yuja Wang. She also performs with community groups such as the Louisville Winds and Chamber Winds Louisville. In recent years, she has also performed with the Phoenix Down RPG Trio at IDRS and ICA.
Unique in her versatility, Jackie not only performs with classical ensembles but also collaborates with rock and experimental groups. Since 2011, she has been a member of the art-rock band Ut Gret. She has also performed, toured, and recorded with Sapat, Waterbirds, Cat Casual, The Ford Theatre Reunion, Adjy, Tim Barnes, The Mothership Ensemble, Camera Lucida, il Troubadore, NovemberGroup, Dane Waters, Eugene Chadbourne, and Jecorey “1200” Arthur. Indicative of her commitment to musical expression across genres, she is also part of the experimental quartet Sun Variations, which hosts a monthly cross-disciplinary jam. Jackie teaches improvisation workshops for Out Loud Louisville and integrates music theory and improvisation into her lessons with students. She also coaches the Beginner Group with the Louisville Leopard Percussionists and has taught privately for over 10 years. Currently, she teaches privately and at the Louisville Academy of Music. (Photo by Jo Morecraft.)
Ron Jones, saxophone
Ron Jones was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated Cum Laude from Florida A & M University (Home of Alumni Julian Cannonball Adderley, and brother Nat Adderley) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. While at Florida A & M University, he was under the baton of the great Dr. William P. Foster. He was also a member of the world famous FAMU MARCHING 100 and Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity. He recorded albums with the Florida A & M University Symphonic Band at the American Band Masters Association in Sarasota Florida, and the Music Educators National Conference in Miami Florida.
Along with a large private studio of saxophone students, Jones is the Saxophone Instructor at the Youth Performing Arts School, and also teaches at a number of other schools in Louisville. He is well known as one of the finest Saxophonists and teachers in Kentucky and the midwest. For the past 25 years, he has had hundreds of students in the top chairs in the All County, All District, All Region, and All State Bands. Jones has had the top chair Alto Saxophonist in All State for 6 of the last 12 years. And from 2013-2015, the entire Jefferson County All County Wind Ensemble Saxophones came from his studio. He has gotten testimonies and support from some of the best musicians in the world like Dr. Otis Murphy (Indiana University), Dr. Adam McCord (University of Louisville), Dr. Nathan Borgert (Ball State University), Dr. George Wolf (Ball State University), Jim Leslie (University of Dayton), Wycliffe Gordon (Famous Jazz Trombonist), Dr. Nathan Nabb (Stephen F. Austin State University), Dr. Ryan Muncy (Northwestern University), Dr. Fred Speck and Dr. Amy Acklin (University of Louisville), Miles and Lisa Osland (University of Kentucky), Dr. Richard Kelley (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Jay Gephart and Dr. Mo Trout (Purdue University), Pat Harbison (Inidiana University), Don Braden (Famous Jazz Saxophonist), Criag Bailey (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music) and many others. His Jazz Quartet are in high demand to perform many events in Louisville as well as the surrounding Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio areas.
Jones is very involved in the world of jazz education, giving workshops and performing at many Universities and High Schools throughout the Midwest. He has been a guest artist, clinician, and lecturer at Ohio State University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Purdue University, Central Michigan University, Bradley University, Middle Tennessee State University, University of Kentucky, Indiana Wesleyan University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Ball State University, Indiana State University, The University of Evansville, Vincennes University, Antioch College, Hillsdale College, Miami University, Ferris State University, Hope College, University of Louisville, Elizabethtown Community College, Grand Rapids Community College, Wittenburg University, University of Indianapolis, Ohio University, Ashland Community College, Eastern Kentucky University, Lindsey Wilson College, and Berea College.
His CD, “A Vision of Beauty”, has received nationwide airplay and great reviews from Jazziz and Cadence Magazines, the Grand Rapids Press, and the Dayton Daily News. Jones has performed with some of the biggest names in jazz like Diane Reeves, Terell Stafford, Christian McBride, Wynton, Branford, & Delfeayo Marsalis, Slide Hampton, James Williams, Kenny Kirkland, Bill Cunliffe, John Von Ohlen, Richard Davis, Jimmy Rainey, Cal Collins, Nat Adderley, Rufus Reid, Conrad Herwig, Donald Brown, John McNeil, Bobby Shew, Wycliffe Gordon, Eric Reed, Bob Hurst, Jeff Tain Watts, Gregory Hutchison, Reuben Rogers, John Goldsby, Peter Martin, Winard Harper, Ryan Cohen, Joe Labarbra, Pat Labarbra, Don Braden, Ed Soph, David Baker, Jamey Aebersold, Dan Hearle, Todd Coolman, Jerry Coker, Adam Nussbaum, David Liebman, Hal Galper, Ed Thigpen, and Richard Groove Holmes.
