Director of Instrumental Music

DAVID BRITTON

Mr. David Britton has been the Director of Instrumental Music at Rancocas Valley since the summer of 2003.  Under his direction, the Marching and Concert Ensembles have flourished, bringing us our first championships in both the outdoor and the indoor arenas. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Music Education from West Chester University, PA where he studied percussion under Joe Goebel, Richard Fitz, and Dr. Chris Hanning.  He was a member of the "Incomparable" Golden Rams Marching Band and WCU Wind Ensemble.  He also marched with the Westshoremen Drum & Bugle Corps from Harrisburg, PA.  He has collaborated with, and taught alongside percussion legends John Beck, Jim Campbell, and the late Fred Sanford.

Mr. Britton has been instructing instrumental music for over 15 years and has worked with music programs throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Upper Midwest regions of the United States.  Outside of the marching activity, he is a freelance percussionist, comfortable in a wide array of musical settings. His classical repertoire includes the Pottstown Symphony (PA), the Metropolitan Symphony (MN), Allegro Sinfonia (MN), the Saint Paul Civic Orchestra (MN), the Salem County Brass Society (NJ), and the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey (NJ).  His is a drum set artist and has performed and recorded with numerous groups around the area.  As a long-standing member of the Percussive Arts Society, Mr. Britton is an advocate for comprehensive percussion education.

Staff

JOEY PALUMBO

Visual Design & Instruction

Joey started his marching experience with a solo toss at age 2 with his fathers Winter Guard.  He continued to do indoor until age 13 and then took a few years off before he joined Washington Township’s “Mirage” where he was captain.  While attending Washington Township, Joey joined the Marching Band his sophomore year to fill the Bass 1 position.  He marched snare his junior/senior years and was battery captain and Vice President his senior year. 

The summer of 1993 after graduation was Joey’s first visual caption head position with Edgewood HS and he was also a visual tech at Washington Twp. from 1993-1995.  From 1995-2000, he moved onto the Absegami Braves where they were Chapter 1 Champions from 1997-2000 and Atlantic Coast Group III Champions in 1998.  In the winter of 2001, Joey joined the design team with Southern Regional Winter Guard which took 3^rd place in Scholastic A and 3^rd place the following year in Scholastic Open in Wildwood.  He then was asked to join the Marching Band staff where he assumed the Visual Caption Head position and worked with them from 2001-2002.  Southern Regional won Chapter 1 Championships in 2001-2002 and finished 4^th place and 2^nd place at ACC’s those 2 years.  Southern had never been in the top 5 before that.  Also in 2001, Joey joined the then 10 time Atlantic Coast Champion Middle Township Marching Band.  He served from 2001-2008 as the Visual Caption Head and also assisted with the drill design.  5 out of the 8 years he was on staff they won the Group II Atlantic Coast Championships (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2007) and are now 15 time Atlantic Coast Champions.  Joey is the visual designer for Essence Winter Guard from Egg Harbor Twp., NJ.  They won the TIA All Chapter Championship in the Independent Novice Class in 2008 in their first year of competition.  Currently he is the Visual Caption Head for The Raiders Drum Corps from Wayne, NJ which placed 9^th (2008) and 6^th (2009) since joining the design team.  He also runs the visual program for United Percussion which placed 6th at WGI’s 2009 Independent World Class.

Joey’s laid back down to earth teaching style intrigues kids to want to be the best they can be.  He never settles for anything less then perfection and gives you every tool you’ll need to be perfect.  It’s how you take and use those tools that determine what kind of person and group you will become.  You can expect a lot of fun and jokes, but you’ll also know when its time to get down to work.  Can you have fun while working hard?  ABSOLUTELY!  If he couldn’t have fun, then there would be no point in doing this activity and he would have never got involved.

Joey is a certified Individual and Ensemble Analysis Visual Judge with the National Judges Association.  When he’s not on the practice field, he is working with 4^th & 5^th grade children who have behavioral disabilities in Galloway Township Public Schools.  He also finds time to coach 7^th/8^th grade girl’s basketball.  His Girls Basketball team at Galloway Township Middle School went undefeated in 2004 and 2005 at 36-0 and won the Atlantic/Cape Junior High Division 1 Championship both years.  While coaching with the Galloway Township PAL Girls Traveling Varsity team they went 55-0 in 2004, 48-2 in 2005, and 53-2 in 2008 capturing many tournament and league championships.  In 2008 his team went undefeated in the Cape Atlantic League and won the regular season championship and was the 2008 South Shore Champions!

When he’s not involved with teaching or coaching, Joey finds time to spend with his son Dakota.  He enjoys watching Kody play Street Hockey, Soccer, Baseball, and swim for the Brigantine Green Head’s.  They also love to play wii together and have lots of tournaments.

KELLY PRUDEN

Color Guard Head

Bio coming soon

BILLY O'BRIEN

Color Guard Instruction

Bio Coming Soon