Ed Otto – Director of Bands

Mary Ann Otto – Assistant Band Director / Music Caption Head

Mrs. Mary Ann Otto has been a music director for the past 28 years. Currently, she teaches 4th and 5th grade band in the Downingtown Area School District and is an Assistant Band Director and music caption head for the Downingtown West High School Marching Band. Mrs. Otto previously held positions in band, strings, and choir in the Colonial School District, Plymouth Meeting, PA. A graduate of West Chester University, and with graduate studies from the University of the Arts of Philadelphia, Mary Ann holds a degree in Music Education with an instrumental concentration. In addition, she has assisted with organizing and overseeing performances with the high school band for the Rose Parade, CA., Indy 500 Parade and several bowl games. Mrs. Otto is a guest clinician for future music educators at universities in the Philadelphia Area.  Mary Ann  resides in Downingtown, PA with her husband Ed and she is proud to call herself a music educator.

Dan VanHassent – Assistant Director

Matt Lusky, an alumni of the Downingtown percussion section, is now entering his 4th season as the percussion director and arranger for the Downingtown West Marching Band.  Matt comes to Downingtown with 25 years of experience teaching marching percussion.  His drumcorps marching experience includes 2 seasons marching at Jersey Surf (1995-1996 snare drum) and 1 season marching at Carolina Crown (1997 snare drum).  Matt was also a member of the Penn State University Marching Blue Band (1994-1998 snare drum) and its percussion section leader in 1997 and 1998.  In Addition, Matt was a founding member of the Penn State Indoor Drumline (1996-1999), becoming its director in 1997, and leading the group to a bronze medal at the WGI Percussion Finals in the independent open division in 1999.
 
Matt’s DCI instructional experience includes Magic of Orlando (1999 – Bass Drum Tech), Bluecoats (2000-2001, 2003-2004 Bass Drum Tech), and the Crossmen (2005 – Bass Drum Tech).  After DCI, Matt became the Marching percussion director/arranger at Towson University from 2005-2014, leaving after the 2015 season to focus on family.  
 
Matt currently lives in Wilmington, Delaware and works as the Delaware Agency Representative for Fidelity National Title, while also running a financial services business that focuses on helping people grow tax free generational wealth.  

Woody Kleintz – Color Guard Caption Head

Kim Jones – Color Guard Caption Head

Bernadette Tabakelis – Music and Movement

Emily Wisniewski – Color Guard

Julia Warner – Movement

CJ Orrico – Music and Movement

A dynamic presence in the marching arts, CJ Orrico instructs students in music, visual design, and indoor ensemble choreography. He draws from extensive performance experience, having marched with the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps (2024, 2025), The Cavaliers (2022), and the Hawthorne Caballeros (2021), and previously performed with Saints Brigade (2015–2020) as lead trumpet. CJ is currently pursuing a Music Education degree at West Chester University.

CJ also brings student leadership experience to the table. His accolades include serving as a section leader and Student Coordinator for the West Chester University Golden Rams Marching Band. As a high brass technician, he emphasizes strong fundamentals while supporting students’ growth both musically and visually. He is committed to building confident, detail-oriented performers through clear communication and a supportive rehearsal culture.

Brady Gehlert – Music and Movement

Brady Gehlert is the Low Brass and Visual Technician of the Downingtown High School West Marching Band. A Landstown High School graduate in Virginia Beach, Virginia, he is in his third year at West Chester University studying Music Education with a focus in trombone. Brady has been a marching band instructor since 2018, teaching five years at Landstown High School before coming to Downingtown High School West where he is now in his third season. He marched with the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps for the 2019 and 2021 seasons and has been an active member of the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band for three years serving as Visual Section Leader and Trombone Section Captain most recently performing with the West Chester University Wind Ensemble.

Andrew Kantzler – Percussion

Andrew Kanzler has been a member of the Downingtown West Marching Band staff since 2023, serving as Front Ensemble Caption Head and indoor percussion arranger (2025–2026). A seasoned performer, Andrew marched with United Percussion 2 (2019–2021), Crossmen (2021), United Percussion (2022–2026), and Phantom Regiment (2023–2024). He brings a student-first mindset, a passion for musical excellence, and a deep commitment to building confident, collaborative performers.

Stephen Byrnes  – Percussion

Jack Touri – Percussion

Nick Verdi – Percussion

Nick started his percussion career as a member of the West Chester University Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band (2019-2022). During that time, Nick ventured into the independent scene, marching with Imperial Dynasty during the 2020 WGI season. After a brief hiatus from independent percussion, he furthered his passion for marching bass drum as a member of United Percussion, where he played bass 1 in both the 2023 and 2024 season. In addition to marching, Nick has taught at various high schools in the Southeastern PA area and is currently a bass tech with the Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corp. 

Kaitlyn Farrell – Percussion

Jef Rolette – Band Dad

Jef graduated from the West Chester University School of music with a BS in Music Education.  Jef’s performing arts experience includes Highschool, College and professional experiences from Ridley High School where he was Drum Major and marched in indoor drum line and color guard through Drum Major of the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band and Rifle in Field Of View.  Jef also performed in Walt Disney Entertainment.  Over the past 30 years Jef has worked with dozens of high school marching programs in various capacities including caption head of marching, music, and color guard as well as percussion tech, drill design and music arrangement.  

Currently, Jef is the president of 1f Event Technology Solutions, where he provides temporary IT and network services for Corporate events and festivals.