Erika Howard, trumpet
Erika Howard is a freelance trumpet player in the greater Kentucky area and frequently performs with professional orchestras in the region. She is the 4th/utility trumpet in the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, 3rd trumpet in the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, and is a member of Chamber Winds Louisville. Erika frequently performs with the Louisville Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony, and various other regional ensembles.
She earned a Bachelors of Music in Education from Ohio University in 2010 and a Masters in Trumpet Performance from the University of Louisville in 2014 while serving as the graduate teaching assistant for the trumpet studio. She was a semi-finalist at the National Trumpet Competition in the graduate division as a soloist in 2013.
Erika teaches trumpet and horn at middle and high schools in the greater Louisville area. Many of her students have experienced success in State and National competitions. Her trumpet and horn students frequently place in the top chairs in the Kentucky all-state band. She has coached two chamber ensembles that were selected to perform at the KMEA State conference, The Oldham County High School Trumpet Ensemble and OCHS Brass Choir.
When not performing and teaching, Erika operates a sewing business with her husband. Their company, Messina Covers, makes custom musical instrument cases. Erika is also an avid bicycle racer and ball python breeder.
Colin Dorman, horn
Colin Dorman, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, has played and taught the French horn professionally since 2004.
He holds a Master of Music in Horn Performance from the University of Louisville, as well as a Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama. He has studied with Bruce Heim, Charles “Skip” Snead, David Pandolfi, Jon Gustely, and David Wetherill.
Colin is the 4th horn in the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, and he has performed as an extra or sub with numerous orchestras, including the Louisville Orchestra, the Reading (PA) Symphony, the Annapolis Symphony, Orchestra Kentucky, the Owensboro Symphony, the Evansville Symphony, the Southwest Michigan Symphony, and the Columbus Philharmonic (IN), among others. He has also performed in chamber ensembles, as a soloist in solo recitals and as a concerto soloist, and has played in pits for numerous musicals and operas.
In addition to performing regularly, Colin also teaches horn students in both one-on-one lessons and in larger sectionals at area schools. He is the horn instructor at SWK Music Studios in Louisville and at Indiana University Southeast Arts Institute. He is also the Adjunct Instructor of Horn at Indiana University Southeast.
Anastasi Fafalios, trombone
Originally from Monessen, Pennsylvania, Dr. Anastasi Fafalios earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Slippery Rock University, a Masters in Music Performance from the University of Louisville and, most recently, received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Bass Trombone Performance with cognates in Music Education and Wind Conducting from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). His teachers include Peter Norton, Charles Vernon, George Flynn, Murray Crewe, Patrick Myers, Dr. Brett Shuster, and Timothy Anderson.
Dr. Fafalios taught for thirteen years in the Jefferson County Public School District located in Louisville, Kentucky. During this time, he taught elementary general music for seven years, high school band for five years, and beginning band in grades four and five for eleven years. Dr. Fafalios has taught at Bellarmine University, CCM, and the University of Louisville Preparatory Department and Community Music Program. As a private trombone instructor for over twenty years, Dr. Fafalios has worked with many schools in the Louisville and Cincinnati areas. Having the honor of teaching fine students, many have moved on to attend universities including Indiana University, Lynn University, Yale University, the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Eastern Kentucky University, Middle Tennessee State University, Centre College, and the University of Tennessee.
As an in-demand performer, Dr. Fafalios has worked with numerous ensembles including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, Louisville Orchestra, Louisville Pops, Louisville Ballet, Orchestra Kentucky, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Battle Creek Symphony, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Masters Chorale, Louisville Chamber Winds, and the Brass Band of Louisville. He has performed in orchestra pits for numerous Broadway-based shows including Wicked, The Lion King, Shrek the Musical, Motown the Musical, and Hello Dolly! Dr. Fafalios has performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Blue Wisp Big Band, Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Don Krekel Jazz Orchestra, Maple Knoll Big Band, Flying Circus Big Band, and Louisville Jazz Society Big Band. Dr. Fafalios has shared the stage with greats such as Slide Hampton, Bill Watrous, Bob McChesney, Brett Shuster, Rick Simerly, Herb Bruce, Dave Liebman, Sgt. Susan Rider, Steven Mead, Kim Nazarian, Jim Snidero, Rufus Reid, Denise Tryon, John LaBarbera, Wayne Newton, and The Four Freshman.
