Band Staff
Contact
John Woode
Director of Bands
Mr. John Woode (pronounced Woody) graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2013, receiving a Bachelors in Music with a Minor in Psychology.
He then attended Ashland University where he finished his Music education degree in 2014.
After graduating, Mr. Woode moved to Arizona and has been working as a High School Band and Orchestra Director for the past 8 years.
He lives in Mesa, AZ, with his wife and two wonderful dogs.
Chris "CE" Elias
Percussion Instructor
Education
Bachelors in Music, NAU 2002
Teaching
Music director, Sedona Red Rock HS 2004-2007
Instrumental Music Director Sinagua HS 2007-2009
Assistant Director/Program Coordinator Dark Sky Percussion 2008-2014
Percussion Director Casteel HS 2016-Present
Percussion Arranger/Instructor Phenom Drum and Bugle Corps 2016-2019
Percussion Director Mountain Pointe HS 2019-present
Percussion Arranger, Score Editor and Electronics Programmer First Ave Music 2010-present
Andrew Starks
Brass Instructor
Andrew Starks has had a passion for Brass since elementary school. With over a decade of experience across all band types, he is well versed in Brass performance. In high school, he performed in 4 years of marching band, 3 years of jazz band, and 3 years of concert ensemble, all while volunteering at several local elementary schools.
Andrew is currently working towards his Instrumental Music Education Degree from ASU. Joining the Mountain Pointe Band in 2022, he was a crucial element in the band achieving their first ever AZMBA Championship win. The experience of working with the MPHS Marching Band has been a fundamental part of his career and he is excited to continue his work with the Lionhearts in the future.
Lindsey Dale
Visual Instructor
Education
Bachelors of Art in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Business and Sustainability at Arizona State University 2019
Teaching
Visual Instructor for the Mesquite High School Marching Band 2017-2021
Visual Instructor for the Mesquite High School Winter Drumline 2020
Visual Caption Head for the Mountain Pointe Marching Band 2019 to present
Visual Instructor for the Mountain Pointe Winter Drumline 2020
Visual Instructor for the Casteel High School Winter Drumline 2022
Visual Instructor for the Northern Arizona University Lumberjack Marching Band 2022
Audrey McBride
Colorguard/Winterguard Instructor
Audrey discovered her joy for Colorguard in high school. As a graduate from Corona del Sol, she completed 2 fall seasons (plus 2 additional seasons as an instrumentalist) and 3 winter seasons. She continued to be involved during her 4 years at Northern Arizona University.
Audrey joined the Mountain Pointe Band staff in 2022, leading the team to win auxiliary captions and place 1st at the AZMBA 1A Black state championships. Following this success, the Winterguard completed their first full season in over 10 years.
Audrey is looking forward to another amazing season with the Lionheart Band!