Christopher P. Bygott
Mr. Bygott, a native of New Jersey, received his Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Pennsylvania State University in 1998. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Bygott was the assistant band director at Hightstown High School in New Jersey, after which he returned to Penn State to study wind conducting. He received his Master of Music in Wind Conducting and completed his graduate studies in the spring of 2004. He is Associate Conductor of the Delaware Valley Wind Symphony.
cbygott@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.949.6740 x18601
Mark Capriotti
Mr. Capriotti is a 1991 graduate of Pennsbury High School. He spent four years in the Marching Band and four years in the Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band, and also served as a Lieutenant in Marching Band. He is 1991 recipient of the Stan Kenton Award. He attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia where he earned both a bachelor degree in Music Performance and Master in Arts Teaching Degree and studied trombone with teacher Rich Genovese. He is an active member of The Lars Halle Jazz Orchestra and was also a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Princeton University Orchestra.
Mr. Capriotti has performed with The Four Tops, The Moody Blues, Roger Daltrey, Arturo Sandoval, Rob McConnell, Bill Watrous, Stanley Clarke, Eddie Gomez, Wallace Roney, John Lee, and Steve Turre.
Prior to teaching at Pennsbury, Mr. Capriotti performed for two years on Carnival Cruise Line touring the Caribbean on his trombone. His teaching career started at Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan teaching instrumental music for two years. He moved back to the area in 2000 and taught for seven years at Cherokee High School in Marlton, NJ.
Mr. Capriotti is an active member of the National Association for Music Education (MENC) and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA).
Mr. Capriotti resides in Levittown with his wife and daughter.
mcapriotti@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.949.6700 x70878
Joseph D'Alicandro, Jr.
Born in Philadelphia, Mr. D'Alicandro has received both his Bachelor's and his Master's Degrees in Music Education from Temple University. Mr. D'Alicandro also has completed an Elementary Education certificate from Holy Family College. Currently, Mr. D'Alicandro has 55 credits above his Master's Degree.
Mr. D'Alicandro performs currently throughout the Tri-State area. He is the consummate percussionist, performing everything from stage productions with the State Street Players, to Big Band music with The Main Street Sound. Mr. D'Alicandro is also the drummer for Stan the Man & his Big Band in addition to being 1st call drummer for many agents in the area. Mr. D'Alicandro performs many private affairs with Remember When and is principal percussionist with A Sharp Productions. Mr. D'Alicandro performs with the Tri-County Concert Band out of Feasterville.
As an educator, Mr. D'Alicandro is the percussion instructor for the Pennsbury School District; he teaches percussion lessons in three middle schools, and he is the band director at the William Penn Middle School in the Pennsbury School District. Mr. D'Alicandro also teaches privately in the Tri-State area and has performed and presented many clinics in and around the Bucks County area.
Mr. D'Alicandro is a member of the National Association for Music Education (MENC), the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), and the Percussive Arts Society (PAS).
jdalicandro@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.428.4280 x51106
Samuel D'Aversa
Mr. D'Aversa graduated from Pennsbury in 1970. He spent four years in the Pennsbury Marching Band and three years in the Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band (PCJB). He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Arts Degree in Conducting from Trenton State College.
Mr. D'Aversa has performed with various professional music ensembles over the last 23 years. Mr. D'Aversa is the current Director of Bands at Charles Boehm Middle School, and he directs the Pennsbury Middle School Honors Band. He started teaching in Pennsbury in 1975. Other interests include bicycling, sailing, skiing, traveling, camping, jogging, and spending time with his Yellow Lab.
sd'aversa@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.428.4220 x30202
Joseph Doris
jdoris@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.321.2400 x17878
Walt Evanowicz
Mr. Evanowicz was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where he began playing the cello in the public schools. He soon began playing other stringed instruments as well. He holds the Bachelor of Music with Distinction from the University of Victoria, where he was Harboud Senior Music Scholar. He received his Master of Music from Pennsylvania State University, where he was a winner of the Pennsylvania Young Artist's Award (1984).
Previous to his time at Pennsbury, Mr. Evanowicz taught strings in Dougherty County, Georgia; Reading, Pennsylvania; and South Eastern York County, Pennsylvania. Also a published poet, Mr. Evanowicz serves as Faculty Advisor to Pennsbury High School's art & literary magazine, The Phoenix.
