Edward Griffin is an active educator and performing musician throughout the New York metropolitan area. He is currently the Band Director at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in the Edison Township Public Schools. At TJMS, Eddie instructs all lesson groups, directs both concert bands, and leads the jazz band.
Eddie received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, where he earned a double-major in Music Education and Music Performance. At Rutgers, Eddie studied euphonium and brass pedagogy with Aaron Vanderweele, Alan Baer, and Jerry Peel. He also studied conducting with Darryl Bott and Todd Nichols.
As an educator, Eddie has instructed several marching bands throughout New Jersey. He works on the staff at John P. Stevens High School, where he instructs the brass and is a member of the design team. During his time at J.P. Stevens, the band has grown to be a perennial finalist at the BOA Mid-Atlantic Regional and is one of the largest bands in the state of New Jersey. Eddie maintains a private studio, and his students have earned acceptance into several honor ensembles and university music departments. He also serves on the visual staff of the United Percussion 2 indoor ensemble.
As a performer, Eddie has played with several award-winning brass bands and concert ensembles. He currently performs with the Eastern Wind Symphony, a semi-professional band based out of central New Jersey. Eddie has also performed with the Princeton Brass Band, Atlantic Brass, Imperial Brass, and the Gramercy Brass Orchestra of New York.
Eddie has been on the Bushwackers staff since 2018. In 2019-2022, he served in the role of Brass Caption Head. His family has been involved in drum corps his entire life, and he is excited to return to the Bushwackers!
Corwin Sheffield is a freelance tuba player and music educator in the South Jersey and Philadelphia area. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from The College of New Jersey, and a master’s degree in Tuba Performance from University of Delaware. Corwin serves on the wind staff at University of Delaware, after serving as a teaching assistant with the marching band; He also freelances in the greater Philadelphia area, performing with ensembles such as Delaware Symphony Orchestra. His marching and teaching experience with the Bushwackers spans nearly every year from the last decade, joining the instructional staff in 2018 as a low brass technician. Additionally, he has spent two summers with Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps and one with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.
Zack is a trumpet player and music educator living in Marlboro, New Jersey. He received his bachelor’s degree in music education from Rutgers University in 2021, where he spent four years as a member of the Rutgers University Marching Band.
Currently, he is the assistant band director for the Monroe Township High School Marching Band and the orchestra director for Lakewood Middle School. In addition to teaching in public schools, he also teaches private trumpet lessons to students across central New Jersey. This will be his second season on the music staff with the Bushwackers!
Zachary is currently a graduate student at the University of Delaware studying for his master’s degree in music performance on horn. He is a member of the graduate brass quintet at that same university. Zachary received his bachelors of music in music education from the College of New Jersey.
Zach’s previous marching experience includes being a performing member of the Hawthorne Caballeros in 2019 and 2022.
Tyler is excited to be back on the educational team at the Bushwackers. His past experience with the corps includes 4 years on the brass staff, while being the Drum
Major in 2015 & 2016.
Tyler was formerly the visual caption head and music instructor for the East Haven High School Co-op Marching Band, US Bands 2019 Group IA National Champions.
Tyler is currently finishing his artist diploma in euphonium performance at the Hart School with James Jackson, former principal euphonium of the United States Coast Guard Band. He is also studying conducting with Glen Adsit and Edward Cumming. As a graduate teaching assistant, he helps give undergraduate lessons, while co-directing and arranging for the Hart School Euphonium-Tuba Consortium. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education/Euphonium Performance, and a master’s degree in Euphonium Performance, both completed at the Hart School.
Matt Sakasitz is currently the band director at Community Middle School in Bound Brook, NJ. As a marching band instructor, he has worked with John P. Stevens HS, Jackson Memorial HS, and Rutgers University’s Marching Scarlet Knights. Presently, he teaches the Bridgewater-Raritan HS Marching Band.
Matt is an active performer with the Princeton Brass band as a Tubist. He holds a master’s degree in wind conducting and a bachelor’s degree in music education, both from Rutgers University. He is excited to be coming back for his fifth year with Bush and his fourth on staff!
Dorian is a private music teacher, composer, and arranger in the WV-VA-MD Tri-State area. He also serves as the assistant band director and supervises the brass program for Musselman High School in Inwood, WV. He is currently an undergraduate student in music composition at Shepherd University.
Dorian consults for multiple pageantry programs throughout the year; past programs include the Musselman Applemen Band, Clarke County Indoor Drumline, Warren County Marching Wildcats, and more. Having marched for two summers with the Bushwackers, he instructed previously as a visual tech in 2019. He’s looking forward to his return to the Bushwackers and another season with his home team.
Benjamin Rivera is a music educator, freelance tuba player, and farmer. Ben received his bachelor’s degree in music education from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He has taught numerous competitive marching band programs throughout New Jersey and has served as a tuba tech and the brass caption head for the Bushwackers in the past. Ben and his wife now own and operate Habee Farms, a produce farm in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
He is very excited for his fourth season with the Bushwackers!
Shawn is an educator and performer in the New Jersey area. He is currently an assistant band director in a high school in central New Jersey. He graduated from Rutgers University in May 2020, where he studied Music Education, with a concentration on instrumental music. His primary instrument is Euphonium and studied with Aaron VanderWeele, Solo Euphonium player of the New York Staff Band. He has also worked and studied with musicians from the New York Philharmonic, including Alan Baer and Kenneth DeCarlo. Shawn has also performed in many of Rutgers’ top wind bands and chamber groups, as well.
Shawn has also worked with several marching bands and drum corps in the area. His experiences include brass technician at Central Bucks High School South in PA, lead visual technician and choreographer at J.P. Stevens High School in NJ, low brass technician at 7th Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps, and Brass Technician at the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps. Shawn also has a private studio, where he has several low brass students.
Shawn has marched lead baritone all four years of his drum corps career. He marched 2015 and 2016 at the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps. In 2018, he began his first summer with the Cadets, and aged out with them in 2019. Shawn is very excited to be returning to the brass team at the Bushwackers this upcoming season!