2011 Marching Band Staff

Dearl "Jay" Drury
Assistant Director of Bands
Marching Band Director
BM, MM - West Virginia University

Dearl "Jay" Drury is presently serving as the eleventh director in the history of the "Pride of West Virginia.” As the Director of Athletic bands and Assistant Director of Bands at WVU, Mr. Drury’s additional responsibilities include directing the Basketball Pep Band, conducting the Concert Band, and serving as the assistant conductor of both the Wind Symphony and the Symphonic Band.

Mr. Drury has completed the coursework towards a doctorate degree in applied conducting and he has served as the Jazz Ensemble Director at Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, WV. He earned both his bachelors and masters degrees from WVU, and served as a high school and elementary band director in Hancock and Brooke counties in West Virginia.

He is active as an adjudicator and guest conductor throughout the region, has participated in research presentations at the West Virginia and Pennsylvania state music educators' conferences, and has presented several times at the CBDNA National Collegiate Marching and Athletic Band Symposium. Mr. Drury is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the WVU Mountain Honorary, Phi Beta Mu, and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Mr. Drury also has an extensive history with the WVU Marching Band, serving as a former member, trumpet section leader, graduate assistant and assistant director of the band.

Christopher Nichter
Assistant Marching Band Director
BM, MM - West Virginia University

Christopher Nichter is currently the Assistant to the Directors of the West Virginia University Bands where his duties include serving as the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and assisting the conductors of the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Symphony in the administration and instruction of those ensembles. In addition, Mr. Nichter teaches Music Arranging for the Public Schools and various other undergraduate courses in the Division of Music. His active schedule has also included very successful music arranging, marching drill writing, and guest conducting appearances around the state and region.

He possesses degrees in Conducting and Music Education, Magna Cum Laude, from West Virginia University. Prior to his present appointment at WVU, Mr. Nichter served as the Graduate Assistant for the WVU Bands and as the Director of Bands and Instrumental Music at Fort Hill High School in Cumberland, Maryland. Mr. Nichter was a four-year member of the WVU Marching Band as an undergraduate and he earned the distinction of being named the ensemble’s Outstanding Section Leader (Tuba) in 2002. His professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, Music Educators National Conference, West Virginia Music Educators Association, and he is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi.

2011 Instructional Staff

Johnny Loenard Graduate Assistant	Donovan Stewart Percussion Coordinator	Jonathon Shank Percussion Instructor	Brandon Lojewski Percussion Instructor
Dylan Stewart Percussion Instructor	Paula Jo Meyer-Stout Auxillary Coordinator	Drew Farris Color Guard Coordinator	Heather Hazucha Assistant Color Guard Instructor

2011 Support Staff

Ryan Boyd Equipment Manager	Chris Southard Web Site Manager/ Photographer	Lauren Seiler Videographer
Bill Nevin Announcer	Debbie Eakins Kappa Kappa Psi Sponsor	Anita Lawson Program Assistant

John Hendricks
Director of Bands
BM, MM - West Virginia University

John Hendricks is presently serving as Director of Bands at WVU where he is the conductor of the Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band. His duties also include instructing conducting courses on the undergraduate and graduate levels. His past duties at WVU include serving as Associate Director of Bands, Director of the Mountaineer Marching Band, Assistant Chair for the Division of Music, and coordinator of all undergraduate music academic advising. Prior to his appointments at WVU, he held the position of Assistant Director of Bands at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He received his Masters Degree in Conducting and his Bachelors Degree in Music Education from West Virginia University. He also served for five years as the band director at Spencer High School in Spencer, WV.

Besides his current teaching duties, Professor Hendricks is active as a guest conductor for various honor groups on the county, district, regional, and all-state levels. He also serves frequently as an adjudicator, and clinician throughout the eastern United States. He is a member of several professional music affiliations including the College Band Directors National Association, Music Educators National Conference, National Band Association, Phi Beta Mu, and Kappa Kappa Psi. Professor Hendricks is currently the President of the Big East Band Directors Association.

Professor Hendricks is a past recipient of the “West Virginia Band Director of the Year” award presented by the Tau Chapter of Phi Beta Mu. Professor Hendricks has been an arranger for university and high school bands, as well as a coordinator for various events and conferences. He is also a past member, rank leader, section leader, field conductor, graduate assistant, assistant director, and director of the WVU Marching Band.

Don Wilcox
Director of Bands Emeritus
BM - University of Michigan
MM - California State University - Long Beach

During his 34-year career as WVU’s Director of Bands, Don Wilcox guided the growth and development of the University’s band program to one of national prominence. During his tenure, the WVU bands performed from coast to coast, and on tours throughout Europe. When he was the marching band director, the Mountaineer Marching Band was named the 1997 Sudler Award recipient as the nation’s premiere university marching band.

Mr. Wilcox is Past President of the American Bandmasters Association and has received numerous honors including: WVU’s Outstanding Teacher Award, the 1993 Golden Apple Outstanding Faculty Award, the Sudler Order of Merit from the John Philip Sousa Foundation, the Distinguished Service To Music Medal from the National Council of Kappa Kappa Psi, and special citations from four Governors for his contributions to the state of West Virginia. In 2009 he was inducted into WVU's Order of Vandalia, the University's highest honor.

In over half a century of working with musicians of all ages and abilities, Mr. Wilcox has conducted bands from one-room schools in rural Appalachia to several of the major concert halls in the world, as well as in all 50 states and 23 foreign countries. He has served as guest conductor or lecturer at more than sixty universities in America, Europe, Japan, Thailand, and China. Although retired as Professor Emeritus from WVU, Mr. Wilcox conducts the Northport, Michigan Community Band and maintains an active international schedule as a clinician, conductor, and adjudicator.