CONDUCTORS
& SOLOIST
THOMAS TURPIN
Director of Bands
Thomas Turpin is currently in his 17th year of teaching, 15 of which have been spent at Westwood High School. Prior to his appointment as Director of Bands in 2018, he served as both Associate and Assistant Director at Westwood. During his time at Westwood, Mr. Turpin has taught the marching band, all four concert ensembles, and all three symphony orchestras, leading each group to consistent UIL Sweepstakes ratings in Concert and Sight Reading Evaluations. The band department at Westwood has enjoyed perennial success at UIL Concert and Sightreading evaluations, with all four ensembles earning consistent Sweepstakes ratings. The Wind Ensemble has been named a TMEA 6A Honor Band Finalist and a Mark of Excellence National Winner. Wind Ensemble members are also a part of the Westwood Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble which has been named as a TMEA Honor Full Orchestra four times, and has performed at the Midwest Clinic twice.
Prior to his time at Westwood, Mr. Turpin served as Assistant Director of Bands at John Paul Stevens High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he coordinated the marching band program and co-conducted all four concert ensembles and the Jazz Band. Mr. Turpin is a proud native of Alabama, where he attended Athens High School and The University of Alabama for his secondary education, earning both his Bachelors and Master of Arts in Music Education. During his time at the University of Alabama, he served as Section Leader, Drum Major, and Graduate Teaching Assistant of the “Million Dollar Band.” Mr. Turpin was also a member of The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2004 and 2005.
Mr. Turpin is an active drill designer for marching organizations across the United States, an ensemble clinician, and a leadership consultant. His professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA), the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Beta Mu. He has served TMEA as both the Region 26 Band Division Chair and the Region 26 President. Mr. Turpin lives in Austin with his husband Dean and their dog Tucker.
BRITTANY DACY
Associate Director
Brittany Dacy is a Westwood High School class of 2004 graduate, and she returned to the home of the Warriors as Assistant Band Director in the fall of 2015. In 2018, she was named the Associate Director of Bands. Her responsibilities now include working with the marching band, as well as conducting the Wind Symphony and the Philharmonic Orchestra. Before joining the team at Westwood, Mrs. Dacy was an Assistant Band Director at Rouse High School for six years, where she conducted the Concert Band, Jazz Band, and assisted with the marching band.
Mrs. Dacy received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from The University of Texas at Austin in 2009. During her time at UT, she performed with the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and University Orchestra. Mrs. Dacy is a French horn player and a former member of the UT LongHORN Choir and Longhorn Band. She especially enjoyed her time with the Longhorn Band during the 2005 National Championship season. Mrs. Dacy completed her Masters in Band Conducting in 2017 through the Sam Houston State University's American Band College summer program.
BRANDON WINTERS
Assistant Director
Brandon Winters joined the Westwood High School Band as an Assistant Director in the fall of 2018. He served as an Assistant Director for two years at Mendez Middle School, teaching beginning brass and percussion, as well as conducting the Symphonic II Band. Under his direction, the second band earned the highest scores in school history. Mr. Winters was also a marching tech at Westwood in 2014 for the “Fore!” show. Most recently he served as the Assistant Director at Hays High School for three years. During that time, he conducted the Concert Band, Symphonic II Band, Jazz Band, and coordinated all aspects of the Rebel Marching Band. The Symphonic II Band earned a sweepstakes rating for the first time in school history and continued to do so for two consecutive years under his direction.
Mr. Winters is originally from San Antonio, Texas where he received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). While attending UTSA, he performed as the principal trumpet player in the Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Pit Orchestra, and even had the opportunity to perform with the rock band, Kansas. He is also a member of the Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Mr. Winters competed in Drum Corps International for three years, including his age out year (2008) when he performed with The Cavaliers when they placed 3rd in the DCI World Championships.
Mr. Winters’ wife Anna is excited to return to her Alma Mater, as she was part of the Westwood Band Class of 2005. They recently celebrated the birth of their second son, who joins his big brother, and are excited to have moved into such a supportive community.
