Kenneth Capshaw – El Paso, TX

Kenneth Capshaw is currently a lecturer in the Department of Music at The University of Texas at El Paso, teaching jazz ensembles and brass methods. He has been involved in music education in the El Paso community for over fifty years and was a band director in the El Paso ISD for twenty-five years. His concert, jazz, and marching ensembles were consistent sweepstakes winners. The Coronado High School Band under his direction received the Texas Bandmasters Exemplary High School Band Award in 2012.He has been a member of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra for forty-seven years and has been a guest soloist, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the country for many years.

Mr. Capshaw is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, The Texas Bandmasters Association, The Texas Adjudicators Association, and Phi Beta Mu. He received the Band World Legion of Honor Award in 2010 and The Texas Bandmasters Meritorious Achievement Award in 2011. He was inducted into the Phi Beta Mu Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 2013, and was elected for membership into the American Bandmasters Association in 2016. He was selected as the Texas Bandmasters Band Master of the Year in 2018.

John Morse – Indianapolis, IN

John Morse was a four-time Indiana Class B state champion as the head band director at Greenwood, IN. His bands have made multiple finals appearances and class championships at BOA regionals and super regionals since 2008.  John is currently an assistant principal at Southport HS in Indianapolis.

Louie Pereira – Cape Girardeau, MO

Louie Pereira is a versatile musician and educator from South Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the School of Music at Texas State University in 2016. During his time at Texas State, he was an active member of numerous ensembles, including the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Bobcat Marching Band, Latin ensemble Salsa Del Rio, and various percussion ensembles and jazz combos.
Louie was recognized with multiple accolades during his undergraduate studies. Notably, he won the 2013 Texas State Concerto Competition with his performance of Emmanuel Séjourné’s Vibraphone Concerto, and in 2014, he was awarded the prestigious Woods Kone Endowed Music Scholarship for his performance of John Thrower’s True Colours on marimba. His mentors included Percussion Professor Bobby Lopez (Austin Symphony Orchestra), jazz drumming legend Butch Miles (Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Sinatra), and Wayne Salzmann II (Eric Johnson), Drum Set Professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

He also performed with the Austin-based New Orleans-style Boss Street Brass Band. Their second album, Put It On You, was nominated by the Texas Music Educators Association and led to invitations to perform live at the TMEA Convention in both 2018 and 2019.

Louie later earned his Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in 2022. While at USC, he performed with the Concert Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Jason Goldman (Michael Bublé), as well as the Sara Gazarek Combo. His graduate studies included work with jazz fusion icons Peter Erskine (Weather Report, Steely Dan, Diana Krall), Will Kennedy (The Yellowjackets), Aarón Serfaty, and Roy McCurdy (Cannonball Adderley).

Outside of academia, Louie has been an active performer with the Los Angeles-based BLOW! Brass Band (@blow.brass), appearing at major events such as ChainFest, EEEEEATSCON, NAMM, Anime Expo, Comic-Con San Diego, D23 Expo, and the 2024 Official Flavortown Super Bowl Tailgate. His performance venues have included The Mint, Hotel Café, The Roxy Theatre, Whisky a Go Go, Los Globos, Yaamava’ Resort & Casino, Disneyland, Dodger Stadium, and SoFi Stadium.

In addition to his performing career, Louie is a dedicated educator. He served as a Teaching Artist with the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra (@sjomusic) in the Los Angeles Unified School District and was on the percussion staff at Etiwanda High School. From 2021 to 2023, he also worked with the acclaimed WGI ensembles Pulse Percussion and POW Percussion.

Eric Sabach – Spring, TX

Eric Sabach, originally from Englewood, NJ, is a sales and brand/product marketing professional in the school products industry, specializing in music and arts education.  He is currently a regional sales manager for Stansbury Uniforms and national sales director for Digital Marketing FX. 

Eric has also been actively involved in the marching band and drum corps world having marched with the Garfield Cadets during their early championship years. He has also been part of the faculty of the Star of Indiana and Phantom Regiment. He was the Director of the Blue Stars when they ascended back into DCI Finals and, most recently, has been the Director of Marketing and Business Development for Carolina Crown, helping them further develop their brand strategy and also creating new products and markets to support their non-profit program.

Eric’s adjudication background includes DCI, BOA, and WGI and he is a designer/clinician across the United States with many state and national finalists and championships.  An avid sports and live music fan, Eric resides in Spring, TX.

Robert Solomon – Los Angeles, CA

Robert Solomon (Los Angeles, California) has been involved in the marching arts since 1979. He played trumpet and was drum major at El Camino Real HS in Woodland Hills, CA. Solomon continued to perform as a member of the color guard for the Velvet Knights Drum & Bugle Corps and at California State University, Northridge. He then turned to instructing and has designed for several top programs in Southern California and continues today. He has been judging since 1996 and is an adjudicator for Winter Guard International, Drum Corps International, Bands of America, and various state and local associations. Solomon is a banker and lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Nick Benson – Seattle, WA

From Seattle, WA, Nick has been teaching, designing and consulting for award-winning marching programs all across the United States for the past 20 years, specializing in movement training, drill/staging, choreography and program coordination/consultation.

Nick is currently the Program Coordinator/Visual Designer for the Kamiak H.S. Marching Band and Winter Percussion from Mukilteo, WA, a position he has held since 2008.

​Upon relocating to the Portland metro-area in 2004, Nick held the visual caption head position for the Division III Champions and Open Class Finalist Oregon Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps (2004-2006, 2008-2009), and the Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps (2007).

Mr. Benson was the Visual Caption Head for the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps from 2008-2012, helping them reach DCI Finalist status for the first time in 23 years in 2009. He also held the position of Visual Designer for the 2011 Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps. Nick was also the Artistic Director and Visual Designer of the Seattle Cascades Drum Corps from 2013-2019.

In 2009, Nick had the opportunity to travel to Thailand in the role as the Visual Caption Head for the Siamyth Drum & Bugle Corps in Bangkok, Thailand.
As a performer, Mr. Benson got his start with the Cascade High School Marching Band and later marched with the Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps (1998, 2001).

While attending the University of Washington and Western Washington University, Nick studied Music and English and performed with numerous music ensembles as a trombone, euphonium and tuba player. In 2003 he had the opportunity to perform with the Concord Blue Devils, capturing their 11th DCI World Championship.

​Alongside Adam Oswald and Dylan Thompson, Nick Benson has co-authored a marching and movement program built for marching bands and drum corps alike. Its objective was to create a cohesive and holistic approach to movement and marching, both from an individual and ensemble standpoint.
Nick currently lives in Bothell, WA with his wife, Andrea, his two sons, Sullivan and Foster, and their cat, Lilah.