In his spare time, Dr. Fafalios likes to fish, study history, and cook. He enjoys being at home together with his fiancée, Alice, and their standard poodle, Apostolaki.
Chris Schmidt, euphonium and tuba
Chris Schmidt is an Eastman Performing Artist and is currently the instructor of tuba and euphonium at Western Kentucky University and Indiana University Southeast. He has had several of his ensembles perform at major conferences including the IUS Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble at the 2023 and 2024 International Euphonium-Tuba Festival at the ITEA Midwest Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference in 2024, the Youth Performing Arts School Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble at the ITEA Midwest Regional Tuba-Euphonium Conference in 2022, and the Oldham County High School Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble at the 2013 and 2021 KMEA Conferences. Several of his private students from various local high schools have earned placements in the Kentucky and Indiana All State Bands as well as National Honor Bands including the John Philip Sousa National High School Honor Band.
Mr. Schmidt attended the University of Louisville and earned a Master of Music Performance with an emphasis in Wind Ensemble Conducting in 2010. While at U of L he studied conducting with Dr. Fred Speck and tuba with Mr. John Jones. Mr. Schmidt was also a guest tuba soloist with the University Concert Band when he performed The Fantasia for Tuba and Band by James Curnow under the direction of Dr. Greg Byrne.
Prior to his time at Louisville Mr. Schmidt attended Morehead State University where he held the position of Principal Tuba in the MSU Symphony Band and earned two degrees, a Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Arts in Secondary Education. He was also awarded placements on the MSU Deans List, the KY Intercollegiate Band, the CBDNA Southern Division Intercollegiate Band, and the Lexington Brass Band. His primary teachers at MSU included euphonium virtuoso Dr. Earle Louder and tuba professor Dr. Stacy Baker as well as wind band conducting lessons with Dr. Richard Miles.
After graduating from MSU Mr. Schmidt taught instrumental music for eight years before beginning a freelance music career which has included solo recitals at the International Euphonium Tuba Festival in 2023 and 2024 and several appearances as a guest soloist with wind ensembles and brass bands around the Louisville, KY Metro Area. Mr. Schmidts business CP Schmidt Music, LLC operates out of Louisville, KY where he operates a studio with sixty private students and creates marching band drill designs and music arrangements for several high school and college band programs. He also serves as an adjudicator for marching band contests, concert band, and solo and ensemble festivals. Mr. Schmidt also performs with Chamber Winds Louisville, the Derby City Brass Band, and the Indiana University Southeast Band and Orchestra.
Michael Launius, percussion
Michael Launius currently serves as percussionist with the Owensboro Symphony and the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra while maintaining an active freelance schedule which includes engagements with the Louisville Orchestra and the Dayton Philharmonic. He has also performed with the Jacksonville Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony, the Symphony of Southwest Florida, and the Palm Beach Symphony. He previously held long time positions with the Atlantic Classical Orchestra (principal timpani 2001-2015) and the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra (percussion 2006-2015). As an educator Michael currently serves as head drum line instructor for the University of Louisville Cardinal Marching Band and is a percussion instructor for the Floyd Central High School Bands.
UofL School of Music Faculty Guest Artists
Leanne Hampton, flute
Praised for her “naturally…beautifully…renderings” flutist Leanne Hampton enjoys an exciting and versatile career as teacher, orchestral performer, and chamber musician (Courier Press). She joins the University of Louisville as Lecturer of Flute and member of the Louisville Winds wind quintet. Since 2017, she has served as Consortium Instructor of Flute at the University of Evansville. Leanne also serves as Principal Flute of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and flutist of the Harlaxton Wind Quintet. Additionally, she performs as Principal Flute of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra and teaches applied flute students at Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Leanne received a BA from the University of Central Arkansas, and MM and DMA from the University of Colorado. She has performed with the Colorado Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, Breckenridge Music Festival, Cheyenne Symphony, and Boulder Opera Company. Leanne has competed at the Mid-South Flute Society, Colorado Flute Society, Oklahoma Flute Society, MTNA, Plowman Chamber Music, and Bruce Ekstrand Graduate Competitions. She received additional training at the Aspen Music Festival and Texas Music Festival.
Leanne has been a featured soloist on Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 with the Evansville Philharmonic. As a faculty member at the University of Evansville, she has been a soloist with the Wind Ensemble and the UE Symphony Orchestra. Leanne performed on the 2017 live album of the Indigo Girls in Concert with the CU Orchestra. She has also collaborated with the composers and musicians of the Aspen Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble and the Colorado New Music Ensemble. She has premiered works at the Midwest American Composers Exchange and the National Flute Association Conference. She has given performances and presentations for the Indiana Music Educators Association Symposium, American Guild of Organists – Evansville Chapter, International Horn Society, the University of Madison-Wisconsin, and the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana.
