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Director
Mr. Michael E. Biasi is in his 28th year of teaching and 16th as Director of Bands at Holly Springs High School in Holly Springs, North Carolina. During his tenure at Holly Springs, the band program prior to Covid-19 grew from 60 to over 140 members and earned significant honors, including consistent Superior Ratings at the North Carolina Music Performance Adjudication and numerous awards at local and regional marching band events and indoor winter activities. Several members of the program have been selected to district, region, state and national honor bands. Recently, the Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the Grand National Adjudicators Invitational in Atlanta, the NC Music Educators Conference, and The President’s Cup in Washington, DC. The marching band performed at the 2018 (GA) and 2019 (VA) Bands of America Regional Championships and in 2021, the Winter Guard earned semi-finalist status at the Winter Guard International Virtual World Championships. Members of the program have earned high praises for their musicianship, discipline, and work ethic.
Prior to arriving at Holly Springs High School, Mr. Biasi served as the Director of Bands at Southwest Onslow High School (Jacksonville, NC), Associate Director of Bands at Jacksonville High School and Kecoughtan High School (Hampton, VA), and Director of Bands at Smithfield Middle School (VA).
Mr. Biasi is a native of Yorktown, Virginia and a graduate of Tabb High School. He received his education at East Carolina University. While at East Carolina, Mr. Biasi was a Dean’s List and Honor Roll student and named to several academic publications. He held officer positions in the National Association for Music Education Collegiate, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series, and the Newman Catholic Student Center.
Mr. Biasi has also served as a performer, clinician, and adjudicator. He has performed as a clarinetist with the Triangle Wind Ensemble, the Virginia Wind Symphony, The Das Festhaus Band /Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA, The Onslow Winds, and in several musical productions. Mr. Biasi is a member of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association, East Central District Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, North Carolina Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He currently serves as the district representative on the state Music Performance Adjudication committee and was the Fine Arts Department Chair at Holly Springs High School from 2006-2021, as well as a Teacher of the Year nominee for 2021-2022.
Mr. Biasi resides in Fuquay-Varina, with his wife Katie, and his children Clara and Joseph.
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Guard Instructor
My name is Luke Oglesby. I grew up in Morehead City, North Carolina where I attended Croatan High School. I then attended East Carolina University and received my bachelors degree in Elementary Education. I worked as an educator for 4 years before going back to East Carolina full time to receive my masters in school administration in 2019. I am currently teaching in Clayton, NC at Riverdell Elementary School as a 3rd grade Math and Science teacher.
My colorguard performing experience began at Croatan. I marched Croatan Independent World from 2007-2009. I then went on to perform with First Flight World from 2010-2020 and recently was a member of the Pride of Cincinnati for the 2021 winter season.
My colorguard teaching experience began with Northern Nash High School from 2010-2013. I then was offered a position as assistant director for the East Carolina University Marching Pirates Colorguard in the fall of 2013. I was fortunate enough to have the ability to start their first competitive winter program in 2014. I was named director in the fall of 2014 and took the ECU Winterguard to the World Championships in 2015 where they made the semi-finals. I taught ECU up until 2016 and then moved to the Raleigh area where I taught Wakefield High school and Panther Creek High School in 2017. I had the privilege of being a colorguard technician for Carolina Crown in 2017. I returned to the ECU colorguard the two years I was receiving my masters degree until moving to Clayton, NC. I have been writing for Carolina Visual Production since 2019 and will continue to work with them this coming winter season. I am currently in my third year as the colorguard director at Holly Springs High School. I am also the Co-Director at Corinth Holders High School and technician/choreographer at Panther Creek High School.
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Visual & Guard Instructor
Hi! Liz Jenkins here! I am native of Carteret County where I began my music and guard career at Croatan High School! I attended East Carolina University for my Bachelors in Music Education and a few years later attended Samford University for my Master in Music Education. I have been playing euphonium and apart of guard since 2002! I was a cast member of CVP Encore for three years and was a tech for CVP A for two years. I have been a tech for various bands around the state during marching and winter seasons. I have an amazing husband, Wesley, and my loving husky Kate! I love to play video games, read books, play board games, and put together Legos! I am currently an elementary music teacher at Brier Creek Elementary in Raleigh NC. I am excited to be a tech for HSHS guard and band for the almost third year! Go Hawks!
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Bio coming soon!
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Guard Instructor
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Guard Instructor
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Bio coming soon!
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Bio coming soon!
