Joe Santanello
Band Director, North Penn Marching Knights, santanjj@npenn.org
Joe Santanello, originally from Vernon, New Jersey, has been a proud public school educator since 2009, and is currently the Director of Bands at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, a position he has held since 2019. Previously, Joe served as the Director of Bands at Strayer Middle School in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. At both Quakertown and North Penn, Joe’s ensembles have been frequently recognized as outstanding. Under his direction, the Strayer Middle School Jazz Band was invited to perform at the 2016 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Conference in Hershey, and the Strayer Middle School Wind Symphony, founded by Joe, was invited to perform at the 2017 Conference in Erie. The North Penn High School Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the 2023 PMEA Conference in Pocono Mountain, and the 2025 NAfME Eastern Division Conference in Hartford, Connecticut. His groups have performed alongside prestigious college programs such as West Chester University and Montclair University.
In addition to concert and jazz ensembles, Joe served as the co-director of the Quakertown High School “Panther” Marching Band for ten years. The PMB was a regular top-five finisher at USBands National Championships and the Group IV Open Pennsylvania State Champion in 2016. Since moving to North Penn High School, Joe directed the North Penn Marching Knights to being the 2021 USBands Group IV Open Pennsylvania State, Mid-Atlantic Regional and National Champions. The Marching Knights also performed at the 2022 Peach Bowl, and performed at half-time for the Philadelphia Eagles. Joe presented a session entitled, “Let it Grow: Innovative and Proven Methods for Growing Your Marching Program,” at the 2024 PMEA Conference in Erie.
Joe earned his Bachelors of Music in Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 2009, and his Masters in Conducting from the American Band College of Sam Houston State University in 2014. He has completed additional coursework at both Vandercook College and University of the Arts. In addition to teaching, he is a regular performer on French horn. Joe has served as the principal horn of Pennsylvania Symphonic Winds and Warminster Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with Liberty Wind Symphony, Doylestown Symphonic Winds, Berks Opera Company and more. He is also the Music Director and Principal Conductor of The Quakertown Band, founded in 1877, which makes it one of America’s oldest continually performing concert bands. Joe taught on the staff of the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps as a high brass technician in 2023 and 2024. Joe is a member of the National Band Association, the American School Band Directors Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
In his free time, Joe Santanello enjoys weight-lifting, reading, cooking, New York sports, and spending time outdoors with his wife, Kaylee, also a musician and educator. They have two cats, Milo and Penny; a dog, Sophie; and a cockatiel, Figaro.
Sean Haddad
Assistant Band Director, North Penn Marching Knights, haddadsa@npenn.org
Director, North Penn Winter Percussion
Mr. Haddad is a Lansdale local and went through the North Penn School District. Mr. Haddad earned his Bachelors of Music in Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 2014, and is currently working on his Masters in Music Education at Temple University. He teaches 7th grade band at Pennbrook and Pennfield Middle Schools. At NPHS, he started as the Director of the North Penn Winter Percussion in 2015, and became the Assistant Band Director at NPHS in 2016. Mr. Haddad still lives in Lansdale where he stays close to his friends and family.
Chris Thompson
Assistant Band Director & Staff Coordinator, North Penn Marching Knights, thompscw@npenn.org
Rich Hammond
Program Coordinator & Percussion Arranger, North Penn Marching Knights
Rich has served as the Program Coordinator, Percussion Caption Head and Percussion Arranger for the 13-Time DCA Champion Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps from 1997, 2001 – 2011 and Ensemble coordinator and program consultant from 2016-2017. He has also taught the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps, the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps and the Westshoremen Drum and Bugle Corps and the Jersey Surf winning the prestigious DCI Open Class High Percussion trophy.In his time with USBands, Rich served as Director of Performing Ensembles, where he managed The 10-Time World Champion Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, Cadets2 Drum and Bugle Corps, Cadets Winter Percussion and Cadets Winter Guard.Rich played an extremely significant role in the founding of three Cadets Ensembles: Cadets2 (est. 2011), Cadets Winter Percussion (est. 2013) and Cadets Winter Guard (est. 2014). He served as the Director of Cadets2 from the corps’ first season through the summer of 2014, leading C2 to competitive standing in the DCA circuit in its very first year.Rich also served as the Director of Cadets Winter Percussion, where he contributed significantly to program design. He led CWP to win the 2014 WGI Open Class World Championship in the ensemble’s inaugural season. As a result, Cadets Winter Percussion went on to compete in Independent World Class among the very best percussion ensembles from the U.S. and around the world.Working in various capacities for several marching bands and drum corps in the Northeast. Most notably, He has spent 21 years as a member of the North Penn High School Marching Knights Staff (1996-2011, 2017-present) and 14 years as the Director of Percussion for the North Penn School District (1998-2011). He has also worked as a music engraver and custom arranger. Rich is also a sought after judge for numerous Marching Band and Winter percussion circuits, including Winter Guard International.