Mikey Sheeran
Percussion Director
Mikey Sheeran graduated from Texas State University in the spring of 2018 with a Music Education degree, and is currently on staff at Rhythmic Force Percussion, and The Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps. Mr. Sheeran is a Round Rock native, being a member of the first graduating class at Cedar Ridge High School. He is a founding member and the first Percussion Captain of the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps, and has also marched with Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps, The Spirit of Atlanta, The Crossmen, Imperial Percussion Theater and aged out with Monarch Independent as the Ensemble Captain. Mr. Sheeran has helped great percussion programs across the state, including Cedar Ridge High School, Steele High School, Weiss High School, and Hendrickson High School. Mr. Sheeran is proud to be endorsed by Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth, Balter Mallets, and Evans Drumheads.
Dan Havely
Guest Conductor
Dan Havely was Director of Bands at Athens High School (Athens, AL) from 1966 until his retirement in 2000. A native of Morristown, Tennessee, he received his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of North Alabama in 1966, and his Master of Music Education from the University of Memphis in 1973.
The concert, marching, and jazz bands at Athens High School have received state and national recognition for their musical accomplishments. The symphonic band under Havely’s direction received a “Superior” rating for 26 consecutive years, a state record for bands in its classification.
Mr. Havely served as President of the Alabama Bandmasters Association and two terms as District Chairman. During his tenure as president, he organized the first ABA Summer Convention. He was also President of the Alabama chapter of the International Association of Jazz Educators, and during his tenure co-founded, along with Dr. Ted Galloway, the first Alabama All-State Jazz Band in 1979. He served as President of the Rho Chapter of Phi Beta Mu.
Mr. Havely was selected as a finalist for “Alabama Teacher of the Year in 1997.” Over the years he has served as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator throughout the southeastern United States and Great Britain. His arrangements for marching band have been published by CPP/Belwin Warner Brothers.
Mr. Havely was inducted into the Phi Beta Mu Alabama Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 1999.
Jerry Junkin
Guest Conductor
Serving since 1988 on the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin, where he holds the Vincent R. and Jane D. DiNino Chair for the Director of Bands, in addition to serving as a University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Jerry Junkin is recognized as one of the world’s most highly regarded wind conductors. Previously, he served on the faculties of both the University of Michigan and the University of South Florida. In addition to his responsibilities as Professor of Music and Conductor of the Texas Wind Ensemble, he serves as Head of the Conducting Division and teaches courses in conducting and wind band literature. He is a recipient of multiple teaching awards, and students of Mr. Junkin hold major positions throughout the world.
He has served as Music Director and Conductor of the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia since 2003, and as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dallas Winds since 1993. Beginning in 2009, he has served as Visiting Professor at the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music Wind Ensemble in Tokyo, Japan.
An enthusiastic advocate of public school music education, having conducted All-State bands and festivals in forty-eight states and on five continents. He spends his summers in residence at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, as well as appearing at major music festivals throughout the world. Mr. Junkin has served as President of the Big XII Band Director's Association and is a member of the Board of Directors of The John Philip Sousa Foundation, is Past-President of the American Bandmasters Association, and Past-President of the College Band Directors National Association. Regularly making guest appearances with ensembles such as the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, this season finds him conducting throughout the United States in addition to appearances in Japan, China, and Europe. Mr. Junkin is a Yamaha Master Educator.
Caleb Hudson
Trumpet Soloist
Caleb Hudson is the newest member of the Canadian Brass, having graduated from the Juilliard School with both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Acclaimed by the New York Times as 'brilliantly stylish,' Caleb has performed as an international soloist, including a recital that was broadcast nationally on NPR's Performance Today.
Caleb is known for his piccolo trumpet mastery of Bach's infamous Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, having performed it around the world with ensembles including Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, Israel Philharmonic Soloists, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Possessing a wide range of musical styles, his experience ranges from soloing in Carnegie Hall to performing with early music ensembles, even appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He is an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Academy and Ensemble Connect, a fellowship program of Carnegie Hall that promotes community outreach, and music education.
Caleb enjoys writing and arranging music for Canadian Brass, having many works performed, published, and recorded. They can be heard on two albums, Canadian Brass: Perfect Landing and Canadian Brass: Great Wall of China . In 2015, his original composition White Rose Elegy was performed as a world premiere in Lincoln Center by the Canadian Brass and New York Philharmonic Principal Brass.
Caleb is Associate Professor of Trumpet at the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is devoted to teaching and sharing his love for music with students.