New Educators Join Brass Team, Alongside Many Returning Team Members
We are excited to welcome Dylan Toombs, Alec Blazek, Shane Choi, Christopher Drew Dickey, Peyton Grunzke, Jer Hunter, and Dr. Timothy S. Sexton to the Bluecoats Brass Educational Team alongside many returning team members. Kevin LeBoeuf will lead the team in his new role of Brass Caption Head under the continued leadership of Derek Gipson in the role of Brass Caption Supervisor.
Dylan Toombs will join the team as Brass Caption Coordinator. Previously Toombs served as the Assistant Brass Manager for The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, and on the Carolina Crown brass staff. Dylan also assists as a full-time advisor and consultant for Marcus High School Band in Flower Mound, TX.
Bob Chreste will return in his third year as Assistant Brass Caption Head. Continuing to serve in consultant and leadership roles are Ben Harloff, Donnie VanDoren, Joni Perez, Josh Gall, and Dave MacKinnon.
Joining the team as Lead Brass Instructors are Shane Choi, Drew Dickey, and Dr. Timothy S. Sexton. Shane, Drew, and Timothy bring a wide range of experience to their roles as Bluecoats, including all having worked previously for The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps. Shane teaches students across the world, from Chicago and Houston to Nigeria and Seoul, and holds degrees in Trumpet Performance (B.M.) and Mechanical Engineering (B.S./M.S.) from Northwestern University. Drew serves on the conducting faculty of the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, where he is Associate Director of the Longhorn Band and will complete his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Wind Conducting in the spring of 2023. Dr. Sexton serves as the Associate Director of Bands for the Tarpon Springs Leadership Conservatory for the Arts and has been involved with successful groups within the pageantry arts for over a decade.
Alec Blazek will join the 2023 team as a Brass Instructor. Alec is a 2nd trumpet at the Nashville Symphony and is an active educator and clinician, working with students of all ages across Middle Tennessee. Bluecoats Alumni Peyton Grunzke and Jer Hunter will also join the team as Brass Instructors. Peyton is currently a band director at Richland High School in Texas, and served as a Bluecoats conductor and as Drum Major in 2019. Jer is a professional music educator, performer, composer, and session musician with a wide range of experience, well-known for their work as Skatune Network.