He lives in Yardley with his wife and two daughters.
wevanowicz@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.949.6700 x70877
Marta Grothman
Mrs. Grothman graduated in the top twenty in her class at Pennsbury High School in 1982. As the Concert Mistress of the Pennsbury Orchestra, she was the first student in Pennsbury's history to represent the school district in the Pennsylvania Music Educators' State Orchestra. She graduated Magna cum Laude from the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University in 1986 with a BA in Music Education. While at Temple, Mrs. Grothman performed for four years with the Temple University Symphony Orchestra and studied violin with Helen Kwalwasser.
She has taken advanced courses in general music at Villanova University and in music curriculum development at Temple University. Mrs. Grothman recently completed her master's degree in Educational Administration at Rider University.
She lives in Newtown with her husband Michael.
215.949.6868 x20052
Frank Mazzeo
Bachelor of Science in Music Education, West Chester University; Masters of Music Performance, Temple University.
Mr. Mazzeo has performed with an extensive roster of famous performers and ensembles in the jazz, pop, classical and Broadway show idioms including Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Jerry Lewis, Pearl Bailey, Louie Bellson, Barbara Eden, Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the Philly Pops, Delaware Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Hartford Symphony, Portland Symphony, Jerry Vale, Bobbie Vinton, Pattie LaBalle, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Fabian, Natalie Cole, Crystal Gale, Jack Jones, Steve Tyrell, Sergio Franchi, Al Martino, Larry Storch, Fred Travelina, Rita Moreno, David Brenner, Tina Tuner, Bernadette Peters, Patti Page, Theodore Bikel, Cybill Shepperd, Paul Sorvino, Spinners, Temptations, Four Tops, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Toni Tenille, Clint Holmes, Merv Griffin, Jane Powell, Helen Reddy, Vanessa Williams, Charo, Suzette Charles, Lee Konitz, Mel Lewis, Red Rodney, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Tex Beneke Orchestra, Harry James Orchestra, Peabo Bryson, Christopher Cross, Sheena Easton, Patti Austin, Tony Curtis, Keely Smith, Irene Cara, Donna Summers, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Carole Channing, Tony Bennett, Pointer Sisters, Katie Sagal, Rockettes, Steve Lawrence and Edie Gourmet, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Michael Feinstein, The Four Aces, The New York Voices, Hal Linden, Debbie Reynolds, Diahann Carroll, Don Cornell, Giselle MacKenzie, Joe Piscopo, Melba Moore, Freda Payne, Randy Newman, Tommy Tune, Susan Anton, Martin Short, Mickey Dolenz, the New Jersey Saxophone Quartet, the Philadelphia Saxophone Quartet, the New York Saxophone Quartet.
Currently he is the lead alto/ reed 1 player at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia where he has worked since 1984. He has taught at every level from 10-year-old students to college graduate students and working professional musicians. Many of Mr. Mazzeo’s former students are working professional musicians as well as top educators at colleges, universities and school districts.
He has taught award winning jazz ensembles at Temple University, University of the Arts and the Pennsbury School District. Mr. Mazzeo was appointed to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts where he served on the Grants Committee, and Chaired the Arts in Education Committee under Governors Christine Todd-Whitman, James McGreevy, and Jon Corzine as well as addressing the New Jersey State Legislature on the "Importance of the Arts" and the "Importance of the Arts in Education". Mr. Mazzeo has adjudicated and has had articles published throughout the United States. He founded the New Jersey Saxophone Quartet and they have performed throughout the world including twice at Carnegie Hall as well as the World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Mr. Mazzeo has taught in the Pennsbury School District since 1986. He has placed Pennsbury Bands on international and national stages such as the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, Disneyland Hong Kong, Hong Kong International Rugby Sevens Tournament, and the People’s Republic of China.
fmazzeo@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.949.6700 x70874
Michael McGarry
Mr. McGarry is a 1973 graduate of Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, PA. In 1981, he earned his Bachelor of Music Education (BME) degree from Temple University where he studied string bass privately with several members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 1980 and 1981, he was principal bassist with the Temple University Symphony Orchestra.
In 1983, Mr. McGarry obtained a Master of Education (ME) degree from The College of New Jersey with an emphasis on Supervision and Administration in Public Schools. He holds four Pennsylvania certifications: Instructional II, Elementary Principal, Secondary Principal, and Supervisor of Music K-12. In 1982, he was a founding member of the Graduate Student Association and a member of both the Graduate Student Advisory Committee to the Dean and Campus Improvement Committee.
