Faculty & Staff

• Pamela Pfeil
  

  Interim Director, Spirit of Stony Brook Marching Bandpamela . pfeil @stonybrook.eduBiography Pamela Pfeil serves as the Associate Director of Military and Veteran Student Services at Stony Brook University. In addition, she is currently the Interim Director of The Spirit of Stony Brook Marching Band, of which she was a founding member. She received her BA in History from Stony Brook University and has served in the United States Army for over 20 years. Pamela has a passion for enriching the lives of Stony Brook University's student veterans and ensuring they have the best academic experience possible.
• Dr. Taylor Peterson
  

  Interim Assistant Director of Athletic Bandstaylor . peterson @stonybrook.eduBiography Dr. Taylor Peterson serves as the first full time Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at Stony Brook University where he recently completed his doctorate in trombone performance. Additionally, Dr. Peterson is a freelance trombonist and teacher in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Music at North Dakota State University, where he was a member of the Gold Star Marching Band.
• Michael Ayala
  

  Drumline Instructormichael . ayala @stonybrook.eduBiography Michael Ayala currently serves as Drumline Instructor for the Spirit of Stony Brook. He was previously a member of the Spirit of Stony Brook while attending Stony Brook University as an undergraduate. He served as the Drumline Instructor prior to 2015, before returning to the  program again in 2018.
• Mr. John Leddy
  

  Director of Athletic Bands EmeritusBiography Mr. John Leddy arrived at Stony Brook University in 2006 and is the Founding Director of The Spirit of Stony Brook. Prior to that, he taught music in the Connetquot school district for 33 years where he directed concert band, jazz ensemble, and marching band at all levels. 
• Dr. Miles Cingolani
  

  Drill WriterBiography Dr. Miles Cingolani serves as the Drill Writer and Visual Head for The Spirit of Stony Brook Marching Band at Stony Brook University. He recently completed his doctorate in percussion performance at Stony Brook University and attended James Madison University and Florida State University for his Masters and Bachelors degrees. He currently resides in Philadelphia, PA where he is a freelance percussionist, composer, and music teacher.
• Khesner De Oliveira
  

  Graduate Teaching AssistantBiography Khesner Oliveira is a performing artist and educator based in New York, who maintains an active career in musical performance and artistic collaborations. His background encompasses a wide range of styles from Traditional Brazilian to free improv. He has performed in different places including Europe, United States and all across Brazil, his native country. Khesner has performed with ensembles including Impact(o) percussion group, Atlanta Improvisers Orchestra, KataGata, Sankofa, Música Íntima,  Banda Pequi, Bent Frequency, among others and has given Brazilian premieres of works by composers such John Luther Adams, James Wood, Olivier Messiaen, Helmut Lachenmann, and Michael Pisaro. Khesner holds a Bachelor of Music  in performance from the Universidade Federal de Goiás, a Master of Music in performance at the Georgia State University, and is currently a DMA candidate at Stony Brook University.