SCHS Band Staff
Adam Clark
Director of Bands at SCHS
A graduate of Union University, Mr. Clark was an educator in the Sumner County School system for eighteen years before taking the role as marching band program coordinator for Hendersonville High School. Clark left education in 2019 to pursue his Masters degree at Tennessee Technological University, then returned to the classroom in 2024 to serve in his current role as Director of Bands at Station Camp High School. While serving as band director his bands were selected for performance at the State Concert festival multiple times receiving superior awards, competed across the Mid-South in both local marching contests and in the USBands circuit.
Mr. Clark is a member of MTSBOA, TMEA, NAfME, and TBA. He is also a member of the Gulf-Coast Judges Association adjudicating fall and winter programs across the country. He serves as a consultant and designer for several programs across the south. Mr. Clark lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee with his wife and three children.
Jake Dorris
Music Captionhead
Jake Dorris is an aspiring music educator and show designer. He is currently enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University pursuing a degree in music education. His primary instrument is trombone and studies under David Loucky. Along with trombone, he has performed on multiple brass instruments including euphonium, tuba, and trumpet.
Jake’s marching experience started at Greenbrier High School where he marched trombone for 2 seasons and baritone for 2 seasons. Following that he would go on to perform with Memphis Blues in ‘23, Obsidian Winds on contra and baritone in ‘25, and Spirit of Atlanta in ‘24 and ‘25.
Marijka Ray
Color Guard Captionhead
Keiron Miles
Woodwind/Visual Tech
Keiron holds a Bachelor’s in Music Education from Valdosta State University (GA). While in college, he won the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition on flute and sat as principal of the wind ensemble.
He has been on the instructional staff at Station Camp since 2013 and has worked with different programs across Middle Tennessee.
Nationally, he has been a commentator for Box 5 Media and a content creator for Box 5/ Bands of America, WGI, and SCGC. He is currently the content creator for the Station Camp Band and Obsidian Winds- the 2026 WGI Open Class Champions! He is also an active Tour Director with Music Travel Consultants and has escorted bands and choirs to perform at Carnegie Hall, Disney, BOA grand nationals and the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade.
Music is actually his hobby; Full time, Keiron is a Youth Pastor in Nashville and content writer with Lifeway. He holds dual master’s degrees from Dallas Baptist University.
Taylor Duke
High Brass/Visual Tech
Jaxson Denton
Low Brass/Visual Tech
Jordan Miller
Percussion Tech
Jordan is a percussionist with an accomplished resume in the marching arts. He has been a member of multiple world class groups including two seasons with the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, one indoor season with Music City Mystique, and is currently the bass drum section leader with Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps.
A graduate of Station Camp High School in 2025, Jordan currently attends Tennessee Technological University where he is pursuing a degree in engineering.
Alex Onevathana
Front Ensemble Director
Asher McKenna
Color Guard Tech
Mathew Woodward
Color Guard Tech
Cayce Long
Visual Instructor
Cayce Long, is a Nashville native who brings over 15 years of teaching experience in the marching arts to his role as Ensemble Director and Visual Captionhead of the Obsidian Winds organization. His passion for teaching, consulting, and designing for award-winning ensembles across middle Tennessee, including at Goodpasture Christian School and Station Camp High School, has earned him recognition for his visual expertise. Under his direction, numerous ensembles have achieved top honors in visual performance.
Cayce’s background includes an internship with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, one of the premier organizations in the pageantry world, which helped to shape his approach to teaching. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in film and photography, which informs his creative approach to visual storytelling in ensemble performances.
In addition to his roles at Obsidian Winds, Cayce works full-time as a Senior Communications Specialist for Seacrest Studios at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. His experience in both the communications field and the marching arts makes him a dynamic leader in the pageantry community.
Nate Hughes
Show Designer/Arranger/Drill
Nate Hughes currently serves as Assistant Director of Bands at South Forsyth Middle School in Cumming, Georgia, where he has been since 2019. During his tenure at South Middle, the SFMS Symphonic Band has been awarded the Georgia Music Educators Association’s “Exemplary Performance Award,” and has been invited to perform at the Music For All National Concert Band Festival, the Music For All Southeastern Regional Festival, the National Band Association’s Southern Division Regional Conference, the GMEA State Conference, and as a featured ensemble at the University of Georgia’s Middle School Honor Band Festival “MidFest.” While serving in this role, he has been awarded the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence on two occasions. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Nate received his Bachelor of Music degree from Austin Peay State University. Nate was a member of the trumpet section of 7-time Drum Corps International World Champion The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from Rosemont, Illinois. He was also a cast member of Rhythm X Winds from Dayton, Ohio. Nate has served on the instructional staff of several high schools in Tennessee, Texas, and Georgia, as well as drum corps as Assistant Visual Captionhead at Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps, on the brass staff at Spirit of Atlanta, and as Assistant Brass Captionhead at Music City Drum Corps. Currently, Nate serves on the visual staff of the WGI Percussion Independent World group Atlanta Quest. Nate programs marching band shows for numerous bands across the United States, in addition to composing original music, writing drill, and staging winter guards. He is also an active adjudicator and can be found judging both performance and effect captions.
