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Sun Devil Athletic Bands
PO Box 870405
Tempe, AZ 85287-0405
480-965-4392
480-727-7421 (fax)
Email: SunDevilBand@asu.edu
Gammage, Room 213
Pass in Review CDs
Sun Devil Athletic Bands
Adjunct Staff
Wes Anderson, Percussion Instructor
Wesley Anderson started playing the drum-set at the age of eight. At the age of 15, Wes became interested in rudimental snare drumming. Bye the age of 17, he joined the Arizona Academy Drum and Bugle Corps where he played snare drum from 2004–2008. During this time he was the center snare from 2005–2008 and he received four outstanding percussion member awards, two member of the year awards, a division II world championship title, and two DCI 1st place I&E Multi-percussion Championships. Wes attended Mesa Community College from 2006–2008 where he began his bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Jazz Studies. He is currently a student at Arizona State University finishing his BA in Jazz Performance and teaching the Arizona State University drum-line along side Roberto Paz, and Jim Hudson. Some past and present mentors and teachers include: Michael Kocour, Bryon Ruth, Dom Moio, Fred Forney, Rob Hunter, Bob Laiser, Barb Catlin, Raul Yanez, Cleve Huff, J.B. Smith, Keith Kelly, Mike Wilkinson, Glen Crosby, Freddie Smith, Ryan Masterson, Mike Talerico, Ralph Hardimon, Murray Gusseck, Phil Edwards, Karl Herman, Christian Carichner, Mark Richardson, Gary Hill, Wayne Bailey, and Sam Pilafian. So far in his music career, Wes has performed with numerous musicians, such as: Gregg Bissonette, Patrick Sheridan, Sam Pilafian, Nick Manson, Eric Rasmussen, Armand Boatman, Jerry Donato, Dwight Killian, Tom Williams, Dennis Monce, Fred Forney, Dan Delaine, John Shea, Juddy Roberts, Bob Ravenscroft, Sherry Roberson, Mike Kocour, Bill Moio, Bryon Ruth, Scott Zimmer, Barb Catlin and Tedd Sistrunk.
Brandy DuBose, Colorguard Instructor
Brandy DuBose is the director and choreographer for the Arizona State University Sun Devil Color Guard. DuBose was born and raised in Texas. She attended Texas State University-San Marcos as a Dance Performance major, and also taught the Bobcat Marching Band Color Guard and Millennia Independent Open Winterguard for 11 years. In Texas, she taught the Seguin High School color guard for 10 years, from 1995–1998 and 2000–2006. After moving to Arizona in May 2006, Brandy began working with ASU.
DuBose was the Color Guard Caption Head for Tarheel Sun Drum and Bugle Corps from 1998–1999, Equipment Technician for Santa Clara Vanguard Color Guard 2001–2002, and Color Guard Caption Head for The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps and Winterguard from 2008–2010. In addition to her involvement with ASU, she is currently the Director of FeniX Independent World Class Winterguard from Arizona State University. DuBose currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
Charles Frost, Hornline Instructor & Visual Tech
Charles Frost was born and raised in Austin, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance from Texas State University in San Marcus, where he studied with Dr. Keith Winking. Charles was also a performing member of the Santa Clara Drum and Bugle Corps in 2001 and 2003. He then returned to the corps and was Santa Clara’s assistant tour manager in 2006 and 2007. For the 2008 season, Charles joined the brass team for the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps from San Antonio Texas. You can catch him performing around the Phoenix area with the JJ’s Band.
Denise Hudson, Colorguard Instructor
Denise Hudson is in her fourth year on the Guard Staff at Arizona State University, and in her third year with The Academy Winterguard. In addition, Hudson is on the colorguard staff at Gilbert High School and is the former colorguard director at Dobson High School. Hudson serves on the WGAZ board as Judge’s Coordinator and has served as treasurer and secretary. Prior to her appointment at ASU, she served three years on the band faculty at the University of Kansas. Her duties included coordination and instruction of the color guard program and administrative assistant of the Midwestern Summer Music Camp series. She was also a staff member with the Sky Ryders Winterguard, Blue Spings High School, Lawrence High School and served as an adjudicator with JAMA and the Mid-Continent Color Guard Circuit.
Prior to her work at KU, Hudson served for eleven years on the faculty at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University-San Marcos), where she coordinated the color guard program and served as administrative assistant with the SWT Band Camps. She was also co-founder of the Millennia Winterguard and very active as an officer in the Texas Color Guard Circuit. She has also worked on numerous central Texas band staffs as well as The University of Nebraska and Oskaloosa High School. She is a graduate of William Penn University with a BSE in Secondary Education. Her family includes her husband James, who is Director of Athletic Bands at Arizona State University and son Aaron, a graduate of ASU.
Karen Husted, Twirler Instructor
Karen (Hornbrook) Husted is an Arizona native and graduate of Arizona State University. Karen twirled competitively and is a former NBTA Arizona State Twirling Champion and Miss Majorette of Arizona. Karen’s professional twirling honors include the NBTA Regional “Westy” for Professional Excellence, the Calvin Murphy Award for Dedication to the Development of Twirling and membership in the charter class of the National Baton Twirling Hall of Fame. In addition to instructing many twirling champions throughout her career, Karen is a certified NBTA judge and has officiated at numerous state, regional and national baton twirling competitions. Karen resides in Scottsdale with her husband, Dean.
