Marching Band Staff Bios
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David Marks - Co-Director
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Mr. Marks was appointed as Director of Bands at MPHS in the summer of 1997. This followed his student teaching at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff and Ridgewood High School. His musical training began in 4th grade as a String Bass player in elementary school. He continues to play String Bass to this day. As a member of the Fair Lawn HS Band program he played in the Pit and Drumline in Marching Band as well as serving as Drum Major in 1992. He studied String Bass with Linda McKnight throughout High School and College. Mr. Marks has a BA in Music Education from Montclair State University. He also has a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Ramapo College.
As a performer, Mr. Marks has been a String Bass Player with the New Jersey Wind Symphony from 1996 - 2025. During this time, he has performed with countless renowned soloists and guest conductors. Mr. Marks has guest conducted the ensemble on two occasions. The MPHS Wind Ensemble has done 4 performances with the NJWS in recent years. He has also been the conductor of the Bergen County Middle School Band, the Bergen County High School Band, Region I All North Jersey Intermediate Concert Band. In the Fall of 1996 Mr. Marks conducted the Montclair State University Band for Vice President Al Gore. In the Marching Band world Mr. Marks has been a performer, instructor, writer, director, and adjudicator. Beyond his 4 years as a performer with the Fair Lawn HS Marching Band, he was a member of 1995 World Champion Hawthorne Caballeros. He has served on the staff of countless North Jersey bands as an advisor and instructor. Each year Mr. Marks writes drill for 7-10 marching bands. Beyond his role as Director of MPHS Marching Band, he has served as the Assistant Director with the Ramapo HS Marching Band and a drill instructor with the Paramus HS Marching Band. He has served as a judge for USBands and an advisor and Drill Writer for the 2018 National Champion Montville HS Field Corps. Mr. Marks was also as the Director of the Ramapo College Pep Band for 6 season. He is currently the Business Manager of the Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps Outside of the Band world Mr. Marks has many other interests. He is an avid collector of PEZ. He also a Disney fan. His Favorite composer is John Williams. Mr. Marks is married to Mrs. Marks, who teaches Science at MPHS. They have a 22 year old son TJ who is a competitive rock climber and was a tuba player. |
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Chaz Sheridan - Co-Director
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Chaz Sheridan is a native musician and educator of New Jersey. Upon his inclinations to learn electric guitar in 2011, his middle school band director, Mr. John Kruzel, told him that he needed to simultaneously pick up a concert band instrument as well. To this day he owes much to this caveat put forth to him. After choosing the saxophone as his concert band instrument and dabbling with the instrument for a few years, he decided to make the transition to the brass family in 2014. His high school band director, Mr. Michael Deluccia recommended that he switch to the french horn and it has been an ongoing journey with the instrument ever since.
Before studying privately, his main brass learning was done on the football fields of New Jersey in both marching band and drum corps. During the marching band season of 2014 he marched mellophone during the field show and conducted the band in the stands as the assistant drum major. The 2015 marching band season took him off the field when he climbed the podium as head drum major. In this season he acted as a visual tech and ran the warm-up process for the marching band, being guided along by his band director. The summer of 2015 was also his first year with a drum corps and it was the DCA circuit group Fusion Drum and Bugle "Core" that he marched with. He marched mellophone for that summer and the next. In 2018 he earned a contract spot with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, a DCI circuit top-12 corps. Chaz works year round with the Midland Park High School Marching Band as a brass and visual instructor, under the direction of Mr. David Marks and Mr. Jeff Peters. He joined the band staff after being referred by the famous alumnus Crissy Shannon. Their work over the years combines creative flourishes with technical excellence. He is an active believer in healthy and focused rehearsal techniques/pedagogy. Nevertheless, he is a "family first" educator and is extremely thankful for the kindness, flexibility, and dedication the Midland Park Band Association has shown him. Primarily a french horn player, he also has experience with the core instruments of the wind band and years of study with the piano and voice. He has had the pleasure of studying with such great professors as Ms. Leelanee Sterrett and Mr. Jerry Peel, as well as Mr. Darryl Bott, Mr. Todd Nichols, Dr. James Busuito, and Dr. Reid Masters. In the early summer months, he works with his alma mater as a brass instructor for their summer performing arts camp and during the school year he plays in their concerts. When he is not working professionally he loves to spend time with his family, friends, and animals. |
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Crissy Capote - Assistant Director Visual
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Graduate of MPHS, 2016. Member of the MPHS Marching Band from 2010 to 2015: 5 years in Color Guard (Color Guard Caption, 2014) and 1 year on Mellophone (Drum Major, 2015). Drum corps experience: Fusion Core: trumpet (2015), mellophone (2016). Oregon Crusaders: mellophone (soloist, 2017). Currently a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, studying History and Russian language. Member of the University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band: mellophone (2016), sousaphone (2017), Assistant Drum Major (2018), Drum Major (2019).