Leanne’s principal teachers are Christina Jennings, Dr. Carolyn Brown, and Brook Ferguson. Other important influences include Nadine Asin and Leone Buyse. In her free time, she enjoys watching MasterChef and Jeopardy with her German Shepherd mix, Betty.
Matthew Nelson, clarinet
matthew.nelson.1@louisville.edu
Hailed for his “astounding range and virtuosity” (CD HotList), Matthew Nelson is Associate Professor of Clarinet at the University of Louisville, where he performs with the Louisville Winds woodwind quintet and the Grawemeyer Players contemporary music ensemble. He has performed as guest principal clarinet with the Virginia and Utah Symphonies, and his performances throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia include international competitions and premieres. He maintains an international profile as both performer and pedagogue, with engagements as invited professor on the faculties of the Beyond the Music International Chamber Music Festival, the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla-La Mancha, and the Curso Internacional “Eduardo Ocón” in Spain. Nelson’s recent solo CD release, Meditations and Tributes, was lauded as “an unreserved success” (Fanfare), demonstrating a “staggering command of the instrument” (textura). He has recorded solo and chamber music for the Soundset, Centaur, Parma, and Albany labels.
Prior to his appointment at the UofL, Nelson held the position of principal clarinet with the Utah Chamber Orchestra (Ballet West). He served on the faculty of Utah Valley University for five years, where he was a founding member of the critically acclaimed Alpine Chamber Winds woodwind quintet. He was a NOVA Chamber Music Series artist from 2011 – 2014, and he also held an artist/faculty position at the Tuacahn Summer Symphonic Institute in St. George, UT. In 2013 he gave master classes and performed at the Instituto para el Desarrollo Musical in Castellón, Spain.
Nelson’s frequent chamber music collaborations have reached enthusiastic audiences at the Schumann Festival, the Gentse Vleugels Festival, the Utah Music Festival, the Beethoven Festival Park City, and the Park City International Music Festival. He has also performed at the International Clarinet Association’s annual ClarinetFest in Ostend, Orlando, Lawrence, Baton Rouge, Assisi, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. He premiered works by Marc Satterwhite and Bent Sørensen at the ICA conferences in Orlando and Ostend, respectively.
An advocate of new music, Nelson has worked closely with many prominent contemporary composers, including Kaija Saariaho, Shulamit Ran, Steve Rouse, Marc Satterwhite, William O. Smith, Agata Zubel, Joël-François Durand, Bruce Quaglia, Morris Rosenzweig, Diane Thome, Dan Welcher, and Eric Flesher.
Nelson completed his doctoral work in clarinet performance at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in 2009 with his thesis, Morton Feldman’s Clarinet Works: A Study Through the Words of the Note Man. He received a MM in clarinet performance and a BA with distinction in English from the University of Washington. His principal teachers include Michael Webster, William McColl, Richard Gellman, and Scott Wright.
Nelson is a Buffet Crampon Artist/Clinician and a D’Addario Woodwinds Artist. He performs on a set of Buffet Légende clarinets and uses D’Addario clarinet reeds exclusively.
Jennifer Potochnic, oboe
jennifer.potochnic@louisville.edu
Her performances described by the New York Concert Review as “polished dynamic and riveting” and by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel as “fluent and evocative,” oboist Jennifer Potochnic has had a successful career as an orchestral and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. She has held positions with the Palm Beach Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Columbus Symphony and the Louisville Orchestra as well as appearing regularly with the Sarasota Orchestra, Florida Philharmonic, and Atlanta Symphony.
Ms. Potochnic joined the faculty at the University of Louisville School of Music in 2009 where she teaches oboe, history and courses in arts entrepreneurship. She is a strong advocate for new music with a special emphasis on the repertoire of composer recipients of the prestigious Grawemeyer Award. She has commissioned many works including a recent consortium project, “Inner Voices” a piece written by Mark Kilstofte in memory of her teacher John Mack.
Currently Ms. Potochnic is completing a DMA at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati. Other institutions attended include Louisiana State University, the Cleveland Institute of Music and Manhattan School of Music. Over the years, she has studied with the finest oboists and pedagogues in the country including John Mack, Mark Ostoich, Elaine Douvas and Joseph Robinson. You can hear Ms. Potochnic’s oboe d’amore collaborating with trumpet Mike Tunnell on the recording Out of the Forest.
