Introducing the 2022 Brass Staff
Kevin Horne – High Brass Technician
Kevin Horne is currently the Band Director at Bangor Area High School in Bangor, PA, where he leads two concert ensembles, two jazz ensembles, marching band, pit orchestra, basketball band and teaches music theory and guitar classes. Prior to teaching in Bangor, Kevin spent 7 years teaching middle school band in the East Stroudsburg Area School District. Kevin is thrilled to return to the Caballeros where he marched 3 years as a lead trumpet and served another three years on Visual staff. Kevin was also a member of the 2012 Madison Scouts, WCU “Incomparable” Golden Ram Marching Band, and been on brass and visual staffs with the Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps, Phillipsburg HS, Morris Knolls HS and several other bands across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Kevin is an alumni of West Chester University (B.M.ed) where he studied trumpet and performed with the West Chester University Wind Ensemble and numerous other ensembles, and Messiah College (M.M) studying Wind Conducting. He has also taken graduate courses at the University of the Arts, University of Minnesota, Rowan University, Temple University and West Chester. Kevin is a member of PMEA, NBA and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Kevin resides in Phillipsburg, NJ with his wife Alyssa and their dogs Zoey and Rizzo.
Ray Gatchalian – Low Brass Technician
A native of central New Jersey, Raymond Gatchalian has a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Raymond’s marching career started in high school, marching tuba during the outdoor season and bass drum during the indoor season. He has also performed with the Rutgers University Marching Band on tuba, as drum major, and as the field major. Raymond’s drum corps experience began with The Bushwackers, marching tuba in 2011 and 2014. He then went on to perform with Carolina Crown in 2015 and 2016. He was also a marching member of the Hawthorne Caballeros in 2021.
Raymond’s teaching experience includes Immaculata High School, Ramsey High School, Franklin High School, and Rutgers University where he was a field technician. In 2017 and 2018, Ray was on staff for the Hawthorne Caballeros where he was a visual tech and the tuba technician. Ray is excited to rejoin the Caballeros staff and looks forward to a great season!
Ricardo Brown – Brass Consultant
Ricardo T. Brown is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia. He was selected to All District Band, All-State Band, and Virginia Honor Band as well as the Governors School of the Performing Arts in high school. His teaching journey began in 2005 as the Assistant Director at Princess Anne High School and includes work as the graduate assistant for the Norfolk State University Spartan Legion band program and the Associate Director of Bands at Prairie View A&M University. Currently, Ricardo Brown serves as the Associate Director of Bands and Interim Wind Ensemble Director at the University of Connecticut, responsible for show design and music ensemble direction for the “Pride of Connecticut Marching Band” as well as directing the UCONN Pep Band. He also serves on the university music faculty, teaching music education courses, serving on multiple committees, and arranging for the university big band and all athletic ensembles. He helped lead the UCMB to being a Sudler Trophy Finalist in 2018. Mr. Brown is an active clinician, adjudicator, and performer and has worked with multiple programs across the country, developing quality musicianship and performance practices. His passion is to impart his knowledge of band performance onto students while also instilling a love of music. He has also performed with numerous ensembles including the Virginia Symphony, Virginia Beach Symphony, Fancy Pants Productions, The Right on Band, numerous churches, NASCAR, Houston Symphony, Ballet Afrique Cotton Club, New London Big Band.
Mr. Brown began his DCI marching experience with the Crossmen in 1999 as a lead soprano. He moved to the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps in 2001 and after aging out served as the Cadets’ trumpet instructor, administrative team member, and coordinator of the “Music is Cool” clinics working with thousands of students nationwide. He joined the Bluecoats Brass Team in 2014 and was later promoted to lead trumpet tech and then assistant brass caption head in 2021. Most recently, Mr. Brown became the Brass Caption Head of the brass caption head for the Sacramento Mandarins. From Norfolk State University, Mr. Brown received his B.S. degree in Music Education and his Masters in Trumpet Performance. He anticipates completing his Doctorate (DMA) degree in Conducting from the University of Connecticut in May 2022. Mr. Brown is an avid technology lover and connoisseur of great music regardless of genre. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Tiffany, and their dog, Hooch.
Mike Castellano – Trumpet Technician
Michael Castellano is a performer and educator from Long Island, New York. He currently resides in Northern New Jersey.
