Staff and Leadership

Staff

Director of Athletic Bands

Shaun Evans

Shaun Evans is the Director of Athletic Bands at Shenandoah University, where he guides all aspects of the athletic band program and teaches marching band, pep band, and conducting. Evans holds a doctoral degree in conducting from the University of Minnesota. He received a master of music degree in conducting at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a bachelor of arts degree at Georgia State University. His career began as a band director in Cobb County, Georgia, at Harrison High School. He currently lives in Stephenson, Virginia, with his wife, Hannah, sons Elias and Lincoln, and two dogs.

Evans is a strong advocate for music education. He works with high schools and colleges across the country as a guest conductor, clinician, arranger, and drill writer. He is published as part of GIAs Teaching Through Performance in Band series. Evans is a charter member of the Nu Alpha chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and an honorary member of the Alpha Iota chapter of Tau Beta Sigma. He maintains active memberships in College Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education, Virginia Music Educators Association, Performing Arts Medicine Association, and World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles.

Director of Bands

Tim Robblee

Tim Robblee is the Director of Bands and Associate Professor of Music at Shenandoah Conservatory where he guides all aspects of the wind band program, teaches conducting and conducts the Wind Ensemble and EDGE Ensemble. Prior to his current appointment, he served as the Associate Director of Bands at Northwestern University where he was also music director and conductor of the Contemporary Music Ensemble. Previously, Robblee has also served as Director of Bands at Washington State University in Pullman, WA and Willamette University in Salem, OR. Prior to graduate study, he taught for eight years as an instrumental music educator in the Palo Alto, California public schools where his students and ensembles were recognized for excellence on a state and national level, including recognition from the 1997 Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards as the Outstanding High School Jazz Combo. Robblee maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor in the United States, Canada, and Asia. He is published as part of GIAs Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series. As an advocate of music in the public schools, he has presented at music education conferences throughout North America and adjudicated at numerous music festivals. Robblee maintains active memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, Music Educators National Conference, Virginia Music Educators Association and World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensemble.

Coordinator for Band Operations

Libby Beller

Libby Beller is the Coordinator for Band Operations at Shenandoah University. She graduated magna cum laude from Shenandoah in 2019 with a BM in Clarinet Performance and a BS in Mathematics. After graduating, she spent her time working in the ecommerce world as an Operations Administrator. Libby began playing the clarinet at age 8 and has been heavily involved in music ever since. She was an active member and leader of her high school’s marching band, and played at least one concert in every major ensemble group in both high school and college. Libby was a four-year member and the first female director of Shenandoah’s Buzzin’ Dozen Pep Band, and served as Historian, President, and Ritual Director of the Kappa Epsilon chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi at Shenandoah. She currently lives in The Plains, VA with her partner Jacob and their two cats, Monk and Sweeper. When Libby is not working, you can find her playing jazz gigs at local wineries or working on renovating her 1900s-era house. She is very excited to be a part of the team for the inaugural season of Shenandoah’s marching band.

Drumline Coordinator

William Newton

William Newton is a Filipino American percussionist based in Virginia. As an educator, William serves as the Drumline Instructor for the Shenandoah University Marching Band and teaches privately out of Star City Percussion Studio, his private lessons business serving the Roanoke area.

As a soloist and chamber musician, William maintains an active performance schedule. He has performed with renowned ensembles such as the Eastman Percussion Ensemble, Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Carolina Band, and the PASIC All-Star Percussion Ensemble. Together with Chris Amick he formed the Amick-Newton Duo which is committed to commissioning, composing, and performing contemporary percussion repertoire.

As an advocate for new music, he has commissioned composers such as Nate Werth, Paul Lansky, JaRon Brown, and Emmanuel Sejourne. He has also been involved in premiere recordings and performances by composers such as John Fitz Rogers, Michael Burritt, and Joseph Schwantner.

Outside of his performing and teaching duties, he serves as the logistical director of Wildlight Publications, a music publishing business based out of Charleston, South Carolina.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Music Performance Degree from the University of South Carolina. His primary teachers include Michael Burritt, Dr. Scott Herring, Chip Ross, Rich Thompson, and Shane Shanahan.

Rock Band Instructor

Arthur Vale

 Arthur Vale graduated from Shenandoah University with a bachelor’s in music education in 2017.  After spending 5 years teaching public school music, he has returned to SU as the box office manager and rock band instructor for the inaugural year of the Shenandoah University Marching Band.  Arthur grew up playing rock music on a wide variety of instruments and is excited to help a new generation play the music he grew up on

 

 

 

 

Color Guard/Dance Instructor

Kayla Wright

Kayla is a 2013 graduate of Purdue University where she was a member and technician of the Golden Silks Color Guard in the Purdue All-American Marching Band. Her passion of color guard began at the age of 4 when her dad would take her to Indiana Marching Band State Finals every year. Not only was she an active participant and captain at Westfield H.S., Indiana, beginning in middle school, other performance opportunities included 2005-06 BOA Summer Symposium, 2007 Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corp, and 2009 BOA Tournament of Roses Honor Band. In 2013, she took on the Color Guard Director at Westfield H.S., Indiana, and led them to a State Finals appearance in IHSCGA for the first time in 4 years. New career opportunities led Kayla and her husband Michael to explore the U.S., residing in Arizona and South Carolina after college. They moved to Stephens City, VA in 2018 where she started directing color guard at Sherando H.S. and is still coaching and growing the program presently.

Graduate Assistant

Ben Millesen

Ben Millesen is a percussionist and educator currently studying at Shenandoah Conservatory, pursuing a Master of Music Performance degree under the direction of Dr. Karlyn Viña. He will be working as a graduate assistant for the brand new Shenandoah University Marching Band drumline.

Ben has had the privilege to perform in JMU’s Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and the Marching Royal Dukes. During his time at JMU, Ben performed in the premiers of Radiance by Eric Guinivan, The Sword of Shannara by Dennis Luginbill, and Nature Scenes by Jack Yagerline. In addition, Ben has also had experience in jazz bands, pep bands, and musical pit orchestras. 

As an educator, Ben has taught as a percussion instructor at multiple high schools throughout the Shenandoah Valley, such as Bath County High School and Harrisonburg High School. Ben has also taught both in-person and online lessons to private students ranging from the elementary school level to the high school level. 

Ben holds a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from James Madison University, under the direction of Casey Cangelosi. Ben has also had the privilege of studying with renowned teachers, including Laurel Black, Roger Braun, Marlon Foster, Dr. Caleb Pickering, Ryan Swanson, and Aaron Trumbore.

 

Leadership Team