Cindy Scroggins—Administrative Assistant

Cindy joined the staff of the JHS Band program after serving actively as a band booster for 6 years with her sons Nick and Ben, both graduates of the JHS band program. Cindy brings many years of experience working with not-for-profit organizations and an accounting background to this position with the band program.

Dennis Akers – Low Brass

Dennis R. Akers currently resides in Jeffersonville, Indiana and is a retired band director of 40 years in Indiana and Kentucky. His last position (9 years) was as the director at Parkview Middle School in Jeffersonville where he also served and continues to serve as low brass instructor for the Jeffersonville High School marching band and concert bands. Dennis earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Kentucky and Master of Arts in Music Education from Ball State University. He is actively involved as an adjudicator with the Indiana State School Music Association and is an active member of the Central States Judging Association.

Dixie Akers – Flute

Dixie Akers has been a music educator for over 43 years.  She received a B.S. in music from the University of Kentucky and a M.M.E. from Ball State University. Though Dixie is well known as a private flute instructor and serves as an adjudicator for both regional and state ISSMA events, she also performs in local and regional orchestras. The Akers’ have one son who is the band director at Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Indiana. “Grammy” is currently teaching grandson Aaron to sing and play several instruments.

    Collin Dorman – French Horn

Colin Dorman, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, has played and taught the French horn professionally since 2004. He holds a Master of Music in Horn Performance from the University of Louisville, as well as a Bachelor of Music from the University of Alabama. Colin is the 4th horn in the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, and he has performed with numerous regional orchestras, including the Louisville Orchestra, the Reading (PA) Symphony, the Annapolis Symphony, Orchestra Kentucky, the Owensboro Symphony, the Southwest Michigan Symphony,  and the Columbus Philharmonic (IN), among others. He has also performed in chamber ensembles, as a soloist in solo recitals, and as a concerto soloist, and has played in pits for numerous musicals and operas. In addition to performing regularly, Colin also teaches horn students in both one-on-one lessons and in larger sectionals at area schools. He is the horn instructor at SWK Music Studios in Louisville and at Indiana University Southeast Arts Institute. He is also the Adjunct Instructor of Horn at Indiana University Southeast. In a non-musical capacity, Colin is also a web developer specializing in developing, creating, and managing websites for musicians and music-related organizations. You can find out more information about him on his website, ColinDorman.com.

Brianna Hall – Guard Instructor

Jon Gustely – French Horn

Jon  has performed with the Louisville Orchestra since 2007 and is Principal Horn. Mr. Gustely has received degrees from Boston Conservatory, St. Louis Conservatory, and The Royal Conservatory of Belgium. He has also performed with The Mexico Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and toured both the United States and Europe. Mr. Gustely’s teachers include Roland Pandolf, David Ohanian, Arnold Jacobs, and James Callahan.

Michael Launius, Percussion

Michael currently serves as percussionist with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra while also maintaining an active freelance schedule which includes engagements with the Louisville Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic, and Orchestra Kentucky. He has also performed with the Jacksonville Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony, the Symphony of Southwest Florida, and the Palm Beach Symphony. He previously held long time positions with the Atlantic Classical Orchestra (principal timpani 2001-2015) and the Palm Beach Opera Orchestra (percussion 2006-2015). In 1999 and 2001, Michael was a percussionist for the Festival Musical de Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic under the direction of Philippe Entremont.  He also has performed as timpanist with the National Symphony of the Dominican Republic. Michael has performed under the direction of such notable conductors as Anton Guadagno, Julius Rudel, Robert Spano, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, and Michael Tilson Thomas.

As an educator, Michael currently serves as head drum line instructor for the University of Louisville Cardinal Marching Band as well as the director of percussion activities for Jeffersonville High School in Jeffersonville, IN.  He has also served as percussion instructor for numerous high schools in Oregon and throughout South Florida. Other teaching posts have included marching percussion instructor and percussion ensemble director for Oregon State University as well as the founding drum line instructor at Florida International University in Miami, FL where he also served as director of percussion studies from 2003 to 2008.

   Marilyn Nije – Clarinet

Marilyn Nije, clarinetist, was formerly Assistant Principal and Eb Clarinet with the Mexico City Philharmonic until 2009. Since moving to Louisville in 2009, she has performed with the Louisville Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, Owensboro, Bowling Green and Lexington Philharmonic Orchestras. Marilyn is currently adjunct clarinet faculty at Bellarmine University, but in the past has been adjunct faculty at the University of Louisville, Western Kentucky University  and Campbellsville University.

      Alex Schwarz – Trumpet

Alexander Schwarz hails from Chicago, Illinois where he received his Bachelors of Music degree from Northwestern University in 2016. Alex then performed as the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Trumpet Fellow for their 2017-2018 seasons before moving to Houston, Texas to pursue a Masters of Music degree from Rice University. His teachers include Christopher Martin, Charles Geyer, Barbara Butler, and Robert Sullivan.

Alex is currently based in Louisville, Kentucky where he enjoys teaching and performing locally as well as across the country. He is guest artist with the Louisville Brass, comprised of brass faculty from the University of Louisville. Alex held the position of principal trumpet with the Louisville Orchestra, from the 2019 to 2023 seasons.

Alex has appeared as guest musician with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Omaha Symphony, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Ensemble Dal Niente, Millar Brass Ensemble, and Chicago Folks Operetta. Festivals attended include the Music Academy of the West, Aspen Brass Quintet Fellowship, and National Orchestral Institute.

Brittany Slaughter – Guard Instructor

Steve Zeneri — Sound

Steve is a graduate of Jeffersonville High School and was a proud member of the marching band. He also studied percussion and participated in marching band at the University of Louisville. His love of the activity led him to volunteer full time for the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps from 2003 through 2007. In 2004, utilizing his past experience with concert sound, Steve was instrumental in designing, purchasing and operating the first DCI pit amplification sound system for the Phantom Regiment. In the years following, he assisted several other Drum Corps with their sound systems. In 2010, Steve toured full time with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps assisting with amplification and percussion. Moving back to Indiana in 2013, Steve is honored to be involved once again with the Jeffersonville band program.