New Educators Join Brass Team, Alongside Many Returning Team Members

Oct 14

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.

Read full biographies from Dylan Toombs, Alec Blazek, Shane Choi, Christopher Drew Dickey, Peyton Grunzke, Jer Hunter, and Dr. Timothy S. Sexton below.

2023 Brass Educational Team

Derek Gipson, Brass Caption Supervisor
Kevin LeBoeuf, Brass Caption Head
Bob Chreste, Asst. Brass Caption Head
Dylan Toombs, Brass Caption Coordinator
Josh Gall, Brass Consultant
Joni Perez, Brass Consultant
Ben Harloff, Brass Consultant
Dave MacKinnon, Brass Consultant
Donnie VanDoren, Brass Consultant
Shane Choi, Lead Brass Instructor - Trumpet
Dr. Genevieve Clarkson, Lead Brass Instructor -Tuba
Drew Dickey, Lead Brass Instructor - Baritone/Euphonium
Dr. Timothy S. Sexton, Lead Brass Instructor - Mellophone
Alec Blazek, Brass Instructor - Trumpet

Kevin Kwaku, Brass Instructor - Trumpet
Alex Szabo, Brass Instructor - Trumpet
Scott Dupre, Brass Instructor - Mellophone
Peyton Grunzke, Brass Instructor - Mellophone
Aaron Renzenbrink, Brass Instructor - Mellophone
Kevin Fenske, Brass Instructor - Baritone/Euphonium
Jer Hunter, Brass Instructor - Baritone/Euphonium
Travis Pruitt, Brass Instructor - Baritone/Euphonium
Richard Alvarado, Brass Instructor - Tuba
Max Crofton, Brass Instructor - Tuba
Aaron Dugger, Brass Instructor - Tuba