Chris Earl
Percussion Caption Head & SCMS Band Director
Chris Earl spent 4 years as a Music Education student at Middle Tennessee State University. During his time there he studied percussion under Lalo Davila, Julie Davila, Brian Mueller, and Russell Wharton.
He was the Head Percussion Instructor/Arranger at Gallatin High School from 2018-2021. He has also been on staff with Station Camp Indoor since the 2019 season. He was the battery caption head for Creekside Independent and currently holds the title of percussion caption head at Station Camp High School for the fall marching band program. Chris held the position of Band Director at Shafer Middle School in Gallatin, TN. Currently Chris is the Band Director at Station Camp Middle school and the Assistant Band Director at Station Camp High School.
Chris’ marching experience began as a member of the quad line for 2 years at McGavock High School before switching to snare for his final 2 seasons. Following high school he was a member of the snareline at Music City Drum Corp in ‘18 and ‘19, MTSU’s “Band of Blue” snareline in ‘18 and ‘19, as well as Audio Theater in ‘19 and ‘20.
Harrison Case
Visual Caption Head
Ian Ellis
Winds Music Instructor
Trace Crabtree
Woodwind Visual Tech
Owen Workman
High Brass/Visual Tech
Maxwell Lynch
Low Brass/Visual Tech
Skylar Etherington
Percussion Tech
Skylar Etherington is a percussionist from middle Tennessee. She received a Bachelor’s in Music Performance from Tennessee Technological University and a Masters of Music from Southern Illinois University.
Ethan Legge
Audio Engineer
Nick Nash
Color Guard Tech
MaryRuth Long
Choreographer
Tennessee native Mary Ruth Long began her full-time dance training at the School of Nashville Ballet in 2007. During this period, she appeared in several works by Paul Vasterling, Nicole Koenig, and Banning Bouldin. Mary Ruth enhanced her dance education through various summer programs, such as Nashville Ballet, American Dance Festival, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Movement Invention Project.
Her professional journey began in 2012 when she started working with Nashville-based companies New Dialect and FALL, an aerial contemporary dance company. Mary Ruth participated in FALL until 2014. Her tenure in New Dialect was marked by collaborations with artists such as Ana Maria Lucaciu, Peter Chu, Alex Ketley, and others. She had the privilege of performing in works by Bryan Arias, Trisha Brown Dance Company, Joy Davis, Idan Sharabi, David Flores, James Barrett, and Banning Bouldin. In addition to dancing, she took significant roles in managing and teaching New Dialect’s educational programs, such as Girl Power, Summer and Winter intensives, and a workshop series at Belmont University.
In 2019, Mary Ruth transitioned from performing with the company to becoming the rehearsal assistant for Banning Boulding and on-hand wardrobe personnel. That summer she also invested time into enhancing her teaching skills. She became a member Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and achieved a teaching certification from Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT).
Since fall of 2016, Mary Ruth has been teaching full time at Columbia Dance Academy. Additionally, she has also been contributing her expertise to local high school marching bands since fall of 2019. She is currently the Movement Specialist for Obsidian Winds indoor marching ensemble, where she integrates the expressive power of theater and dance into the marching arts.
James Millis
Visual Instructor
James is a passionate and accomplished leader in the marching arts, with a rich performance history that began with a five-year tenure with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2000 to 2004. A brass player by trade, he then picked up the the sticks for a single season performing with Moxie Audio Theater (PIW) on the bassline in 2005. He then further expanded his performance experience by marching with Music City Legend Drum and Bugle Corps (DCA) in 2005 and 2006.
As a designer and educator, James has led multiple ensembles to success over the past 20 years. These successes include WGI percussion independent A class finalists, Tennessee state marching band championships, and BOA class championships. James has also served as a visual adjudicator in Tennessee and Kentucky.
A graduate of Obion County Central High School, James holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and a Master's degree in Management and Leadership. He resides outside Nashville TN with his wife and child, where he continues his involvement in the marching arts while furthering his career in renewable energy leadership.
CJ Barrow
Sound Designer
CJ Barrow is a composer, musician, and educator, currently serving as a music designer for Synced Up Designs and Fannin Musical Productions. In high demand as a marching arts music designer, he regularly works with around 50 clients each year, including Music City Mystique, the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, and Music City Drum Corps.
Outside of the marching arts, CJ is an active composer for film, TV, and video games. He earned his MM in Music Scoring for Visual Media at Indiana University.
Before pursuing this career full time, CJ served as a band director in middle Tennessee. He completed his BM in Music Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin, where he studied primarily with Julie Hill.
His world-class marching experience includes two seasons with Music City Mystique, 2016 and 2017, aging out with a gold medal in 2017’s The Hand of Man.
CJ currently resides in Nashville, TN with his incredible wife Hannah and their son. He is also proud to endorse Innovative Percussion and Zildjian Cymbals. You can learn more about CJ and hear some of his work at cjbarrowmusic.com.