Maranda Wilson is in her 14th year as Director of Bands at Wichita East High School and her 27th year of teaching. She has served as the Wichita Public School’s Band Curriculum Coach for 18 years. Ms. Wilson earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Kansas State University in 1997 and her Master of Music in 2002. She is a member of KBA, KMEA, Kansas Woman’s Band Director Association, and Phi Beta Mu. Under her direction, the Wichita East Jazz Ensemble performed at the 2013 KMEA ISW, and the Symphonic Band performed at the 2024 KMEA ISW. She has been selected as an adjudicator, presenter, and guest conductor throughout Kansas, and currently serves as the recording secretary on the KBA Board. She resides in Wichita with her husband and triplet sons.
Carla Chapman
Adam Tillberg is from Lindsborg, Kansas and graduated from Friends University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. Upon graduation, Adam was awarded a first place ‘Collegiate Soloist’ award from the Kansas Percussive Arts Society, and the ‘Teacher of Promise’ award by the Kansas State Department of Education. Along with East High, Adam also teaches private studio lessons and has taught at Garten’s Music Academy and Backbeat Percussion Studios. He currently serves as the Adjunct Percussion Instructor at Bethel College, the Percussion Instructor for the Wichita Symphony Youth Orchestras, and the Percussion Graduate Teaching Assistant at Wichita State University, where he plans to graduate in the Spring of 2026 with a Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance. Outside of teaching, Adam regularly performs as a member of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and Wichita Wind Symphony, and principal percussionist of the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra. Along with orchestral work, Adam has extensive experience in jazz drumset, musical theater, praise and worship, latin percussion, and is the current drummer for ‘Philoxenia’ – a Wichita-based folk/rock collective. Adam is also a member of the Collegiate National Association of Music Educators, National Educators Association, Kansas Bandmasters Association, Jazz Education Network, and the Percussive Arts Society.