Muskegon Big Red Marching Band - The Directors

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Muskegon Big Red Band

DIRECTORS

MUSKEGON HIGH SCHOOL'S
MUSICAL LINEAGE

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DIRECTOR	YEARS	BACKGROUND

	Arthur H. Robinson 1910-1912	Later superintendent of schools in Paw Paw, MI
	A.C. Runzler 1912-13	Resigned to accept a position at Culver Indiana Military Academy
	Paul H. Nielsen 1913-19
	Carl Cercone 1921-22	Served six years as assistant bandmaster in the 13th Infantry Regiment of the 8th Division of the U.S. Army at West Point.
	Mr. Graham 1923-24
	Ronald F. Hinchman 1925-31	Muskegon High School graduate
	William L. Stewart, Jr. 1936-1960	Attended Ypsilanti Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University); , Northwestern University 1938-41, Master of Music. Taught at Eaton Rapids, 1934-1936.
	Fred Roys 1961-1962	A 1943 graduate of Muskegon and student of Stewart, Roys attended Western Michigan University, earning his Bachelors of Music degree, followed by Masters of Music degree from Michigan State University. He then returned home to serve as elementary and Junior High band instructor at Angell Jr. High starting in 1949. In 1956, he joined Stewart at the high school as an assistant director. Roys took the reins of the program following the death of his mentor.
	Carl Bjerregaard 1962-1967	Holds degrees from Western Michigan University and Michigan State University, he was director of music programs in Montague and Muskegon. In 1972, he became the Director of Bands at Western Michigan University, then at Florida State University in 1976. A member of the American Bandmasters Association, CBDNA, and is an honorary member of the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association.
	Kent J. Krive 1968-1976	Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University. A former Director of Bands in Athens, Northport, Suttons Bay he served as director at Muskegon's Steele Jr. High before being named to the directorship at the high school. Krive continued the success established by his predecessors, before accepting the Director of Bands post at Ferris State University in 1977. Served as a visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Hope College in 1992.
	Darrel Walters 1977; 1978-1979	A graduate of Muskegon High School in 1960, he received Bachelors and Masters degrees in music education from the University of Michigan. Band teacher at Nelson Junior High School and coordinator of instrumental music at Muskegon High School he earned his doctorate in education from the University of Michigan in 1983. Joined the staff of Temple University's Boyer College of Music in 1986.
	Ted Bazany 1977-78	Received Bachelor and Masters of Music degrees from Central Michigan University; Director, Muskegon High School, 1977-78; Jenison High School 1979-2000; Assistant Director of Bands, Grand Valley State University. Member of the American Bandmasters Association and former chairman of the MSBOA State Marching Band Committee.
	Jim Lawrence 1979-2004	A graduate of Muskegon High School. Earned his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Western Michigan University. Band Director at Steele Junior High in Muskegon from 1974 - 1977, Spring Lake High School 1977-1978, then returned to Muskegon Public Schools as Director of Instrumental Music at the high school from the fall of 1978 until his retirement in the spring of 2004.
	Janice Lawrence 2004-present	A graduate of Mason High School in 1986, Lawrence received her Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Michigan State University in 1991. She taught at Pottersville for three years before moving to Muskegon in 1994.
MIDDLE SCHOOL and ASSISTANT DIRECTORS	YEARS	BACKGROUND
	Francis Martin 1920 -57	A Muskegon High School graduate, Martin trained at the American Conservatory and the Chicago Musical College. Taught strings and winds at the grade school level for years in Muskegon Public Schools.
	George W. Cochrane 1941-42	A graduate of Michigan State where he earned his Bachelors of Music degree, Cochrane came from Mayville, MI. A former member of the Lansing and Flint Symphony Orchestras, he taught afternoons at Angel, Oakview and Porter schools.
	Alex Posvistak 1946-68	Director at Central Jr. High and assistant with the High school band. A graduate of Muskegon Heights High School, Posvistak received his Bachelors degree from Western Michigan State Teachers College and his Masters degree from Vandercook College of Music in Chicago. Conductor at Whitehall High School before moving to Muskegon Public Schools.
	John DeHorn 1947	Earned his A.B. Music degree from Wheaton College, DeHorn went on to lead the vocal music program at Muskegon for a number of years.
	Vernon Benedict 1950-53; 1956-58	Bunker Jr. High and elementary school band instructor. Marching band assistant 1956-58. Graduate of Ludington High School and Michigan State College. Played in the Fifth Army Band while in the service. .
	Fred Roys 1951-1961	Director at Angell Jr. High and Assistant at the High School. See above.
	Donald Bothwell 1954-56	Director at Bunker Jr. High and Assistant at the High School..