Crissy has been involved with marching band since the age of 11, and joined the MPHS Marching Band after spending many years watching Music in the Park from under the bleachers with her sister, Cate, who joined the marching band as a clarinet player in 2009. After spending time in the Color Guard, Crissy was inspired by the hornlines of drum corps like the Cadets, Carolina Crown, & the Bluecoats and learned trumpet & mellophone to punch her ticket to a drum corps career. She joined the MPHS hornline in 2015. She started teaching visual technique and choreography to high school bands in the summer of 2016, and has been involved with show design since she started learning the ropes under Mr. Marks’ wing while still in high school. She has always wanted to be a teacher, but was especially influenced and inspired by the amazing educators she had at MPHS, both in and out of the band, and wants to be for others what so many great teachers were for her! She looks forward to a career as an educator and hopes to continue growing as a show designer by first picking up the skills of drill writing. Her favorite colors are Orange (because it’s FAST!) and Yellow (because it’s happy!). She loves the University of Pittsburgh because of the beloved sense of history and tradition, the strong sense of spirit and camaraderie around school (and city!) sports, the BEAUTIFUL Cathedral of Learning, and also because Pitt is the best of both worlds in every sense! Her hobbies include biking, reading about history, watching documentaries, running, and listening to true crime podcasts. She’s definitely a glass half-full person because life is easier when you’re hoping for the best! |
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Spencer Pigg - Assistant Director Music
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Spencer has been a part of the Midland Park Band Program since elementary school. He is a 2019 graduate of MPHS. He was a member of the marching band, jazz band, and concert bands. He was also drum captain. Following his time at MPHS, he has attended Ramapo College. He is a member of the concert band and pep band. During his time at Ramapo he served as president of both groups. He is also a percussionist in the New Jersey Wind Symphony and the Percussion Instructor at Ramapo High School. He is very excited to back at MPHS and giving the current students the same kind of experience he had.
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Brian Prokop - Percussion Director
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Brian Prokop is a freelance percussionist, educator, recording artist, producer & audio engineer. A native of Midland Park, he played with the concert band/jazz band/marching band & choir @ MPHS. After graduation in 1999, he completed his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from William Paterson University. He then went on to follow his other passion in a career of music. He studied drumset and percussion for several years with Jay Dittamo, Darren Patrick, Ron Thaler, Joe Bergamini and Ignacio Berroa. In 2005 he joined the MPHS marching band staff as percussion instructor and has written the percussion book for several MPHSMB programs. He also was the percussion instructor for the Indian Hills HS Marching Band from 2006-2018.
Brian has been teaching private drum lessons full time since 2004. Many of his students have come through the MPHS program. Some have gone on to march in drum corps and study music at Berklee College of Music, Ohio State, North Texas State, William Paterson University and the Drummer’s Collective. Students range from elementary school-age to adults, beginner to intermediate levels. He has taught middle school percussion lessons at MPHS and percussion workshops at Highland School. As a performer, he plays regularly with multiple bands in NJ//NYC, from wedding bands, to rock, funk, R&B, jazz ensembles and musical theatre productions. His current passion is recording music and drum tracks at his home studio. In his free time he enjoys going to Yankees games, concerts, hiking, reading books about history & Stephen King and spending time with his new nephew. Oh, and coffee. |
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Shane Peterson - Music Consultant
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Mr. Peterson is a 2012 Graduate of MPHS. He then attended Stony Brook University because I wanted to go to a school with a marching band. He has a bachlears degree in Music.
He currently attends Montclair State University for graduate school where he is pursuing his Master's degree in Music Education and Students with Disabilities.