Francisco Joubert Bernard, bassoon
francisco.joubertbernard@louisville.edu
Francisco is currently the second bassoonist of the Louisville Orchestra and lecturer of bassoon at the University of Louisville. Originally from Puerto Rico, Mr. Joubert Bernard completed his B.M. at the “Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico” and has a M.M. degree from the Yale School of Music. Before joining the Louisville Orchestra, Francisco was a bassoon fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Florida where he performed with renown artists around the world including a soloist performance for the famous film composer John Williams conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas.
Besides his current orchestral performances with the Louisville Orchestra, Francisco has performed with orchestras such as The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, and many others.
Throughout his career, Francisco has been a very active advocate for music education by coaching in programs such as the National Youth Orchestra (NYO/NYO2) and VIA Academy, giving masterclasses around universities and events such as MegQuigley and by creating an online platform for Spanish speakers to learn bassoon.
In addition to his interests in classical music, Mr. Joubert Bernard is also interested in other music genres, expanding the role of the bassoon in music through his online persona VG Bassoonist. In 2022 Francisco became one of Sphinx’s MPower Artist Grant recipients and plans to continue inspiring and educating young bassoonists through his online platforms with the aid of this grant.
Adam McCord, saxophone
Dr. Adam McCord is Artist Teacher of Saxophone at the University of Louisville School of Music where he teaches applied saxophone, saxophone ensembles, saxophone pedagogy and saxophone literature. During the Spring 2015 semester he served as Otis Murphy’s sabbatical replacement at Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music. Twice nominated as a Faculty Favorite at the University of Louisville, he has a passion for education and his students’ musical development. Additionally, he has served on the faculties of Miami University, Ohio Northern University, Wittenberg University, and Wake Forest University, and for five years he was an Associate Instructor of Saxophone at Indiana University. He has maintained an active performance profile as well as educational profile, and has taught all five woodwinds to students of all ages and abilities.
Dr. McCord completed the Doctor of Music degree at Indiana University in December 2015, where his primary studies were with Otis Murphy; additional mentors include David N. Baker, J. Peter Burkholder, and Thomas Walsh. He received the Master of Music degree also from IU, earning the Performer’s Certificate, IU’s highest performance honor, and was winner of IU’s Concerto Competition, performing to critical acclaim. Dr. McCord received the Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, in Saxophone Performance and Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where his teachers were Steven Stusek and Craig Whittaker, and where he was also winner of the annual concerto competition.
Recent performances include the 16th WASBE International Conference in San Jose, the 2010 KMEA In-Service Convention, the XIV World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the XIII World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis, as well as many North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial conferences. He participated in the 2003 International Saxophone Chamber Music Festival held in Faenza, Italy, and has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the Winston-Salem Symphony, the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, the UNCG Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, the IU Philharmonic, the Indianapolis Symphony’s Spirit and Place Festival and the Bloomington Pops Orchestra. He can be heard on the Arizona University Recording and Navona Records labels. He is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist and performs exclusively on Yamaha saxophones.
Reese Land, trumpet
Dr. Reese Land hails from Taylorsville, NC and serves as associate professor of trumpet at the University of Louisville. His responsibilities include teaching trumpet, trumpet literature, historical brass, and directing the UofL Trumpet Ensemble. Formally, he served on the faculties of the University of Southern Mississippi and Campbellsville University. While at Campbellsville, he was twice voted University Teacher of the Year in the Fourth District of the Kentucky Music Educators Association (KMEA).
An avid performer, he performs regularly in a large variety of venues as a soloist and with ensembles such as Orchestra Kentucky Bowling Green (Principal Trumpet), the Louisville Orchestra, the Brass Band of Louisville, the Louisville Brass, and a host of others. In April 2015, he performed as a soloist in Carnegie Hall, NY with the Eastern High School Band of Louisville. Dr. Land has also performed with such artists as Doc Severinsen, Byron Stripling, Mannheim Steamroller, Neil Sedaka, Kenny Rogers, Michael W. Smith, Mary Wilson, Sandy Patti, Larnelle Harris, Sara Evans, Dennis DeYoung, Toby Keith, Patti LaBelle, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and Joshua Bell.
A devoted clinician, Dr. Land has given frequent master classes to high school and university students around the United States, Australia, Brazil, and Ecuador. For many years, Dr. Land has presented masterclasses for the KMEA All State trumpet auditions and has adjudicated KMEA District and State Solo and Ensemble Festivals. Additionally, he has served as a judge for the preliminary rounds of the International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition and the National Trumpet Competition.
Dr. Land is a member of the International Trumpet Guild, the Pi Kappa Lambda honor society, the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and is an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He holds a B.A. music degree from Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC, a M.M. degree from the University of Louisville, KY, and a D.M.A. degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. He is married to Paola Manrique-Land, a professional violinist and string orchestra director at Bardstown City Schools, KY and they have two sons, Alex and Henry.