Michael is a director of bands at Vernon Township High School and Glen Meadow Middle School. After graduating from Lindenhurst High School, Michael moved to upstate New York to pursue a degree in Music Education at SUNY Fredonia, while studying trumpet with David Duro and John Maguda. During his time at Fredonia, Michael performed with various ensembles including The Fredonia Symphony Orchestra, Fredonia Chamber Orchestra, Fredonia Wind Ensemble, Fredonia Brass Choir, Fredonia Jazz Orchestra, Fredonia Latin Jazz Ensemble and Fredonia New Jazz Ensemble.
Michael’s drum corps experience started in 2014, when he marched lead trumpet with the Long Island Sunrisers for the 2014 and 2015 season. In 2016-2018, Michael marched trumpet with the Canton Bluecoats, where he was a lead trumpet and soloist for the 2017 and 2018 season. After his ageout, Michael went on to teach visual with the Jersey Surf in 2019, and trumpet with the Connecticut Hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. Michael is very excited to join the Hawthorne Caballeros brass team.
Ryan Ragsdale – Mellophone Technician
Ryan Ragsdale is a composer, teacher, and performer from Atlanta, GA. He currently resides in West Chester, PA as he finishes his studies in music composition at West Chester University.
Ryan began his career in the marching arts in 2014 as a member of his high school marching band. From there, Ryan went on to perform as a member of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps from 2017-2019. After receiving a contract as a member of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps prior to the cancellation of the 2020 DCI season, Ryan began studying trumpet with Bluecoats brass caption head Derek Gipson. As a result, Ryan has acquired an eclectic array of teaching strategies from the pedagogies of Christian Carichner, Brad Toth, and Derek Gipson.
Ryan worked as a music and visual clinician at Starr’s Mill High School in Fayetteville, GA in 2018 and spent a full season as a visual technician for Walton High School in Marietta, GA in 2019. Ryan currently teaches at Rustin High School in West Chester, PA as a brass and visual instructor.
Ryan’s high school students have gone on to perform with DCI World and Open Class Corps such as Spirit of Atlanta, Troopers, and Legends.
Andre Rizzuto – Baritone Technician
Andre Rizzuto, performer, musician, and teacher based out of Long Island, New York. Andre Rizzuto in his 11th year of drum corps (marching and teaching). He is currently finishing out his music education degree at Hofstra University, Long Island NY. Andre is a tuba player and has played extensively for the past 14 years. He is an active marching band tech at Brentwood high school marching band and Malverne High school marching band. Prior to his teaching career he has marched for DCA and DCI with The Long Island Sunrisers and The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps. Andre marched with the Sunrisers from 2011-2013 and then went off to march with the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps from 2014-2016. After touring with The Cadets, Andre went on to become the Visual Caption head at the Long Island Sunrisers (2017-2018). Shortly after the 2018 season, Andre went to teach visual at the White Sabers Drum and bugle Corps in the summer of 2019. Finally, The summer of 2021 Andre was the tuba music technician at the Connecticut Hurricanes. Andre is still currently teaching marching band on Long Island.
Aside from marching band/drum corps, Andre is a Private lesson teacher for tuba and euphonium players on Long Island. In addition, he is the Collegiate Chapter president of NYSBDA (New York State Band Directors Association) at Hofstra University. This will be Andre’s first year as part of the Hawthorne Caballeros Brass Staff.
Jarrod Briley – Tuba Technician
Jarrod Briley is an active performer and educator from North Carolina living in the Hudson Valley area of New York. He is currently the principal tubist for The Orchestra Now, a 3-year pre-professional training orchestra and master’s degree program in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Prior to joining TON, he was an Advanced Performance Studies student at Bard College, and previously earned a B.M in Music Performance from East Carolina University. Along with performing with orchestras such as TON and the Winston Salem Symphony, he maintains a varied schedule of chamber music and solo performances.
Jarrod’s passion for teaching equals his passion for performing. He has been a private lesson instructor in North Carolina and New York for the past 4 years and taught lessons to tubists for the NC Eastern All-District band in 2018. He has taught both visual and music at North Pitt High School and Northside High School, and currently serves as the visual designer for the Northside High School Marching Band. Jarrod was the tuba instructor for the 2019 Hawthorne Caballeros and is excited to return to the Cabs in 2022. He marched with Carolina Crown for their 2014 and 2015 seasons and was a member of the ECU Marching Pirates from 2014 to 2016, serving as a drum major for the 2016 season. He was also a member of the Mix-It-Up! cast at Busch Gardens Williamsburg during the summer of 2018.