Staff

Mr. Austin Tripp

Band Director & Assistant Orchestra Director, Grand Blanc High School

Mr. Austin Tripp currently holds the position of Director of Bands at Grand Blanc High School. He possesses a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan Flint. Before joining the staff at Grand Blanc, Mr. Tripp was the Choir and Band Director, and Fine Arts Department Chair at Powers Catholic High School from January 2021 to June 2023.

Having once been a student of Grand Blanc High School himself, Mr. Tripp has previously served as a Visual Staff Member for the Grand Blanc High School Marching Band from 2016 to 2019, prior to assuming a role as Visual Caption Head at Fenton High School in 2022.

Beyond his professional commitments, Mr. Tripp enjoys engaging in activities such as golf, spending time with his fiance Alexa and his two cats (Porter and Stout), and driving his 1989 Corvette.

Mrs. Julie Huggler

Orchestra Director & Assistant Band Director,

Grand Blanc High School

Mrs. Huggler is the Director of Orchestras at Grand Blanc High School, and Assistant Director of Bands at Grand Blanc High School. Mrs. Huggler has been with Grand Blanc since 2015, when she started the Orchestra Program in the district. She received her Bachelor Degree in Music Education from Alma College in 2001, and her Masters in Music Education from Anderson University in 2019.

Mrs. Huggler also teaches at the Flint Institute of Music and has had a private string studio since 1999. She has performed professionally on violin and viola with may area Orchestras, as well as private weddings and other events. She played blues fiddle for Sweet Willie Tea and the T-Bones, competing in the International Blues Competition in both Detroit and Windsor, Canada. She is also an award-winning bluegrass fiddler. She also spends time as a clinician with local orchestras and music groups, mentoring pre-service music education students, working as a liaison with local orchestra directors, and adjudicating string events around the state.

Mrs. Huggler is a member of ASTA, MSBOA, NafME and MMEA. She is a current Mentor for ASTA and also serves as the Vice President of Adjudication for MSBOA District III.

In her spare time, Mrs. Huggler enjoys swimming, spending time with her family, and driving her 1965 Ford Mustang, Charlotte.

Mr. Roger Wagner II

Band Director, Bobcat Innovation Center

Orchestra Director, East Middle School

Assistant Marching Band Director, Grand Blanc High School

Mr. Wagner holds a Bachelor's of Music Education from Grand Valley State University and a Masters of Music from Arizona State University. His past work experiences include Allendale (Allendale, MI), Godwin Heights (Wyoming, MI), and Maricopa (Maricopa, AZ), along with teaching graduate pedagogy classes at Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ). His teaching responsibilities have included Band 6-12, Choir 6-12, Orchestra 6-8, and Popular Music 6-8.

Mr. Wagner has a proven track record of success in Arizona (ABODA & AzMBA) and Michigan (MAPA, MCBA, & MSBOA) as a teacher, presenter, and clinician. He previously served as the Vice President for Marching Band in MSBOA District X, as a member of the NAFME pilot committee for Model Cornerstone Assessments, and was the Music Chair for ADE's (AZ) new Academic Standards in the Arts.

Mr. Wagner has presented for the Arizona Music Education Association, Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association, and Arizona Society for General Music.

As a musician, Mr. Wagner enjoys an active performing life with jazz and pop gigs on saxophone, along with arranging music for a variety of ensembles. Outside of school, Mr. Wagner likes to be outdoors, make things, and spend time with his pets.

Mr. Corbin Hutchison

Band Director, Grand Blanc East Middle School

Mr. Corbin Hutchison has assumed the position of Director of Bands at Grand Blanc High School since August 2003. Mr. Hutchison's educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Michigan State University and a Master's Degree from Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to joining Grand Blanc, he served as the Assistant Band Director for the Durand Area Schools in Durand, Michigan for a duration of four years. Since 1991, Mr. Hutchison has been actively engaged as a percussion instructor, lending his expertise to various ensembles such as the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, Michigan State Comp. Line, and the Plymouth Canton Educational Park Marching Band.

During his tenure at Michigan State University, Mr. Hutchison was a member of the MSU Symphonic Orchestra, MSU Wind Symphony, various MSU Percussion Ensembles, and the MSU Competitive Drumline. Notably, he is an alumnus of Grand Blanc High School, having graduated in 1989.

In recognition of his contributions to the music program, the GBCS Board of Education honored Mr. Hutchison in 2005. Subsequently, he was bestowed the title of GBHS Elective Teacher of the Year in both 2010 and 2018. In March of 2013, Mr. Hutchison's unwavering dedication to fostering the growth and development of students with special needs within the music program led to his receipt of the high school's "Student Advocate" Award. Demonstrating his prowess as an educator, he was awarded the coveted "Teacher of the Year" title by MSBOA District 3 in 2013. In 2014, the Grand Blanc Chamber of Commerce recognized Mr. Hutchison as the distinguished "Educator of the Year". Furthermore, in 2023, he was honored by the SVHSA as the recipient of the esteemed "Teacher of the Year" accolade within our district.

Mr. Jacob Finkbeiner

Band Director, Grand Blanc West Middle School

Mr. Jacob Finkbeiner has been the Director of Bands at Grand Blanc West Middle School since August 2016, and was the Assistant Director at the high school from 2009-2016. Mr. Finkbeiner received his Bachelor Degree in Music Education from Alma College in 2007, and his Masters Degree in Percussion Performance at Michigan State University. Prior to coming to Grand Blanc, Mr. Finkbeiner taught adjunct percussion lessons at Alma College in 2008, and has worked with the drumline for the Alma College Kiltie Marching Band since 2006. In addition to teaching at Alma, Mr. Finkbeiner has worked with various high school percussion sections throughout the state, and taught private percussion lessons since 2002. As a performer, Mr. Finkbeiner has played at the Detroit Jazz Festival, Jazz Port Townsend (Port Townsend, WA), and the Michigan Music Conference with the Alma College Percussion Ensemble, and has substituted with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, Midland Symphony Orchestra, and the Bijou Orchestra. Currently, he plays with Third Coast Steel, a Mid-Michigan based Steel Drum Trio.

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