Devin Cobleigh-Morrison , horn
devin.cobleighmorrison@louisville.edu
Raised in Pinckney, Michigan, Dr. Devin Cobleigh-Morrison (he/him/his) is the Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Louisville School of Music. Recently, Cobleigh-Morrison has served as the hornist of Wingra: the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s faculty wind quintet, is artist faculty at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, and is fourth horn of the Lancaster Festival Orchestra (2023). He was previously on faculty at Washburn University, performing in both the faculty woodwind and brass quintets, and has held various chairs with orchestras nationwide. An in-demand guest musician, he also has appeared with notable ensembles such as the Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Omaha Symphonies, Dayton Philharmonic, and has been heard in performance at prestigious workshops, including the 50th International Horn Symposium in Muncie, Indiana.
Cobleigh-Morrison is also a published arranger and editor of horn chamber music through Veritas Musica Publishing. He can be heard on the Omaha Symphony’s live recording of Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, op. 27, released in 2018, and the Cincinnati Pop’s 2019 album, “Voyage!” Dr. Cobleigh-Morrison holds a bachelor’s degree from the Chicago College of Performing Arts and a master’s degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers include Elizabeth Freimuth, Daniel Grabois, Dale Clevenger, Randy Gardner, and Tom Sherwood.
Brett Shuster, trombone
Brett Shuster is a Grammy® Award recording artist and Trombone Professor at the University of Louisville. His performance experience includes two years traveling internationally with the Grammy winning Chestnut Brass Company. In addition, he has appeared with the Louisville Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Arizona Opera, and Boston Philharmonic.
Professor Shuster has recorded on the Polygram, Centaur Records, Newport Classics, Albany, Warner, and Summit labels. He recorded four compact discs with the Chestnut Brass Company to critical acclaim. In 2011 he released his first solo CD, entitled Free Flying, on Albany Records.
In March 2004, Dr. Shuster was the featured soloist with the United States Army Orchestra at the Eastern Trombone Workshop. He also presented the first complete performance of Norman Bolter’s Mountains, Lakes, and Trees with the Orquestra Sinfonica da USC on alto, tenor and bass trombone, respectfully. During the 2007-2008 season Shuster was the interim principal trombonist of the Louisville Orchestra. He is also active as a sackbut soloist and performs regularly with Kentucky Baroque Trumpets and Bourbon Baroque. Shuster performed as a featured soloist at the International Trombone Festival in 2011 and 2013.
Professor Shuster’s educational background includes a B.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music, an M.M. from Northwestern University, and a D.M.A. from Arizona State University. Over the past 35 years, Shuster has studied with many of the finest brass teachers including George Sanders, David Mathie, Norman Bolter, John Swallow, Frank Crisafulli and Gail Eugene Wilson.
Shuster is a member of the Louisville Brass, the faculty brass quintet in residence at the University of Louisville. In 2011 he was awarded a Distinguished Faculty Award from the University of Louisville for his scholarship, research and creative activity. Dr. Shuster’s teaching experience also includes serving on the faculty of Western Illinois University and Temple University.
Clinton McCanless, euphonium and tuba
clinton.mccanless@louisville.edu
Clinton McCanless is Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at the University of Louisville. An active soloist and chamber musician, he is a first prize-winner at the International Tuba Euphonium Association solo competition and the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba competition. McCanless has been featured as a soloist with the Chicago Brass Band, Michigan State University Wind Symphony, the ITEC Festival Orchestra, Muskingum Valley Symphonic Winds in Ohio, the West Michigan Symphony, as well as with student ensembles at the University of Louisville. He has performed with the internationally active Dallas Brass, the Tuba Bach chamber festival, and is currently a member of the Louisville Brass, the faculty brass quintet at the University of Louisville. Dr. McCanless has been principal tuba with the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra since 2010.
An active educator and clinician, Dr. McCanless has taught at summer programs at the University of Illinois, Michigan State University, and at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, where he continues to teach each summer. Prior to his position at the University of Louisville, he has served on the faculties of Oakland University and Spring Arbor University (MI), and Southern Illinois University, Carbondale,.
Dr. McCanless holds an undergraduate degree in Music Education, and a Masters of Music Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Michigan State University.
