The Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps is excited to announce our 2016 design team.
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Vincent Monacelli is joining the 35th anniversary Bushwackers as drill designer. A builder of champions, this innovative designer was pivotal in uniting the East and West when WGI was founded. Vince Monacelli began teaching and drill writing with the Watkins Glen Squires junior drum and bugle corps in western New York. He has created memorable drills for corps including the Cadets of Greece, Crossmen, Dutch Boy, Bluecoats, Rochester Crusaders, and Empire Statesmen.
Vinnie has been particularly successful as a Winter Guard International instructor, winning four national color guard championships in a row in the mid-1990s. He taught a number of WGI finalist winter guard including Bishop Kearney, Eastbury, Eastridge, Canandaigua Academy, and Orchard Park.
His career in drum and bugle corps activity began when he played in the horn line of St. Joseph’s of Batavia. Vinnie is a member of the WGI and World Drum Corps Halls of Fame.
Mickey Kelly rejoined the Bushwackers in 2015 as a color guard consultant and is returning in 2016 as the color guard caption supervisor. He designed drill for the Shoreliners and the five-time state champions Bengal Lancers. He produced championship guards three times each for Hawthorne Caballeros and Connecticut Hurricanes. In addition to the Bushwackers and Caballeros, Mickey has been the color guard caption head for 27th Lancers and Hawthorne Muchachos.
Under Mickey’s direction, the Skylarks were one of the most creative units in the history of WGI. Mickey also served as WGI judge coordinator, bringing standards, accountability and quality to the adjudication.
His drum corps activity began playing a baritone horn with St. Raphael’s Golden Buccaneers of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He marched in the color guard of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) Ridgemen. Mickey is a member of the WGI and World Drum Corps Halls of Fame.
We are pleased to welcome Lauryn Heller as the color guard caption head for the 2016 Bushwackers. Lauryn is also the color guard caption head of Washington Township High School and Haddon Heights. She is the co-director of Cadets Winter Guard and on has been on staff with the Cadets drum corps for the past two years following her age-out year as a color guard captain for the corps.
Lauryn is a graduate of Rowan University and has been involved in the color guard activity since the age of five, starting with the Haddon Heights junior color guard, and has indoor performance experience with WGI Finalist High Voltage, The Light Brigade, Alter Ego, and Black Watch.
Returning to the Bushwackers for our 35th anniversary year is Adam Ott. Adam was the color guard caption head for the 2015 Bushwackers, and he has performed with Field of View the past two indoor seasons. He also had the opportunity to perform with David Byrne, St. Vincent, and other artists as part of Contemporary Color in New York City and Toronto.
Adam began marching in school within the East Syracuse – Minoa school district. During hist time in school, he also completed three seasons with the Empire Statesmen while also teaching and writing for Cicero – North Syracuse’s entry level winter guard.
