Dana Murray -
Executive Director, Arranger, Caption Head
As a high school student, drummer, Dana Murray immersed himself in
music. He spent countless hours in the "woodshed" studying the masters
and honing his skills. A native of Omaha, this "young lion" naturally
began gigging wherever and whenever he could which included street
corner performances. In the mid 90’s, Dana moved to Boston to attend the
renowned Berklee School of Music on scholarship. Shortly thereafter, on
the advice of the jazz legends Max Roach and Victor Lewis, a Omaha
native, Dana moved to the center of the jazz universe, New York City.
From the mid 90’s to the early 00's, Dana was a big part of the city’s
scene. He toured the world with Wynton Marsalis and began gigging and
recording with the likes of Donald Byrd, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy
Hargrove, Sherman Irby, and James Hurt, to name a few. Dana also played
several Broadway shows, including the rock opera “Tommy”. Unlike many
jazz musicians, Dana did not limit
himself to jazz. Dana toured with the Soul Trance band Topaz and in
support of jam band stalwarts Widespread Panic, performed with Atlantic
records’ WaxPoetic alongside Norah Jones and Steely Dan singer Carolyn
Leonhardt. Along with Malike Burke, Dana founded Reallive, a
cutting-edge hip-hop group. Dana is also an A-list Producer who has
produced records for a variety of labels including BlueNote. Dana
recently produced Eric Revis’ new release "Tales of the Stuttering
Mime".
Dana returned to Omaha at the
end of 2003 to raise his son Aleeke. The opportunity to reunite musical
skills with longtime friend Mitch Town was exciting and he immediately
began work on the new group, Von Angel. Combining 21st Century
technology with an old-school attention to musicianship, Von Angel's
upcoming album charts new territory on the modern music landscape.
Currently, Dana is one of the most in demand educators in the
Mid-West. Dana performs many clinics across the country as a product
endorser for Vic Firth drumsticks and Istanbul cymbals. Holding head
percussion positions at Bellevue East and Burke High Schools for the
last four years, his programs have been top performers in the State as
well as winning multiple out of state contests. Creatively, Dana is
currently scoring the music for the film “Desert Flower” based on the
world wide best-selling biography on Super Model, Activist, Waris Dire.
As founder of Dojo Percussion and its parent company DMgroove Drum Dojo,
Dana aims to reach the masses through the power of music and percussive
art.
Jennifer
Christensen -
Assistant Director
Jennifer Christensen is currently working as a medical coder at Eye Specialists in Bellevue. In high school, she marched with the Bellevue East Marching band as a trombone player and played clarinet in concert band. As a current band mom of a high school percussionist and Dojo member her love for music and the marching arts has been rekindled with her involvement as volunteer and spectator. She brings to Dojo her years of business, organization and administrative experience. She loves working with the members and overseeing the day to day and behind the scenes operations of the organization.
Ron Hardin -
Visual Caption Head/Drill Designer
Ron Hardin is currently the Director of Bands at Bellevue East High
School. Ron took this position in 2000, and has led the Chieftains to
many successful performances in all areas, including Concert Band, Wind
Ensemble, Jazz Bands, Indoor and Concert Percussion, Indoor Color Guard,
Chamber Ensembles, and Marching Band. Under his watch, the band programs
have performed in ten different states.
Ron Hardin’s experience in the drum corps activity is extensive,
spanning over twenty years. As a performer, he spent the 1991 and 1992
seasons with the Star of Indiana. Upon the completion of his performing
career, Ron joined the Blue Devils as a member of their visual staff for
eight seasons and later spent five years as the Visual Caption Head of
the Santa Clara Vanguard. Currently Ron serves as the Visual Caption
Head of the Canton Bluecoats. In addition to instructing, Ron has
designed visual programs for Yamato, Pride of the Lions, Magic of
Orlando and Minnesota Brass. In 2007, he served as Visual Coordinator
for the Blue Stars. Ron has also served as an instructor representative
on the DCI Instructors’ Task Force and has authored several rules
proposals.
As a designer, Ron is very active and closely connected with the
pageantry activity. Ron has designed hundreds of shows for bands, drum
lines, winter guards and drum corps. Annually, Ron designs for over
twenty ensembles. Ron is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator
throughout the world, having done many clinics throughout the United
States, Europe and Japan. Since 1999, Ron has served as a visual judge
for Winter Guard International, annually judging for many circuits,
regional competitions and world championships. Ron has performed several
judging clinics for NMEA, NSBA, WGI, several indoor percussion circuits
and the Judging Association of Mid America.
In addition to his experience in the drum corps activity, Ron also
has extensive history as a professional music educator and performer. He
was the founder and past conductor of the Diablo Wind Symphony, and was
the Director of Bands at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, CA for
six years where he served as President of the Contra Costa County Band
Director’s Association and Vice-President and Contest Coordinator of the
Western Band Association. In addition, he was the recipient of the Jack
R. Snyder Young Band Director’s Award. Currently, Ron is the Nebraska
State Bandmasters Association Marching Band Chair. When he is not
teaching or conducting, Ron finds time to play bass trombone with
several ensembles. His greatest pride and joy is his family: His wife
Molly, and their daughters Emma and Celeste.
Matt Arbeiter - Front Ensemble Technician
Matt Arbeiter received a Bachelor of Percussion Performance from the
University of Omaha, at Nebraska. He has studied under Tomm Roland
(Percussion Director at UNO), Ken Yoshida (Principal Percussionist for
The Omaha Symphony), and Dana Murray (Endorsed by Vic Firth and Istanbul
Cymbals, played drums for Wynton Marsalis and many others).
Matt Arbeiter is a free lance musician working with
many bands and artists. He has performed and recorded with various
Saddle Creek artists such as Orenda Fink, Todd Fink (of The Faint), A.J.
