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In the Fall of 2017, the School of Music began its search for Dr. Carmichael’s replacement. Luckily, they didn’t have to look far. Dr. McCutchen was selected to be promoted to Director of Bands. In spring 2018, the school of music conducted a national search for the next Associate Director of Bands; Director of Athletic Bands and hired Dr. Marc Sosnowchik from Oklahoma State University.
In 2019, Bryan Braue resigned as Assistant Director of Bands and was replaced by Lauren Gates. Gates was a recent graduate of the USF School of Music with her Masters’s Degree in Instrumental Conducting and became the first female to hold a director role with the USF athletic bands. The Fall of 2019 marked the first instance in modern time that Concert Band was offered as a fall course, having previously only been offered in the spring. The concert band is the third major ensemble comprised primarily of music education majors on secondary instruments, non-music majors, and university-wide faculty members.
Lauren Gates
Assistant Director of Bands
Dr. Matthew McCutchen
Director of Bands
Since his promotion to Director of Bands, Dr. McCutchen has continued pushing the band program forward. The 2019-2020 school year saw not just the USF band program, but programs around the country and the entire world enter uncharted times of navigating a global pandemic (Covid-19). The spring 2020 semester saw much of the world shut down and enter what was referred to as a global “lockdown”, with approximately the last 6 weeks of the school year finished via online learning.
The 2020-2021 school year saw the elimination of the Assistant Director of Bands; Assistant Director of Athletic Bands position. Classrooms contained HVAC filters and groups could only gather in the classrooms for small chucks of time before the room was required to be cleared to let the air recirculate. The terms “social distancing” and the phrase “6 feet to slow the spread” and wearing masks when closer than 6 feet became a routine practice around the country.
The pandemic gave the band program a chance to shift focus to smaller instrumentation, musicians rotating on and off pieces, and a larger incorporation of chamber music into concert programming. During this time, the band program began to incorporate more digital technology into aspects of the program. Concerts began to be live-streamed to reach a wider audience and allow those unable to travel due to the pandemic the opportunity to watch concerts remotely.
Under Dr. Sosnowchik, the 20-21 HOT Band released a full-length album entitled United Start to Finish: The Bandemic Season, as an alternative method for reaching a wider audience in an abnormal marching season. Additionally, this period saw the Wind Ensemble shift to a three-concert cycle semester, with Dr. McCutchen relinquishing his podium duties to his second-year graduate conducting students for the second concert of the spring semester, in fulfillment of their conducting recital requirement.
Dr. Marc Sosnowchik
4th Director of Athletic Bands
Dr. Tina DiMeglio
Assistant Director of Bands;
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Director of Rumble Pep Band
Later: Associate Director of Bands
Dr. Tina DiMeglio was hired as the Assistant Director of Bands; Assistant Director of Athletic Bands & Director of Rumble Pep Band, starting in the fall of 2021. Dr. DiMeglio’s responsibilities included conducting the Concert Band which included music majors on secondary instruments and non-music majors from campus, teaching conducting, and assisting athletic band activities. In January of 2022 the Wind Ensemble performed for the first time in several years at the Florida Music Educators Association Conference at the Tampa Convention Center.
At the conclusion of the school year, Dr. Sosnowchick resigned from his role at USF and a national search was conducted once again for the next Director of Athletic Bands.
The Fall of 2022 saw several restructurings occur for the band department. Dr. DiMeglio was promoted to Associate Director of Bands, where her primary responsibilities shifted to conducting the Symphonic Band and teaching the woodwind and brass techniques courses, while continuing teaching conducting classes.
Dr. Trevor A. Butts
5th Director of Athletic Bands
Later: Associate Director of Bands
Upon completion of a national search, Dr. Trevor A. Butts was hired as the 5th Director of Athletic Bands; Assistant Director of Bands. No stranger to the USF band program, Dr. Butts previously completed his undergraduate degree in Music Education and his Masters degree in Instrumental conducting at USF. During his time as a student he served for 3 years as a Drum Major for the Herd of Thunder Marching Band, and later as a Graduate Assistant for the entire band program. Upon returning to USF as the Director of Athletic Bands, his duties included overseeing all aspects of the Athletic Band program, teaching the marching band techniques course, and conducting the Concert Band.
In the summer of 2022, Dr. McCutchen started the USF Band Directors' Symposium, which still runs today. The two-day symposium is open to active, future and retired middle and high school band directors. Each year, participants play in a lab band (no performance) led by a nationally recognized band director who demonstrates the rehearsal techniques they use on a daily basis in their programs. In addition, there are several sessions led by USF faculty, outstanding teachers, music supervisors, and other experts in the field. Specific clinics vary year to year, but typically include conducting, instrument techniques, arranging/composing, instrument repair, jazz, work/life balance, repertoire, and more.
After a year of running HOT Band alone, Dr. Butts hired Mrs. Devin DeDon, a recent graduate of the USF conducting studio, who was brought on as the Assistant Director of Athletic Bands and Music Education Internship Supervisor, a role she still serves in today.
The end of the spring of the 2024 school year saw the departure of Dr. DiMeglio from the Associate Director of Bands position. Dr. Butts was promoted to Associate Director of Bands, in addition to assuming the role of the Symphonic Band conductor, while maintaining his role as the Director of Athletic Bands. The vacant position of Assistant Director of Bands remained so for the 2024-2025 school year.
Mrs. Devin DeDon
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Music Education Internship Supervisor
Dr. Suzanne Charney
Assistant Director of Bands;
Assistant Professor of Instruction
To reshape the position, Dr. McCutchen collaborated with the Music Education department to develop a hybrid position, splitting duties between the band department and music education department. In the spring of 2025, a national search was successfully completed, with Dr. Suzanne Charney becoming the next Assistant Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Instruction. In this role, she would teach various music education courses required of all undergraduate majors and conduct the concert band.
December of 2025 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Festival of Winds. The 50th anniversary was marked by the traditional Bullapalooza concert, three concert bands, one jazz band, two featured high school bands, and a chamber ensemble concert comprised of the high school participants.
The guest conductors for the three concert bands were Dr. Dennis Llinas, DMA., Dr. Alfred Watkins, D.Mus., & Col. Don Schofield, US Air Force. The guest conductor for the jazz band was none other than USF's own Tom Brantley, Professor of Trombone and Director of Jazz Studies.
Between the 49th and 50th years, discussion was held as to what the future of the festival might look like, and if it was time to change the format of the four day event. After an informal polling of local directors, band staff, and other at-large supporters of the festival, the decision was to push forward into the next 50 years with a familiar and much regarded format.
In February of 2026, Dr. McCutchen and his team hosted the College Band Directors National Association / National Band Association Southern Division Conference, entitled “Ritmos y Tengos: Honoring Traditions & Expanding Horizons”. The Wind Ensemble’s performance included the second performance ever of Omar Thomas’s new Last One Standing, the 4th Movement, “Go Tell It” from Benjamin Horne’s Spiritual Symphony, (the 2025 Revelli Composition Contest winner), and featured the conference’s guest artist, and USF alumna José Valentino, in Ricardo Lorenz’s Found Connection: Concerto for Wind Symphony & Multi-Instrumentalist.
For the past 66 years, the University of South Florida Bands have been a model of musical excellence and pride in the state of Florida. Since the first concert band performance in the campus's South Dining Room in the fall of 1960, the USF Band program has been a storied musical force.
This coming January 2027, the Herd of Thunder Marching Band will travel to Madrid, Spain to perform in the Three Kings Parade, marking its third time on the international stage. As we celebrate the program's 66th anniversary, we look to our past as a guiding beacon for our future.
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