Terry O’Mahoney, percussion
University Bands Faculty
Dr. Frederick Speck, Director of Bands
Frederick Speck, Director of Bands and Professor of Music, conducts the Wind Symphony and New Music Ensemble, and teaches conducting and composition. Under his leadership, the Wind Symphony has been invited to perform at KMEA Conferences, CBDNA Southern Division Conferences, the MENC National Conference and the CBDNA National Conference. His music has been performed by such ensembles as the Louisville Orchestra, the Denver Symphony and Speculum Musicae, and recorded by such artists as Richard Stoltzman. Twice the recipient of the University of Louisville President’s Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity, his work has also been recognized the through fellowships and commissions from such organizations as the Barlow Endowment, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Indiana Arts Commission, and the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts. He holds the B.M. and M.M. from Bowling Green State University and the D.M.A. from the University of Maryland.
Dr. Amy Acklin, Associate Director of Bands
Amy Acklin serves as Associate Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University of Louisville where she directs the Symphonic Band and teaches courses in conducting and music education. Dr. Acklin recently served as the Director of the UofL Cardinal Marching Band for 12 years, the longest such tenure in the band’s history. Previously, Dr. Acklin taught instrumental music in the California public schools, serving as Director of Bands at Rancho Cucamonga High School, Etiwanda Intermediate School and Bolsa Grande High School. Under her direction, the UofL Symphonic Band was invited to perform at the 2016 CBDNA Southern Division Conference in Charleston, South Carolina and the 2015 Kentucky Music Educators Association Professional Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Both performances represented a first in the history of the UofL Symphonic Band.
Dr. Acklin is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the country. She currently serves as the National Band Association KY State Chair and the Kentucky Music Educators Association College/University Chair and is an active member of the KMEA, having served as the past NAfME Collegiate State Advisor, University & College Band Directors Association President and Intercollegiate Band Coordinator. Dr. Acklin was recently awarded the 2019 KMEA College/University Teacher of the Year Award, the NBA Citation of Excellence and inducted into the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.
Dr. Acklin has publications in The Journal of Band Research, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Florida Music Director, and GIA’s “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series and has presented research at the National CBDNA Conference, CBDNA Athletic Band Symposium, MENC: The National Association for Music Education National Conference, as well as other regional and state conferences. She is an active member of KMEA, NAfME, and CBDNA and an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. Dr. Acklin holds B.M. and M.M. degrees from the University of Louisville and a Ph.D. in Music Education/Instrumental Conducting from Florida State University where she was privileged to study with mentors Richard Clary, Patrick Dunnigan, Clifford Madsen and Frederick Speck.
Dr. Jason Cumberledge, Director of Athletic Bands
Jason Cumberledge is Director of Athletic Bands and Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at the University of Louisville, where he directs the UofL Athletic Bands program, including the Cardinal Marching Band and Cardinal Pep Band. He also conducts the University Concert Band and teaches courses in music education, including marching band techniques, conducting, and drill writing. Prior to his arrival in Louisville, he served on the band faculty at the University of Central Florida where his responsibilities included directing the 300-member UCF Marching Knights. Dr. Cumberledge also served as a graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University, where he worked with the university’s athletic and concert bands and taught courses in instrumental music education. He taught for nine years in Worcester County Public Schools, MD.
In addition to these posts, he currently conducts the Brass Band of Louisville, including recent performances at the Kentucky Music Educators Association State Convention and the Great American Brass Band Festival. He has also served as director of the Kittanning Fireman’s Band, leading them to a Pennsylvania state senior marching band championship in 2002. He currently is Coordinator for KMEA State Solo and Ensemble Festival, held each spring at UofL. He has served the state of Kentucky as Past President of the Kentucky College Band Director’s Association and Coordinator for the Kentucky Intercollegiate Band. Dr. Cumberledge holds a B.S. in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and an M.M.E. and Ph.D. in Music Education and Instrumental Conducting from Florida State University. His conducting teachers include Richard Clary, Patrick Dunnigan, André Thomas, and Jack Stamp.
Dr. Cumberledge is active as a guest conductor, adjudicator, band clinician, drill writer, and music arranger. His arrangements and transcriptions have been performed at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels. He has presented research at national, state, and regional conferences, including the NAfME Biennial National Conference, CBDNA National Conference, CBDNA Athletic Band Symposium, and Desert Skies Symposium on Research in Music Education. His published articles have appeared in the Journal of Band Research, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, Contributions to Music Education, Research Perspectives in Music Education, The Instrumentalist, and various state journals. Dr. Cumberledge’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, Kentucky Music Educators Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He is an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma and was recently inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.
Brad Rogers, Assistant Director of Athletic Bands; Director of UofL Community Band
Brad Rogers retired after a 42-year teaching career in July 2021, serving the last 34 years as band director at Oldham County High School in Buckner, Kentucky. Prior to his arrival at OCHS in 1987, he held positions at Oakland High School (Murfreesboro, TN), Central High School (Columbia, TN) and Christian County High School (Hopkinsville, KY). He is a 1978 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, holds a Masters degree in Music Education (1989) from the University of Louisville, and completed additional graduate coursework through Illinois State University and the Vander Cook School of Music.