During his time at Stony Brook he was a member of wind ensemble as well as the orchestra for the better part of 3 years.
He was born and raised in Midland Park and still lives here. He came back as a staff member because he loved the band and the ideas it promotes. He is currently working as a teacher assistant in the Northern Valley Regional School District in the Valley Program for students with disabilities. These kids are really great to work with and what the program does is fantastic
While at MPHS he mainly helps with the winds, he played brass instruments from the time he was able to join band in 4th grade. Over that time he has played trombone, tuba, trumpet, and baritone. He continues to learn more instruments as part of his education program and hopes to get better with all of the other instruments as time goes on. He has been working with the band since the 2017 season. His cousin is a Band Director and inspired him to play trombone in 4th grade and then when he was able to see the marching band perform their 2005 show “Nightmare Before Christmas” at Highland School and he fell in love with the activity. He has 2 dogs. Both are boxers named Otis and Jessie. They are both rescued and happy to be a part of the family. He is a glass half full kind of person. You always have to look on the positive side no matter what. |
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Jeff Peters - Audio and Music Consultant
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Mr. Peters was hired as the Elementary Band Director at Highland School in 2004. After his graduation from West Chester University, he chose to apply for a job in the town where he grew up. Mr. Peters has been involved with the Midland Park Marching Band since 1994, where he joined as a 7th Grader. After four consecutive band directors, Mr. Marks became the director and the rest was history. While at West Chester, Mr. Peters worked as Band staff when he was not performing with the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band. Mr. Peters has a BA in Music Education from West Chester University and a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Boston University.
Mr. Peters has spent countless hours learning from others. He has traveled to watch other educators in action and to learn from them. He feels lucky to have contacts in many different parts of the music world, from Drum Corp techs, to Broadway performers, to Professional musicians who tour the world. Many of these are friends from college and former students. Mr. Peters finds a great sense of joy watching the successes of those he has taught. Outside of music, Mr. Peters has many interests. His most favorite are camping and hiking with his wife Erin, daughter Jocelyn, and dog Rosie. He also enjoys rock climbing with his brothers and sisters-in-law (and TJ!). |
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Elly Tsarkova - Color Guard Director
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Kayleigh Capote - Woodwind Consultant / Band Nurse
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Taylor Goodson - Staff Composer
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Taylor Goodson (Montclair State University, MA '13) is active as a freelance percussionist in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area, participating in performance with members of the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Opera, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at many notable venues in both New York and New Jersey. He is principal timpanist of both the Montclair Orchestra and the FEA Symphony and performs regularly with a multitude of ensembles, including the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and the New Jersey Festival Orchestra. He is also active as a member of the New York Percussion Group, a New York City-based percussion ensemble, and Festival Percussion, an educational percussion quartet in the New York/New Jersey area. He has appeared as a soloist on multiple occasions with performances of works such as William Kraft's "Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra," Eric Ewazen's "Concerto for Marimba," and Béla Bartok's "Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion."
As an active composer, Mr. Goodson was selected as a winner of the 2010 Dallas Wind Symphony Fanfare Competition and has received a multitude of commissions for a large variety of ensembles. He has written arrangements for notable soloists and conductors around the globe, has been published by Row-Loff Productions, and continues to compose for a wide breadth of instruments and ensembles. His work in the realm of digital composition in combination with live recording has won him much critical acclaim, many of these projects having been featured on two of his albums "Inspirations: Volume I" (2014) and "Inspirations: Volume II" (2015), both of which are available through major digital music retailers. Mr. Goodson is also a composer of original shows for competitive marching bands throughout New Jersey, and has had the pleasure of receiving championship titles three times (Montville Township High School, 2015 and 2018; Midland Park Jr./Sr. High School, 2019). Mr. Goodson is a member of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM, Local 802) and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). |
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Band Staff Listing
David Marks - Director of Bands
Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Jazz Band Co-Director
Chaz Sheridan - Marching Band Co-Director
Jeff Peters - Highland Band Director, Marching Band Consultant, Jazz Band Co-Director
Steve Bartosik - Percussion Ensemble
Brian Prokop - Marching Percussion Coordinator
Other Staff Members and Consultants - Taylor Goodson, Shane Peterson, Crissy Shannon, Spencer Pigg, TJ Marks, Elly Tsarkova, Kayleigh Capote
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