Marching Band Staff

Ben Helmrick - Co-Director

Ben Helmrick is the Co-Brass Caption Head, and a four year staff member with the River City Rhythm Drum and Bugle Corps. He is also the new band director at St. Croix Central Middle School in Hammond, WI after holding a similar position in Oconomowoc, WI. Outside of teaching Ben is a an adjudicator and clinician in the Upper Midwest.

Mike Marcantano - Designer

Michael Marcantano hails from Sarasota, Florida, where he started his passion for the marching arts 19 years ago at Booker Visual Performing Arts HS. Mikey has performed with The Alliance of Miami World Guard and with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. 

Michael is a active choreographer, designer and adjudicator in the pageantry arts. Michael has instructed numerous programs in the southeast and midwest throughout his career including Paradigm World Class Winterguard, Collage IA Winterguard, plus many others. In 2014 Michael was asked to be the Program/Staff Coordinator for Pioneer Drum Corps. Michael is currently the Designer for Baldwin Woodville HS (WI) and Chantilly High School (VA). Michael has also choreographed for the theater and enjoys designing digital flags and tarps. 

Micheal has adjudicated throughout the Midwest, focusing on Ensemble Analysis, Visual Effect, and Colorguard.  Michael now resides in Greensboro, NC with his partner Brad Tilley. 

Dr. Ward Miller - Music Arranger

 Ward Miller (b. 1978) grew up in Loachapoka, a small farming community near the city of Auburn, Alabama. He earned his bachelors of music education from Auburn University in 2001, where he served as webmaster, arranger, and an undergraduate teaching assistant with the Auburn University Marching Band. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2003 with a masters in Trombone Performance. While in the Phoenix area, he served as a part time assistant and clinician with the Paradise Valley High School bands, the Mesa Community College Wind Ensemble, and the Phoenix Symphony Guild Youth Orchestra. He taught public school in Alabama for three years, serving as Director of Bands at Andalusia High School and at Pleasant Grove High School. In 2006 he accepted a graduate teaching assistantship at The University of Iowa, where he studied with Dr. Myron Welch in Band Conducting. While at Iowa, he also worked as a teaching assistant with the Hawkeye Marching Band, where he wrote, taught, and conducted multiple arrangements and halftime drills. He also conducted the Iowa University Concert Band, and earned the 2008 outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant award for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Dr. Miller graduated in 2011 from the University of Iowa with his D.M.A. in Band Conducting.

From 2008 through 2013, Dr. Miller was the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at the University of South Alabama, in Mobile.  While at South Alabama, Dr. Miller founded to 230-member Jaguar Marching Band, overseeing all recruiting, teaching, and writing for the band.  In addition, he directed the basketball pep bands.  His teaching duties included Marching Band Techniques, Brass Methods, Trombone Quartet, Symphony Band (the second concert ensemble, auditioned and approximately 65% music majors), and undergraduate conducting.  He also guest conducted the Wind Ensemble, the school’s top instrumental concert ensemble.

Dr. Miller has served as the Musical Arranger, Drill Writer, and Assistant Director of the Macy’s Great American Marching Band in New York City since 2006. He was the director of the All-Star Band at the 100th annual Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C. He has appeared as a guest conductor and clinician and multiple concert honor bands throughout the United States. His marching band arrangements have been performed at competitions, including in Bands of America regionals, by high schools and colleges across the country. His arrangements have been performed at regular season and bowl games by the marching bands at Auburn University, The University of Hawaii, The University of Illinois, The University of Iowa, The University of Kentucky, The University of Louisville, The Ohio State University, and Youngstown State University. He has served as an adjudicator at marching and concert band assessment in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Mississippi.

In 2014, Dr. Miller was appointed the Brass Caption Head for the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps of La Crosse, WI. Under his leadership, the hornline has placed in the top 12 and made finals for three consecutive years. The Blue Stars, a World Class corps, have placed in the top ten in multiple finals. He oversees the brass ensemble and staff, recruits for the horn line, and administers the Blue Stars brass audition camps throughout the country. In addition, he travels with the corps for a significant portion of their tour. In addition to his work with the Blue Stars, Dr. Miller also serves as the Brass Arranger and an instructional consultant for Minnesota Brass, a distinguished and storied all-age drum and bugle corps based in Minneapolis, MN.

His arrangements have been published by the DevMusic Company, and he is a published composer with the Tuba-Euphonium Press. He has had articles published in the Alabreve (Alabama’s state music education journal) and the Journal of Band Research, as well as regular articles in School Band and Orchestra Magazine. He is an associate member of College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), the International Trombone Association (ITA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP). He holds memberships Pi Kappa Lamba national honorary music society, and Golden Key national honorary society. He currently resides in Minneapolis, MN where he spends his time arranging and composing, and working as a music education consultant clinicing and judging bands.

Jake Esterberg - Percussion Arranger

Jake Esterberg is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire holding a Bachelor's degree in Music education.

As a performer, Jake marched snare drum with the Govenaires Drum & Bugle Corps (2013), MBI Indoor (2014 - 2016), Minnesota Brass Drum & Bugle Corps (2014 - 2015, 17) and aged out with the Colts Drum & Bugle Corps (2016). Outside of the marching arts, Jake has performance experience in wind ensemble and orchestral settings. Jake served as the drumline captain and percussion arranger for the UW - Eau Claire Blugold Marching Band.

As an instructor, Jake has taken a variety of roles from technician to director with groups across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, most notably: MBI Indoor, Colt Cadets, Minnetonka High School (YIM Outstanding Percussion 2AA 2016, 2017, 2018), River Valley Percussion Theater/728 Cadets (WGI A Class Finalist 2016), and Big River Motion (MPA Winds Regional A Champions).

Jacob Myer - Brass and Visual