John Stacy, known affectionately by students and fellow staff simply as Stacy, directs the Riverview Band Program’s percussion studies and activities year-round and has been percussion director since the 2021 fall marching season.

In his role, Stacy is responsible for overseeing percussion students during both marching season with the Blue Coat Regiment Marching Band and their intensive indoor season for the Indoor Percussion Ensemble. Leading his first indoor season at Riverview in 2022, Stacy and fellow staff and students earned bronze at the Florida Federation of Colorguards Circuit (FFCC) Championships in the Yamaha Division of Scholastic Marching Class AA—a feat repeated in the 2023 season for the McCormick’s Division. In 2024 the team placed fifth in their first season as part of the national classes of marching competition as part of the McCormick’s Division of Scholastic Marching Class A at FFCC Championships.

On the marching season front, Stacy has led the percussion students of the Blue Coat Regiment Marching Band to earn a Superior rating every year he has been with the Band Program.

Like many of our staff, Stacy brings experience from many areas of the marching arts. He is a former member of the University of South Florida’s Herd of Thunder Marching Band where he marched on the cymbal line, and Fusion Percussion where he was on the bass line.

As an educator, Stacy has worked with both scholastic and independent groups for the FFCC and Winter Guard International (WGI). From 2017–2020, Stacy worked with Gaither High School’s percussion program in a variety of roles, serving from time to time as battery coordinator, cymbal instructor, visual instructor and front ensemble instructor; he also assisted in administrative duties such as budgeting and staff management. Prior to Gaither, from 2014–2016 he worked with Largo High School’s indoor percussion where he was an instructor and also assisted with show design and writing. Stacy also worked with Freedom High School and his alma mater, Lecanto High School.

On the independent front, Stacy has worked extensively with Infinity 2 (A Class), Infinity 3 (Open Class) and Unity Percussion (A/Open Class). While Stacy has earned several medals during his time with independent groups, his crowning achievement was Unity’s gold at 2019 WGI Championships where they earned a score of 96.15, the highest of any ensemble in class history.

Full-time, Stacy works at Riverview High School as a social studies instructor.