Band Program Leadership Changes
The 2018–2019 school year will see a change in leadership as Mr. B leaves Riverview High School to pursue his Master of Music degree in conducting at the University of South Florida. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to lead this phenomenal program. I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to my staff, Booster Board, school faculty and staff, and all of our volunteers who made everything—and I do mean everything—we do possible. Of course, we would all be nothing without our students. To my students that I have worked with for the last three years: thank you. Thank you for giving all you could to our program and to the music world. Never stop bettering yourselves!” said Mr. B.
With the departure of Mr. B, a familiar face will be coming back: Mr. Davis will return to Riverview High School as the director of instrumental music leading the Band Program and Orchestra Program, a position he previously held from 2007 to 2015 and where he was named Teacher of the Year in 2010. Mr. Davis is coming back stateside after moving to Melbourne, Australia in the summer of 2016 to attend The University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Graduate School of Education where he earned his Master of Education degree in leadership and management with high distinction in December 2017. Before this international move, the 2015–2016 school year saw Mr. Davis serve as a program consultant and show writer for the Band Program as he mentored and assisted other music teachers in the school district as a full-time peer evaluator. Mr. Davis earned his Bachelor of Science degree in music education summa cum laude from Penn State and a Master of Music in wind conducting from James Madison University.
In addition to an extensive background in marching band, Mr. Davis brings a wealth of knowledge from the world of Drum Corps International, having marched baritone with The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps from Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1989 and 1990 – winning world championships in the latter year; he would then go on to join the brass staff from 1993 to 1995, winning world championships again in 1993. Mr. Davis also has experience with the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps from Toledo, Ohio and the Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps from Reading, Pennsylvania.
In Australia Mr. Davis continued to be an active member of the arts community, serving as the associate conductor of the Grainger Wind Symphony where he debuted his new piece “Brazilian Folk Song Suite” in March 2018. As a conductor, Mr. Davis has served as music director for the historic Melbourne Tramways Brass Band and as a guest conductor for the Monash Concert Band. Mr. Davis also conducted and taught band, orchestra, drumline, and brass and percussion lessons at Sacred Heart Girls’ College in Oakleigh and the highly acclaimed Blackburn and Eltham High Schools. Mr. Davis also worked as an adjudicator for the Victorian Schools Music Festival and as a clinician for school bands in the states of Victoria and New South Wales and was selected to provide lectures and professional development training at local schools, The University of Melbourne and for the Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association. He also volunteered his time on Friday evenings to serve as director of the marching band for Syrian refugee children through the Australian Syrian Charity.
“I cannot wait to be coming home to the States, let alone returning to Riverview,” said Mr. Davis. “Mr. B has done tremendous things with the Band Program and I am incredibly excited to pick things up where he left them—at an all-time high.”
Band Program Staff Director and Assistant Marching Band Director Mr. Miller will be staying with the Band Program, as will many members of our program staff. To find out more about Mr. Davis and his many accomplishments click here.