Mr. Rogers’ teaching responsibilities at OCHS included directing the marching, concert, and jazz bands, and assisting with the OCMS band program. The OCHS band program under his direction performed with distinction in a wide variety of venues, consistently earning Distinguished and Superior ratings at events in Kentucky, across the eastern United States and in Canada. The OCHS Symphonic Band performed as a featured ensemble at the KMEA In-Service Conference (2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018) and was selected to perform there again in 2022. Chamber ensembles from the OCHS band program presented performances in 2013, 2014, and 2021. Symphonic Band I and II served as clinic demonstration ensembles at the Conference on three separate occasions with presenters such as Mr. Edward Lisk and composer Stephen Melillo.
Mr. Rogers has received numerous individual recognitions, notably the MTSU Band of Blue Hall of Fame (inducted 1999), OCHS Teacher of the Year (1991), the National Band Association Citation for Musical Excellence (three times), and the Phi Beta Mu Outstanding Bandmaster in Kentucky (2012). He has been honored as one of 50 Directors Who Make A Difference by SBO Magazine (2015), is a John Philip Sousa Society Legion Laureate, and a Rotary Club International Paul Harris Fellow. He has served on the KMEA Executive Committee, 5th District representative to the Marching Band Council, KMEA Strategic Planning Committee, and as the KMEA State Band Division chair (2008-2010). He served as President of KMEA from 2015-2017 and completed two-year terms as the Vice President and Past President of the association in 2021. He was honored as KMEA’s High School Teacher of the Year (2017). His articles on bands, adjudication, band directing, and the “band experience” for students have been published in the Bluegrass Music News and other state music education association publications, the NBA Journal, and SBO Magazine. In April 2019 he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) School of Music. He was recently inducted into the Oldham County High School Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
Professional affiliations include KMEA/NAfME, National Band Association, American School Band Directors Association, Phi Beta Mu, Phi Delta Kappa, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He has been a staff member with the Kentucky Ambassadors of Music/Kentucky Musicians Abroad (2000-present), is active as a clinician, adjudicator, and private instructor (clarinet), and performs with the Louisville Concert Band/Chamber Winds Louisville (Dr. Frederick Speck, conductor), Louisville Winds (Nanette Moore, conductor) and the Swing Street Big Band. Mr. Rogers has also been the conductor of the Oldham County Community Band since 1989. He has two grown daughters, Brianna and Lauren (both OCHS and MTSU alumni), and resides in La Grange, Kentucky with his wife, Patricia.
LYWS Social Media Team
The officers of the University of Louisville chapter of the National Association for Music Education are also serving as the Social Media Team for the Louisville Youth Wind Symphony! We are so thankful that they are sharing their time and talents, so please meet them:
Ashtyn Jones, NAfME President (UofL Chapter)
Ashtyn Jones currently serves as president of NAfME, marking her fourth year with the organization, where she has previously held the roles of vice president and secretary. She is a senior music education major at the University of Louisville and specializes in clarinet. Her future plans are to enter the teaching field next year. Her extensive musical experience includes performing in various ensembles across Louisville and in her hometown of Oldham County. Ashtyn is enthusiastic about connecting with the musical community in LYWS and creating meaningful experiences for students!
Richard Muñoz, NAfME Vice President (UofL Chapter)
Richard Muñoz, NAfME vice president, third year Music Education major at the University of Louisville. Richard has been active in the NAfME chapter for three years and was previously the treasurer. As a percussion emphasis he has been a member of the Percussion Ensemble, Cardinal Marching & Pep band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble.
Case Gadberry, NAfME Secretary (UofL Chapter)
Case Gadberry is a third-year Music Education student at the University of Louisville. His primary instrument is the saxophone. Case currently serves as the Secretary for the University’s National Association for Music Education chapter. He is excited to work with The Louisville Youth Wind Symphony in its inaugural season!
Colin Bouchard, NAfME Treasurer (UofL Chapter)
Colin Bouchard is from Oldham County, KY, and serves as the treasurer for the University of Louisville chapter of cNAfME. He is a sophomore music education student and primarily studies clarinet with Dr. Matthew Nelson. He is an active member of many ensembles in the UofL School of Music including the Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Pep Band, and a clarinet quartet. He is very excited for the opportunity to help out the Louisville Youth Wind Symphony and is eager to meet all of the students next semester!