Brian McCormack, Colorguard Instructor
Brian McCormack is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a focus in Graphic Design and Elementary Education. His performance background includes The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from Rosemont, Illinois and The Company Winterguard from Tampa, Florida. Brian is the owner of Aggressive Concept and Design which provides custom designed products to performance groups across the country. His client list includes groups like the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band, The Academy, Rancho Bernardo High School, Ayala High School, And Fantasia Winterguard. In his free time he likes to tinker around the house and spend way too time spoiling his dogs Sydney, Lola, and Maximus.
Joe Millea, Front Ensemble Instructor
Joe Millea is a faculty associate with the Sun Devil Marching Band percussion section, and the marching percussion coordinator of the Bands of America Finalist Rosemount High School Marching Band, of Rosemount, Minnesota. Joe received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance and Music Education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He has performed with numerous ensembles and festivals throughout North America including The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra; The Minneapolis Percussion Trio; and the Kenwood Symphony Orchestra, and the first International Festival of Percussion Ensembles in San Jose, Costa Rica, The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps of Rosemont, Illinois, and MBI Indoor Percussion Ensemble. Joe has also done recordings for the Neil A. Kjos music publishing company. Previously he has had the privilege of studying with many wonderful musicians including Fernando Meza, Peter Kogan, Steve Yeager, Craig Kirchoff, Dean Sorenson and Phil Hey. In addition to these ensembles, Joe has performed with many world-renowned artists, including Nebosja Jovan Zivkovic, Stuart Marrs, Bill Carruthers, Eugene Rousseau, Dave Karr, Ross Karre, Dave Graff, Bob Becker and Tom Ashworth. Joe is currently seeking his M.M. in Percussion Performance from Arizona State University.
Roberto Paz, Percussion Instructor
Roberto Paz was a 2007 graduate of Maryvale High School. At Maryvale he was the National Honor Society President and graduated summa cum laude as the class valedictorian. Roberto was a member of Maryvale’s marching band for all four years and even participated in Arizona State University’s Winter Drumline in 2007. He was also a member of The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2004–2007. During this time, he had the great experience of performing with The Academy when they won their first World Championship title in 2006. In 2008, Roberto became a member of the Concord Blue Devils and finished with this ensemble after their 2009 victory in Indianapolis with an undefeated season and receiving the Fred Sanford Percussion Title. At Arizona State, Roberto is a double major in music education and percussion performance, as well as CMENC president. At ASU he studies with professors J.B. Smith and Dom Moio, and has also been taught by ASU graduate Bill Sallak. In addition to his work with the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band, Roberto currently teaches private lessons, as well as percussion at Basha High School.
Sam Pilafian, Hornline Instructor
Sam Pilafian is perhaps best known as a founding member of the internationally renowned Empire Brass Quintet. He has also recorded and performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, and Pink Floyd. As a solo jazz artist, Pilafian has recorded fifteen CDs. He is also a member of the large brass ensemble Summit Brass. Solo recital and concerto performances during recent seasons have taken him to Canada, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Italy, Austria, Germany and England. As an arranger, composer and recording producer, he has recently produced and written for Joseph Alessi (New York Philharmonic), the Boston Brass, the Brass Band of Battle Creek, the Academy (of Drum Corp International), and the United States Air Force Band. Pilafian is the coauthor with Patrick Sheridan of the best selling pedagogy texts Breathing Gym and Brass Gym.
In 1967, Pilafian won the concerto competition at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, becoming only the second tubist in over fifty years to do so. He subsequently won fellowships at Dartmouth College and the Tanglewood Music Center. While at Tanglewood he was invited by Leonard Bernstein to perform on-stage in the world premiere of Bernstein’s MASS, which opened the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is currently Professor of Music at Arizona State University, having previously served for twenty years on the faculties of Boston University and their summer Tanglewood Institute. Pilafian has won the Walter Naumberg Chamber Music Award, the Harvard Music Association Prize, the University of Miami’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the Brevard Music Center Distinguished Alumni Award, the Robert Trotter Annual Visiting Professorship at the University of Oregon, the annual Outstanding Teacher Award for the College of Fine Arts, Arizona State University and a 2006 Spirit of Disney award for creativity and design awarded by Drum Corps International. As a past president and chairman of the board of the International Tuba Euphonium Association, Pilafian now serves as a member of the board.
Mark Richardson, Hornline Instructor
A native of Arizona, Mark Richardson was born in Casa Grande and raised in the Phoenix area. After graduating high school, Richardson began instructing the marching band and concert ensembles at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Ariz. While teaching there for five years, he studied trumpet in the studio of David Hickman and received a bachelor of music degree from the ASU Herberger Institute School of Music. In 2005 Richardson took over the band program at Corona del Sol and held the head director position for two years. He has arranged music, designed drill and provided clinics for several marching band programs in Ariz. In 1999, Richardson helped form the Arizona Academy of the Performing Arts, an organization for which he now serves as executive director. In 2006 Richardson was awarded the Drum Corps International Division II Director of the Year award.