Dylan Toombs is excited to join the Bluecoats as the Brass Caption Coordinator. Prior to this appointment, Toombs served as the Assistant Brass Manager for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, and previously served on the Carolina Crown brass staff.
He holds a Music Performance degree from the University of North Texas, with a concentration in Euphonium Performance. Dylan resides in Denton, TX and assists as a full-time advisor and consultant for the Marcus High School Band. Toombs also co-founded Collective Marching Designs, where he oversees a specialized team of marching band designers producing effective, custom shows for groups of all backgrounds.
Alec Blazek is excited to join the Bluecoats Brass Educational Team.
Originally from Clovis, New Mexico, Alec Blazek joined the Nashville Symphony as 2nd Trumpet in 2016. Since arriving in Nashville, he has become a regular in the local recording and music scenes, working with the Blair Brass Quintet, Nashville Concerto Orchestra, Gateway Chamber Orchestra and more. Prior to joining the NSO, Alec performed regularly with the Terre Haute Symphony, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, New Mexico Philharmonic, Opera Southwest, and as guest principal of the Santa Fe Symphony. He has performed on national tours with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, the Blue Knights, and Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps.
Alec is also an active educator and clinician, working with students of all ages across Middle Tennessee, performing educational shows with the NSO Brass Quintet, and in the summers previously taught brass with the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps. Blazek studied at Indiana University and the University of New Mexico. His primary teachers include John Marchiando, Michael Ellzey, and John Rommel. He has attended the National Orchestral Institute, the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute, and Aspen Music Festival, and has had the opportunity to work with many great artists, including Ray Mase, Kevin Cobb, Mark Inouye, Tom Hooten, and Chris Martin. When not performing or practicing, he enjoys going on scenic bike rides, reading, cooking, playing chess, and exploring the local food scene.
Shane Choi is excited to join the Bluecoats as lead trumpet instructor for the 2023 season.
Choi was previously a member of the brass staff at The Cavaliers and Spirit of Atlanta. He marched with The Cavaliers and also received the rookie of the year award for the 2016 season.
Shane earned his degrees in Trumpet Performance (B.M.) and Mechanical Engineering (B.S./M.S.) from Northwestern University, where he learned the fundamentals of the Chicago brass sound. At Northwestern, he had the privilege to study with professors such as Robert Sullivan, Channing Philbrick, Tom Rolfs, David Bilger, and Michael Sachs.
Choi teaches students across the world, from Chicago and Houston to Nigeria and Seoul. His students have won positions within TMEA and IMEA ensembles, youth orchestras, community bands, drum corps, and college ensembles.
Shane is currently a consultant at McKinsey & Company, and will be attending Harvard Business School for his MBA in 2023.
Christopher Drew Dickey is in his first season on The Bluecoats brass staff, serving as Lead Baritone Instructor. He also 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.
Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Dickey held positions at The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, The South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University, the Anderson School District 5 District Office, and Southwood Academy of the Arts. He also served as a Graduate Conducting Associate with the Louisiana State University Department of Bands and spent many years as an educator and administrator in the South Carolina public schools.
Mr. Dickey holds the degrees of Master of Music in Music Education from the Ithaca College School of Music, Master of Music in Wind Conducting from Louisiana State University, and Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of South Carolina. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, Shelby, his son, Maddox, and their dogs Pongo and Stella.
Peyton Grunzke is currently a band director at Richland High School in North Richland Hills, TX. A native of Minnesota, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2020. Peyton spent two years with the Bluecoats, aging out as drum major in 2019. ✌🏼She looks forward to being back with the Bluecoats and returning to the drum corps scene.
Jeremy Hunter is a professional music educator, performer, composer, and session musician based out of Gainesville, Florida. With a wide range of real world industry experience, the through-line of their musical career has been marching instruction, performance, and production. Jeremy has performed as a member and soloist with the Bluecoats in 2016, and 2017.
As an Educator, Jeremy has worked as a Visual and Brass Technician with the West Broward High School Performance Ensemble, the Euphonium Technician with Pacific Crest, the Music Coordinator with the Santa Fe High School Raider Regiment, Visual Instructor with Infinity Percussion, and Visual coordinator with Alachua County Indoor Percussion
As a session musician, Jeremy has recorded Trumpet, Trombone, and Euphonium for the Emmy-nominated Television Series Steven Universe and Craig of the Creek. They’ve recorded with various artists and groups, including Jeff Rosenstock, The Bruce Lee Band, We Are the Union, Save face, and Cliffdiver. They have performed with various artists, including Estelle, Rebecca Sugar, Jeff Rosenstock and Goldfinger.
As a composer, Jeremy has produced music for several short films, including ‘Boxcar City Rush’, which was nominated for Best Score at SVA’s 2019 Dusty’s Film Festival, and ‘Nyan to Five’, which was awarded best film at the 2019 grizzly film and arts festival.
Dr. Timothy S. Sexton is an advocate for positive and energetic music education, both in the classroom and in the marching arts. Originally from Hokes Bluff, Alabama, Dr. Sexton proudly serves as the Associate Director of Bands for the Tarpon Springs Leadership Conservatory for the Arts. Prior to moving west of Tampa, he completed his doctorate and served as a graduate teaching assistant for Dr. Jared Rawlings at The University of Utah. Tim is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician for concert ensembles and state-marching circuits, actively consults with numerous scholastic and independent ensembles, visually designs shows for a variety of programs, and also presents at district, state, and national conferences across the United States.
As a professional performer, Tim has traveled internationally as a cast member, swing performer, and soloist with Blast! Brass Theater. He was able to tour with this Tony & Emmy award-winning ensemble throughout all prefectures of Japan in 2014. Thereafter, Dr. Sexton served as the Band Director at Red Bud Middle and Sonoraville High Schools located in Calhoun, Georgia until pursuing his graduate studies. At The University of Utah, Tim served as an instructor of record for multiple courses in undergraduate conducting, music technology, and music education while frequently conducting their concert band, wind ensemble, and chamber programs.
Dr. Sexton has proudly been affiliated with successful groups within the pageantry arts for over a decade. During his summer experiences, Tim tours as a lead brass instructor with The Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps of Canton, Ohio. He previously taught on brass staff with The Cavaliers and visual staff with the Madison Scouts and Crossmen drum and bugle corps. During the winter seasons, Tim has been fortunate to teach and design for competitive WGI ensembles across the US since 2014.
Dr. Sexton received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting with a secondary focus in Music Education from The University of Utah. Tim completed a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from Boise State University, and he acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education with a focus on Instrumental Pedagogy from Jacksonville State University (AL). Tim lives west of Tampa, Florida with his wonderful partner, Dr. Amy J. Bovin, and their two cats, Lily and Maya. TSextonMusic.com