	William Venman 1955-59	Director at Angell Jr. High. Bachelors in Music Education from Oberlin Conservatory, Master of Arts from Western Michigan University and PhD from the University of Michigan. A failed millage in the spring of 1959 led to numerous cuts in the sports and music programs at Muskegon. Venman joined the staff at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst in 1962, serving in various administration roles before his retirement in 1998.
	Don Roelofs 1958-73	Muskegon High School Class of 1950, After one year at Holton, Roelofs returned to Muskegon as director of the junior High and elementary school bands in 1958. Longtime director at Bunker, Roelofs holds a Bachelors degree from Michigan State and a Masters from Western Michigan University.
	Kent Krive 1962-68	Director at Steele Junior High and assistant at School Assistant. See above
	Dennis Emmons 1967-70, 1986-94	A graduate of Muskegon High School and Michigan State University, Emmons taught at Grant Public Schools from 1965 -1967 before returning to Muskegon. Band Director at Nelson Junior High, 1967-1970, he was named band director at North Muskegon Public Schools in the fall of 1970. Emmons returned to Muskegon in the fall of 1986 where he served as director at Bunker Middle School and assisted at MHS until his retirement in 1994.
	John Beery 1968-69	Band Instructor at Steele Jr. High, holds a Bachelor and Master degree from Central Michigan University, where he studied under Norman C. Dietz and William H. Rivard. Served at Elsie and Marshall public school as well as Muskegon. Later taught at Manchester College in North Manchester, IN where he was an Associate Professor of Music.
	Chuck Richards 1973-1976	Director at Bunker Junior High from 1973-74; then Nelson Junior High.
	Dan White 1973	Director at Steele Junior High.
	Jim Lawrence 1974-1977	Director at Steele Junior High. See above.
	Nancy Morritt 1974-1977	Director at Bunker Junior High.
	Darrel Walters 1975	Director at Nelson Junior High. See above.
	Don Meyers 1979-80	A 1975 Muskegon graduate, Meyers attended Western Michigan University for his music degree. Following college, he was selected as director at Steele Jr. High, and served as an assistant at the high school. Potential cuts to the music program due to revenue shortages led Meyers to Spring, TX. A Band Director until 1997, then moved into administration.
	Jack Adams 1981-85	Director of Bands in Newaygo Public Schools, Adams moved to Muskegon's Steele Jr. High in 1981 then to Muskegon Mona Shores High School, 1985-2003. Currently Director of Bands, King High School, Sasebo, Japan. holds a Bachelors of Music and Master of Arts degrees from Western Michigan University.
	Don Miller 1985-94	Following his graduation from Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, VA, Miller taught band in Lansing Waverly Public Schools until the spring of 1985. He was a director at Steele Middle School and served as an assistant director at Muskegon High School from 1985-1994.
	Karen Sanocki 1987	Elementary Band Instructor.
	John Hill 1994-98	Graduated from Central Michigan University. He was a director at Steele Middle School and assistant at Muskegon from 1994-1998. He currently leads the Middle School Band program in Holly, MI.
	Tom Adams 1994-02	An alum of Muskegon High School and Western Michigan University. Adams taught at Laketon Junior High in the Muskegon Reeths-Puffer district from 1975-1978. He moved to Spring Lake Public Schools from 1978 -1994, then served as director at Steele Middle School. He assisted at MHS 1994-2002.
	Jim Lawrence 2002-2004	Assistant Director at Bunker Junior High. See above.
	Brad Taylor 1989-95; 2004-Present	Muskegon High School Class of 1980. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Western Michigan University. He returned to MHS in 1988- 2003 as the Choral Director at Steele Middle School and Muskegon High School. An assistant with the Big Red Marching Band from 1989-1995, he moved to full time band instructor at Bunker Middle School and Assistant Director at MHS from 2004-2008. In 2008 he moved to Steele and has remained as an assistant director with the Marching Band, Jazz Lab II Band and Symphonic Bands at MHS.
	Janice Earp Lawrence 1994-2004	A graduate of Mason High School 1986 and Michigan State University in 1991. Served as an assistant at Muskegon High School starting in the 1994. See above.
	Scott Jones 1998-2008	Graduated from Marysville High School in 1991, Jones earned a degree in Instrumental Music Education at Saginaw Valley State University. In Muskegon, he served as Band Director at Steele Middle School, assisted with the Symphonic and Marching Band and directed the Jazz Lab I Band and at MHS. He was also the MHS Marching Band Percussion instructor. Currently teaching band at Almont Middle School.
	Nick Mosley 2008-Present	Director of middle school and high school concert bands, marching band and jazz band at Grant Public Schools 2004-2008, Mosley moved to Muskegon in the fall of 2008. An assistant director of bands he assists with the Big Red Marching Band, Wind Symphony and Jazz Lab I, in addition to teaching at Bunker Middle School. Mosley graduated from Western Michigan University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Organ Performance. He received his Master of Music degree in Conducting from the American Band College at Southern Oregon University in 2009.
	Eric Joslin 2009-Present	Received his Bachelor of Music degrees from Western Michigan University in 1994, Joslin served as Director of Bands at Standish-Sterling Central Public Schools before coming to Muskegon.