Mr. McGarry is an active musician playing both string and electric bass, and he has been performing popular, jazz, and classical music professionally since 1972. He is a member of the Trenton State College Alumni Jazz Ensemble and formerly a member of the Main Line Symphony Orchestra (1980), the Philadelphia Orchestra Society (1978-1982), and the New Hope Chamber Orchestra (1978). He has performed with The Guy Lombardo Orchestra and several big bands in the Philadelphia area. He is currently performing over 30 dates a year with local musicians from the Philadelphia/Trenton area.
Prior to teaching at Pennsbury, Mr. McGarry was founding President and Owner/Operator of Music Services, Unlimited, located in Levittown. The successful business offered a wide variety of community services including private music instruction by certified teachers and instrument sales, service, and supply. In 1989, he sold the business to concentrate on a teaching career.
Mr. McGarry resides in Langhorne Manor with his wife and three sons.
mmcgarry@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.428.4237 x40165
Jonathan Rees
Mr. Rees graduated from Pennsbury in 2002 and was an active member in the Marching Band and PCJB and a recipient of the Stan Kenton Award his senior year. Mr. Rees has been performing in the Philadelphia area for the past six years on various woodwind instruments with ensembles like the progressive jazz group Hybrid, the New Jersey Saxophone Quartet, has rehearsed with The Philly Pops and performed with various professional pit orchestras throughout the city. He received a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Music Education from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Mr. Rees has lived in Yardley all his life.
215.949.6800 x14880
Diane Rhone
Mrs. Rhone began her music studies in the Burlington City School District where she graduated in 1969. While in high school, she performed in the All-South Jersey Orchestra, Mercer County Community Orchestra, All-South Jersey Opera Festival Orchestra, and New Jersey All-State Orchestra. She was also a scholarship recipient to the New Jersey American String Teachers Association Conference.
As an undergraduate, Mrs. Rhone attended Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee. A Dean's List student, Mrs. Rhone was Assistant Concert Mistress of the college orchestra and first violinist with the Maryville College String Quartet. While at Maryville, Mrs. Rhone performed in the first violin section of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra under the direction of David van Vactor, former Principal Flutist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Rhone completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education in 1974 at Trenton State College, where she was the Assistant Concert Mistress of the undergraduate orchestra and was selected by the faculty to perform on the Honors Recital.
Upon graduation, Mrs. Rhone's activities have included teaching assistant with the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra and performing with the Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra, the New Jersey Pops Jazz Symphony Orchestra, and Mozart and Friends Orchestra. Her teachers have included Dr. John Damiano, Mr. Lee Kull, and Dr. Matteo Giammario. Mrs. Rhone has performed in New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and New Jersey. She is also a member of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and the National School Orchestra Association (NSOA).
Mrs. Rhone lives in Edgewater Park, NJ.
drhone@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.428.4237 x40750
Roberta Stafford
Ms. Stafford, a native of Wisconsin, received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, in 1988. She returned to UW-SP to complete her Master of Music Education, with a Jazz Education emphasis, in 1994.
As a music educator, Ms. Stafford’s first teaching position was Instrumental Music (band) grades 5 through 12. She then taught grades 9 through 12, and prior to relocating to the East Coast, Ms. Stafford spent ten years as a band director for grades 6 through 9. In each of these teaching assignments, emphasis was placed on weekly lesson instruction and concert band rehearsals. She developed a comprehensive Jazz program at each of the aforementioned positions, including big bands, jazz combos, and improvisation courses offered as part of the academic curriculum. She is co-creator and past director of the New London Area Community Jazz Ensemble, which continues to perform in the Appleton, Wisconsin area.
Ms. Stafford has been active in the area of curriculum integration since 1991. She was an original member of a curriculum team integrating instrumental music, math, science, social studies, and language arts. This team traveled throughout Wisconsin presenting the topic of curriculum integration to educators and business corporations.
Currently, Ms. Stafford continues to perform on her trumpet with the Delaware Valley Wind Symphony and other local ensembles and also has an active local private trumpet studio. She is certified through the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. and is a member of Phi Kappa Lambda, the National Association for Music Education (MENC), the International Trumpet Guild, and past State Advertising Chairperson for Wisconsin - International Association of Jazz Education.
Ms. Stafford resides in Princeton, NJ with her husband, Terell, and two cats, Salvadore and Isabella.
rstafford@pennsbury.k12.pa.us 215.428.4256 x19602