Mogus, Ian Aelio, Jake Bellows (of Neva Dinova), and Tim Kasher (of
Cursive). He also performed with The Omaha Symphony, in which he
performed concerts featuring Frank Sinatra Jr., Linda Rondstadt, and Yo
Yo Ma. Other local groups he is currently performing with include The
Jazzwholes, Heidi Joy, Midwest Dilemma, Paper Owls, Old Money, and
Matthew Amendez Trio.
Matt is currently on staff as a Percussion Assistant at
Bellevue East High School and Omaha Burke High School. Bellevue East is
led by former Blue Devil Caption Head, Ron Hardin.
Marcus
Brown
- Bass Drum Technician
Marcus is currently a
music education major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, studying
percussion under Al Rometo and Anthony Falcone.
He was a member of the drum line at
Matthew Lippincott began his percussion career with Sterling High School in Sterling, KS. He went on to become a member of the Rebel Drums indoor drumline from 1997-1999 and marched with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 1999. Matt was also a member of the Kansas State Drumline in 1999 and University of Kansas Drumline from 2001-2004.
Matt has taught at Hutchinson High School, Hutchinson, KS (1998, 2000), Papillion La Vista High School (2005), and consulted University of Colorado Drumline (2009.) Matt has also been a judge in the Heartland Winter Arts Association.
From 2000-2001 Matt studied with Ginger Zyskowski at Hutchinson Community College and then at the University of Kansas (2001-2004) where he studied with Dr. John W. Parks IV and Kevin Bobo.
Julie Hadley - Visual Technician
Seth Adams - Front Ensemble Arranger
Seth Adams holds degrees in Music Education and Percussion Performance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied arranging and composition with DCI Hall of Fame inductee Thom Hannum and Canadian composer Dr. Carl Wiens. As an arranger, Seth has shared writing credit for drum corps and marching band shows with Thom Hannum, Colin McNutt, Michael Klesch, Wayne Downey, Daisuke Okamoto and Jay Bocook, among others. Seth was director/arranger for the front ensemble of the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and is currently in his third year as director/arranger for the front ensemble of the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps.
Currently residing in Boston, Seth is entering his second year as music director at Saint Mary of the Hills School in Milton, MA. Seth works with the Norwood High School Marching Band and is a contributing arranger for the University of Massachusetts Minuteman Marching Band. Seth is also an avid bass player, having performed and recorded with a number of artists of numerous genres throughout the Northeast.
Michael Howard -
Front Ensemble Caption Head
Michael Howard is currently a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, studying under Tomm Roland and Dana Murray. Growing up in the metro area he was a member of the Bellevue West High School drum line and also marched in the BOA National Honor Band in the Rose Parade. He has performed with the Colts Drum and Bugle corps and this previous summer was a member of the World Champion Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. As a member he also won the DCI Solo and Ensemble competition on timpani. He is currently on staff at Burke High School and Bellevue East High School. As a former member of Dojo percussion, we are proud to welcome Michael to the staff!
Ben Samson - Batter Technician
Ben Samson is
currently a Music Education major at the University
of Nebraska-Omaha where
he has studied under Dr. Tomm Roland, Ken Yoshida, and Carlos
Figueroa.
He is currently a member of the UNO Heartland Philharmonic Orchestra and
the UNO Percussion Ensemble, and a former member of the UNO Symphonic
Wind Ensemble and the UNO Chamber Orchestra. He was a member of
the UNO drumline for two seasons.
In addition to his
studies at UNO, Ben is also an alumnus of the Eastern
Music Festival which he attended
for two seasons. There he studied with Dr.
Christopher Norton, John Fedderson,
and Eric Schwiekert. During his time at EMF, under the direction
of Gerard Schwarz (Seattle
Symphony) Ben performed with many
top artists, such as Branford Marsalis, Joshua
Bell, Julia
Fischer. He was also
selected to a part of the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra on their tour
concerts in North Carolina.
Ben has also been a
performing percussionist around the Omaha area with many organizations
such as the Omaha Symphony, theRose
Theatre, the Shelterbelt Theatre
and others.
Since 2004, Ben has
been an active music educator in and around the Omaha area. He
started his teaching career with private drum lessons out of his living
room. Now, he is the Percussion Instructor at the Millard
North High School, where he
oversees drumline, pit percussion, and percussion
ensemble rehearsals. In
addition to his activities at Millard North, Ben is an active clinician,
working with groups such as Elkhorn High School, Bennington
High School, Fremont Mills
High School, and many middle
schools in the area.
Nicole
Eddy
Nicole Eddy currently a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, Nicole brings 17 years of marching experience to the Dojo.
She first marched tom tom with the Commodore's Drill Team as a youth and moved up to assist with the building of the Norris Junior High School drill team her years there as a student. She was a bass drummer under the tutelage of Dana Murray with the Omaha South High School Marching Band before relocating to Bensalem, Pennsylvania where she then marched baritone/euphonium with the Bensalem High School Marching Unit under Dr. Douglas Fitzgerald. During her years at Bensalem she marched indoor drumline as the section leader of the snare line under Dale Adair.
To accompany her marching
band experience, she marched
baritone
bugle with the Omaha Railmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 1991
and then with the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps from 1992-1994.
In 1994, she auditioned for The Commandant's Own United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps.
Upon graduating from basic training she then joined their ranks where she performed for thousands to include presidents and dignitaries from 1995-2001 before moving to another occupation in the Corps where she has served for 15 years.
She is currently
working as a marching technician for the Omaha Burke High
School Marching Band under the
direction of Norman Edwards and has worked
as a marching advisor/technician for multiple marching
organizations on the East Coast and in the Midwest.
Designed by Mitchell Barry 2008