Students




Dana Telsrow

Year in School: Freshman
Equipment: Miraphone 186 
Career Goals: As a career I'd like to get a day gig playing tuba and a night gig playing guitar in a progressive rock band.
Fun Fact #1: I have been playing guitar in rock bands since my freshman year of high school.
Fun Fact #2: I used to have long hair and I have a unisex name. I was often mistaken for a woman.

 


Ben Anderson

Year in School: Junior
Equipment: Yamaha YFB-621
Career Goals:
Fun Fact #1:
Fun Fact #2:

 
Pat Bigsby

Year in School: Senior
Major: Journalism/Tuba Performance
Equipment: Miraphone 186-4V-CC
Hometown: Ashland, MA
Career Goals: Jam
Fun Fact #1: His truck's name is Sonya
Fun Fact #2: Is obsessed with Clint Eastwood


 


Blaine  Cunningham  

Year in School: Second year DMA, Graduate Teaching Assistant for studio
Major: Tuba Performance
Equipment: Miraphone 1292 CC, Willson 3200 F, Giddings & Webster Alan Baer Mouthpiece
Hometown: Bryant, AR
Career Goals: To teach tuba/euphonium at the college level, and to continue performing
Fun Fact #1: President Bill Clinton once borrowed my dad's tenor sax to perform at an event in Little Rock


 
Justin Plasket

Year in School: Junior
Major: Music Education
Equipment: Besson Sovereign, Schilke 51D
Hometown: Fort Belvoir, VA
Career Goals: High School Band Director
Fun Fact #1: I am a rabid college football fan who happens to like Texas AND Oklahoma
Fun Fact #2: I didn't watch children's television when I was a child

 
Karina Ferrera

Year in School: Junior
Major:
Equipment:  Yamaha 842S, G&W Kadja Hometown:
Career Goals:  Teach/perform in a collegiate setting (but really, anything besides playing on the streets of Seattle to survive) Fun Fact #1:  Avid snowboarder/wakeskater Fun Fact #2: I've over-dosed on children's medicine 3 times before the age of 7. Mmmm... Flinstones...



 
Kristina Gavin

Year in School:
Senior

Major: Music
Equipment: Yamaha 621 CC tuba, GW Baer mouthpiece, Mirafone F tuba
Hometown: Dubuque, IA
Career Goals: To become an English professor, writer, or maybe a librarian
Fun Fact #1: Hobbies include baking, disc golf, swimming, video games, reading, and making people laugh
Fun Fact #2: One of her life's goals is to be a contestant on Jeopardy

 
Devin Jacobsen

Year in School: Sophomore
Major:
Equipment: 1291 Miraphone CC Tuba
Hometown:
Career Goals: I hope to become a high school band director and give private lessons.
Fun Fact #1: My shoe size is 15
Fun Fact #2: I used to weight 345 pounds
.

 
 Steven Neilssen

Year in School: Sophomore
Major:
Equipment: Yamaha YEP- 642, Yamaha 51L & Bach 6-1/2AL
Hometown:
Career Goals:  High School Band director designing marching drill
Fun Fact #1:  Favorite artist is Ozzy Osbourne
Fun Fact #2: Published Poet


 

Tucker Brinkman

Year in School: Freshman
Major: 
Equipment: Miraphone 1291 B-flat, Miraphone Mouthpiece
Hometown: 
Career Goals: 
Fun Fact #1: I ran cross country half my junior and all my senior year of high school
Fun Fact #2: Im a country kinda guy.

 


Ben Reid

Year in School: Freshman
Major: 
Equipment: Yamaha 842S Compensating Euphonium with a Schilke 51D mouthpiece
Hometown: 
Career Goals: To be a band director
Fun Fact #1: Ive been to Atlantic Beach in North Carolina
Fun Fact #2: I love the show House

 

Michael Hart

Year in School: First year DMA 
Major: Conducting Candidate
Equipment: St. Petersburg CC tuba, Willson E-flat
Hometown: 
Career Goals: 
Fun Fact #1: 
Fun Fact #2:

FORMER STUDENTS:

Dodzi Dzakuma, tuba
- Member through Fall 2004

Amy Letcher, euphonium - Graduated Fall 2004, currently student teaching

Greg Mazunik, tuba - Graduated Spring 2005, now a church music director in Iowa City

Alex Prevett, tuba - Member through Spring 2005, currently serving in the US Army 

Mitch Monson, euphonium
- Member through Spring 2005, currently attending college in Illinois


Beth Sears, euphonium
- Member through Spring 2005

Ivan Miller, tuba
-  Member through Fall 2005, currently enrolled at the University of Iowa

Leila Sjoholm, euphonium & tuba
 - Member through Fall 2005

David Ancelet, euphonium
- Graduated Spring 2006, living in Minnesota

Tom Isaacson, euphonium
- Graduated Spring 2006, currently student teaching

Jake Kline, tuba
- Member Fall of 2007, currently performing in Germany

Claire Sievers, tuba
- Graduated with a Masters degree in May 2007

Josh Calkin, tuba
- Member through Spring 2007, currently Professor at Wayne State, NE 

Justin Kvedaras - Graduated 2008, completed student teaching


Jeremy Crawford, tuba - Graduated Spring 2008, currently attending graduate school at Northwestern University


Karl Zelle, tuba -
Graduated Spring 2008, currently attending graduate school at the University of North Texas

Chris Dickey, euphonium - Graduated with a Masters degree in May 2009, currently pursuing his Doctoral degree at Northwestern University


Melissa Reiff, euphonium - Member 2008-2009, married in May 2009 and transferred to East Carolina University


Chet Aliga, euphonium - Student Teaching Fall 2009


Andrew Philbrick, euphonium - Pursuing Bachelor of Arts Degree


Joe Pawlowicz, euphonium - Transferred to Joliet Community College