Bobby Jones
Drill & Visual Design, North Penn Marching Knights
Bobby Jones is a full time Visual Designer, Program Coordinator and Consultant for a multitude of high school and university marching bands, drum corps, winter guards, and indoor percussion ensembles throughout the country. In addition to his new roles with the Raiders, most recently Bobby became the Visual Designer for the Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps.Bobby has served as the Visual Designer and Caption Head for the 2006 Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps and the 2007 Hawthorne Caballeros Drum & Bugle Corps. From 2011 through 2014 he was a member of the design team with the Jersey Surf Drum & Bugle Corps and was the drill designer for the 2017 and 2018 Cadets. Most notably, Bobby has played an integral part in the success of the Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps serving as Visual Designer and Caption Head (2005, 2008-2011) and as Visual Designer and Program Coordinator (2012-2020).In 2019, the Reading Buccaneers earned the DCA World Championship title, Bobby’s eleventh championship with the corps. In 2021 Bobby was appointed to be the Visual Designer for the US Army Training and Doctrine Command Band.Bobby has been recognized by his peers and colleagues for his accomplishments and contributions to the drum corps community with induction into the Reading Buccaneers Hall of Fame in 2014 and into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2016. Bobby also works as a freelance adjudicator, judging for multiple indoor and outdoor circuits across the country, including WGI Percussion, Cavalcade of Bands (Administration) and the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Division.Bobby lives in Hawthorne, NJ with his wife Amy, son Chase and puppy Myron.
Mark Lortz
Music Arranger, North Penn Marching Knights
Adam Germ
Visual Caption Head, North Penn Marching Knights
Adam Germ is a pageantry arts educator and designer from Quakertown, Pennsylvania. He is an alumni of the Quakertown Community High School Class of 2019. Adam began his performing career with his high school marching band, and went on to perform with other ensembles such as The Cadets2 (2018) and the Blue Stars (2019-2022).Adam’s teaching career began in the fall of 2019 with Central Bucks South High School and served as their Visual Caption Head from 2021-2024. He is currently the Visual Caption Head of the North Penn High School Marching Knights. Adam is also on the visual staff with the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps (2023-2025) and has also worked with Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps (2024) and the Blue Stars (2025), where he teaches marching fundamentals and dance technique with the brass sections. He has also previously worked with United Percussion 2 (2023 & 2024) and Abington High School Indoor Percussion (2023) during the winter and spring months of the WGI season. Adam has contributed to two silver medalist performances as a drill designer with the Quakertown High School Indoor Percussion and the Central Bucks Combined Indoor Color Guard during the 2024 season in the MAPS and MAIN circuits respectively.Adam is very excited to spend his first season as a caption head in 2025!
Matt Hurley
Color Guard Caption Head, North Penn Marching Knights
Matt brings with him a wealth of drum corps and color guard experience, having marched from the time he was 15. Matt’s drum corps experience started way back in 1979 when he became a member of the Bayonne Bridgemen’s feeder corps; The Bayonne Kidets. He went on to also march with the Bayonne Bridgemen, The New York Skyliners, and the Sunrisers. Being active in the indoor color guard world, he has performed with the Bayonne Kidets, Conquest Color Guard, and The Emerald Marquis. He is currently the World Guard Director and Program Coordinator for the AMP Winter Guard Organization. Prior to his role at AMP, he was also the operations manager with The Black Watch Independent World color guard for 12 years. Matt has been the Program Coordinator DCI’s All-Age World Class Corps the Hawthorne Caballeros since 2020.
Luke Shayka
Percussion Caption Head, North Penn Marching Knights
Mr. Shayka is the Band Director at Kulp, Hatfield, and Oak Park Elementary schools in NPSD and has been working with the Marching Knights and Winter Percussion programs since December of 2019. Prior to joining the district, he was a music teacher at John B. Stetson Charter School in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. At Stetson, he introduced a program in which all 5th grade students learned how to play trumpet and all 6th graders learned trombone. These students had the opportunity to perform at local elementary schools. He was also a percussion instructor with the Bush Academy, a group that provided urban students, including some of his own, an opportunity to perform with the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps. His own drum corps experience is with the Reading Buccaneers, where he played auxiliary percussion and snare drum from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Shayka received his Bachelors in Music from Franklin and Marshall College. At F&M he performed as a percussionist in the Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and Philharmonic and graduated with Honors. He received his teaching certification and a Masters in Education from Eastern University. He lives with his wife, daughter, and two cats in Conshohocken.
Additional 2025 NPMK Staff
Music
Peter Neu – High Brass
Tim Jernigan – Low Brass
Mark Urmson – Woodwinds
Brooke Ziemba – Woodwinds
Hailey Strzelec – Woodwinds
Visual
Kevin Ramsey
Sam Sharksnas
Peyton Brillhart
Drew Mello
Percussion
Sean Moran – Battery
Bridget Benson – Battery
Eric Proctor – Front Ensemble
Chelsey Craig – Front Ensemble
Caleb Pendleton – Front Ensemble
Color Guard
Mackensie Wrightstone
Miranda Royer
Isaiah Norman
Danny Arias
Christian Smacher