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Guard Instructor
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Lil’ Hawks Guard Instructor
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Jr. Hawks Guard Instructor
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Percussion Instructor
Ethan joined the Holly Springs High School Band Staff in 2021, where he assisted with instructing the indoor percussion group throughout the year. He supports Mr. Taylor and Mr. Russell with their marching band instruction, working specifically with the front ensemble on mallet percussion instruction.
Ethan is an alumnus of Holly Springs High School, graduating in the class of 2021. During his time as a student at Holly Springs, Ethan was a four-year member of the band, participating in many ensembles including marching band, indoor percussion, wind ensemble, and musical orchestra. Additionally, Ethan has been a percussionist for over 10 years, taking private lessons on instruments such as drum set, snare drum, mallet percussion, and piano.
Currently, Ethan is a student at North Carolina State University where he is working towards earning a dual degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is also a member of the NC State marching band, playing on the bass line. Ethan loves any opportunity to teach and greatly enjoys having the opportunity to give back to his previous high school, as well as being able to witness the students grow their musical abilities.
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Percussion Instructor
Mr. Taylor has taught percussion at Holly Springs High School since August 2021, including both marching band and indoor percussion ensembles. He has jointly led the effort to revitalize the percussion program that was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in particular.
Prior to joining the staff at Holly Springs, Mr. Taylor has performed music for many years. He grew up in Higley, Arizona and graduated from Gilbert High School, where he participated in marching band, concert band, and chorus all 4 years. He received his bachelors and masters degrees in Computer Science from Brigham Young University, while spending 6 seasons as part of the BYU Cougar Marching Band: 5 in the drumline and 1 as a field assistant. He has marched snare, tenors, and bass drum, and was section leader for several years. After college, he was on staff for 4 years at Los Altos High School in California, doing both percussion and visual instruction. He has worked for Apple since 2007, and moved to North Carolina in 2019.
Mr. Taylor lives in Holly Springs with his wife Shayla — who was a drum major at BYU when they were introduced by the director — and their 5 children, 2 of whom are currently in the band program at Holly Springs. He deeply enjoys teaching percussion, and helping students nurture their talents for and enjoyment of music. He strongly believes that building confidence and character is the most rewarding part of music instruction, and loves contributing to the development and growth of the students.
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Percussion Instructor
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Percussion Instructor
Matt Savage, graduate of the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York and The University of Southern California, has taught at every level of public education from elementary to the college level. Along with teaching in public education, Matt also has over thirty five years of playing, teaching and arranging experience in the marching percussion field. This experience includes playing snare drum with the legendary Bayonne Bridgemen and serving as the percussion director and arranger for the Anaheim Velvet Knights and the Canton Bluecoats. His virtuosic snare drum performances can be heard on Row-Loff Publications Rudimental Cookbook and Just Deserts.
At the collegiate level, Matt has served as percussion instructor for the USC Trojan Marching Band and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he has also in the past, served as Assistant Director of University Bands.
Matt has been heavily involved with the WGI indoor percussion activity as an adjudicator and has served on the WGI Percussion Steering Committee. His publication “Savage Rudimental Workshop”, is a state of the art rudiment development book with 2 CD accompaniment published by Alfred Music and used world wide.
He is the founder and director of the Matt Savage Marching Percussion Camp that takes place every summer in the Carolinas.
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Percussion Instructor
Amy Savage is active in the development of contemporary concert and marching percussion ensembles as a consultant, instructor, composer, and arranger. Amy served as Director of Marching Percussion at Duke University and Co-founder of the Rhythm Alive Percussion Group. In the summer, Amy teaches at the Matt Savage and Alan Keown Marching Percussion Camps. She was guest artist-in residence at the Anglo- American School of Moscow, Russia. Amy has been a clinician and adjudicator with the Yamaha Sounds of Summer Camps, Atlantic Indoor Association (AIA), Carolina Winter Ensemble Association (CWEA), and Rocky Mountain Percussion Association (RMPA).
As a member of the World Champion Cadets, Amy was awarded the DCI Individual's Championship in ensemble percussion. During this time, she received her bachelor's degree in music education from Miami University in Oxford, OH. Her extensive teaching and arranging experience with several Drum and Bugle Corps includes Encorps, Jersey Surf, Cadets (formerly Garfield Cadets), Bluecoats, Glassmen, Poynton Commodores (England), and Starriders (Germany). Amy is published with Jalen Publishing and Row-Loff Productions. She is a Yamaha Performing Artist, Vic Firth Artist, and a proud Educational Clinician/Endorser for Sabian Cymbals and Remo Incorporated.