STEPHANIE CAMPBELL, BAND DIRECTOR

 

Stephanie Campbell is in her twentieth year of teaching. She has been the Director of Bands since Desert Ridge opened in 2002. Previous to her appointment at Desert Ridge, Campbell taught for two years at Mesquite High as Assistant Director of Bands.

Mrs. Campbell is an Arizona native from Tempe. Having graduated from Mountain Pointe High School in 1996, Mrs. Campbell went on to receive her Bachelors of Music Education degree from ASU in 2000. Since then, she received her Masters in Educational Leadership from NAU in 2002 and will soon be completing her Doctoral equivalent. Mrs. Campbell’s performance experiences include the Tempe Wind Symphony and Arizona Wind Symphony. Mrs. Campbell is married to her wonderful husband Chris and has three sons, Kellan, Grayson, and Aiden.

 

DAVID LARKINS, ASSISTANT MARCHING BAND DIRECTOR

David Larkins received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Arizona State University in 2019. He has been a music educator for the past four years in the valley. He has taught band, general music, and digital music composition at Sevilla West Elementary School for two years. Most recently, Mr. Larkins has been the Director of Bands at Desert Ridge Junior High School.

 

This past year at Desert Ridge Junior High School, both the 7th and 8th grade concert bands received a Superior rating at the Gilbert Public Schools District Band Festival. The Desert Ridge Junior High School Jazz Band received 3rd place and an Excellent overall rating at the Highland Jazz Festival.

 

Along with being a junior high music educator, Mr. Larkins has over 14 years of experience in the marching arts activities. Mr. Larkins has performed all across the world with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps. In December of 2015, he traveled to Taiwan with the Santa Clara Vanguard for an international musical tour. He has also performed with the Sun Devil Marching Band at ASU, the Phoenix Suns Drumline, and the Phoenix Men’s Metropolitan Chorus.

 

Outside of his performance background, Mr. Larkins has also instructed many groups in the Phoenix area including Gilbert, Williams Field, Corona Del Sol, Westwood, and Horizon High School.

 

Lastly, in his free time, Mr. Larkins enjoys playing video games, watching F1 racing, baking, and long walks on the beach.

ALYSSA GARCIA, COLORGUARD

Alyssa Garcia is a graduate of Desert Ridge High School where she participated in the marching band and winter guard programs. Since graduating, she continued to perform as a member of the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band Color Guard, The Academy Winter Guard, The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. Alyssa has been an active color guard instructor in the Phoenix area since 2010, and has been a member of The Academy’s color guard staff since 2015. She earned her bachelors and masters degrees in accountancy from Arizona State University, and is a licensed certified public accountant.

TODD LIVINGSTON, INSTRUCTOR

Todd is in his fourteenth year of teaching, and is the current Director of Bands at Kino Junior High School in Mesa. He earned dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Instrumental Music Education and Music Theory from Arizona State University in the spring of 2009, and completed his Master’s of Music Education from ASU in the spring of 2012. Todd began his career teaching band and general music in Coolidge, Arizona. Since then, he has presented and co-presented at the AMEA conference three times: Contemporary Issues in Music Education, Teaching in Title 1 Schools, and Teaching Techniques for Elementary Band.

Todd spends his spare time doing more “bandy things.” He serves as Vice President of Elementary and Junior High Band Activities for ABODA, spent six years teaching woodwinds for the Mountain View Toro Marching Band, six years as a Tour Administrator for the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, and has taught woodwinds for the Millennium High School Tiger Band since 2018. Todd is excited to be part of the Desert Ridge High School Marching Band team this year!

LEE ANDRES, INSTRUCTOR

Lee Andres is a percussionist who currently studies at Arizona State University, and will be graduating in the spring of 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, with minors in Music and Japanese. Lee is a six year veteran of the independent drumline Vision Percussion in the front ensemble, and plans to return for a seventh year. They are in their fourth season instructing the Desert Ridge Front Ensemble. Lee graduated from Highland High School in 2019, and was a member of the Highland Marching Band until 2018, along with the Sun Devil Marching Band in 2019.  Outside of music, Lee volunteers at Liberty Wildlife, and hopes to be a mental health nurse in the future.

WARDELL KING, PERCUSSION INSTRUCTOR

Mr. King is currently in his 29th year as an independent music educator, arranger, consultant and performer with a specialization in marching percussion. Mr. King is currently the percussion caption head/arranger for Desert Ridge, Red Mountain, Campo Verde, Mountain View and Millennium High Schools in Arizona. Mr. King also serves as the Executive Director / Caption Head of Vision Percussion Indoor Drumline (PIO). Mr. King has previously served as caption head/arranger/clinician for various other highschools in the state of Arizona.

Mr. King also has served as the marching percussion specialist at Northern Arizona University and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps .

As the owner of King Percussion LLC, “Championship Concepts For Percussion,” Mr. King has worked with groups in Arizona, California, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Kentucky in both the marching and indoor percussion arenas. In his twenty nine years as an adjudicator and percussion designer/instructor, he has worked with more than 25 different percussion programs at the high school, college and drum corp levels. As a creative percussion arranger, Wardell’s percussion writing is designed to closely integrate concert and marching percussion techniques to enhance all components of the musical score. Wardell has a strong teaching philosophy guided to offer life lessons through music and dedicated practice.

Excelling educationally and competitively in both the local and national circuit, Mr. King is in high demand as an educator and clinician. He provides both rudimental and drum set lessons to students of all ages and educational backgrounds.

With extensive studies in the jazz arts, Mr. King is part of the W Quartet, who continue to play for audiences around the Phoenix Area.

Wardell proudly endorses Vic Firth Sticks, Zildjian Cymbals, Pearl Drums, Remo Drumheads and Presonus Audio.

ROBERT DAVIS, PERCUSSION INSTRUCTOR

Robert Davis is a percussion educator from Arizona. He currently works with Desert Ridge and Highland Highschool as a bass drum and marching tech. Over his twenty seven years of teaching he has worked with top rated drumline programs all over the valley. Including, Trevor G. Browne, Desert Edge (2008 gold wgaz champions) and Marcos DeNiza. He has studied with Steve Hemphill at Northern Arizona University and worked along side some of the top names from DCI and WGI, including Ralph Hardimon and Tom Float.

KAYLEIGH ANDRES, PERCUSSION INSTRUCTOR

Kayleigh Andres graduated from Highland High School where she performed in the Front Ensemble. She also marched in the Front Ensemble for several seasons with Vision Percussion and is currently a member of the Sun Devil Marching Band. She is attending Arizona State University and studying Psychology as well as teaching Desert Ridge’s Front Ensemble.

CARLOS MARTINEZ, VISUAL INSTRUCTOR

Carlos Martinez is currently pursuing a degree in music education as a hornist. He makes a living working with scholastic marching groups as a visual specialist and show designer. Carlos is teaching the activity year round, with groups ranging from middle school to college age. Regardless of the age group, his goal is always to push the performers to improve based on their own analysis of performance.

Carlos is also a gigging musician on bass guitar, rhythm guitar, horn, and sometimes drums.

KEVIN JOSEPH, BRASS INSTRUCTOR

Kevin Joseph most recently served as Associate Director of Bands at Basha High School in Chandler. Prior to his appointment at Basha, Kevin was the Director of Bands at Rhodes Junior High School in Mesa, Arizona. Kevin regularly plays Tuba with the Red Mountain Brass Quintet and the Chandler Symphony. Kevin earned his  Bachelor of Music degree in Secondary Music Education from Ottawa University.