About

Meet the Staff...

Director - Holly McCoy

Holly McCoy is the Band Director at Henninger High School here in the Syracuse City School District in Syracuse, NY. She has 29 years of teaching experience which include teaching in the Instrumental, Vocal and General Music settings. She has experience in the Marching Arts participating as a Brass Instructor and an Assistant Director.
Holly serves as a Brass Adjudicator for NYSSMA. She also is the New York State Band Directors Association’s 1st Vice President and is the New York State Representative for Women Band Directors Association.
Mrs . McCoy has presented at NYSSMA conferences, NAfME (Eastern Division) Conference, MidWest Clinic and other local workshops on subjects that include urban education, classroom management, personalized learning, mentorship and brass and percussion. Mrs. McCoy has had the honor of conducting at a variety of County and City Band Festivals throughout New York State. She has spent her time on the other side of the podium by performing on the horn with the Central Winds (a Music Educators’ Wind Ensemble), Syracuse University Brass, other various community groups and for local school musicals.
Mrs. McCoy is excited and absolutely proud to be directing this ensemble into their second year of competitions, performances and many more unforgettable experiences. PRIDE!!!!

Assistant Director - John Chiamulera

Hailing from both the city and the country, John Chiamulera has been in music education for the past two decades. His career has been a split between schools in New York City and Syracuse. Presently at Corcoran High School, he is the director of the concert and marching bands as well as the drumline and modern band. Prior to entering the field of education, Mr. Chiamulera held various positions in media at CBS/Viacom, Conde-Nast Publishing, and Sesame Workshop.
Mr. Chiamulera is looking forward to working with an amazing group of students this season. He can’t wait to see new friendships formed, student grow as performers, and a show that will wow any audience.

Membership Coordinator - Nancy Heigle

Music Arranger - Ben Phelps

Nancy Heigle is so excited to be part of Pride of Syracuse City School District Marching band staff as the membership coordinator. Nancy has been a math teacher at Henninger High School since 2001 and just recently retired. Wait?!?! Yes, you read that correctly: math! Her passion for music and the performing arts supersedes that teaching music is not in her realm of “expertise”. She has been involved with marching bands previously as a “band mom/pit crew”. She also coached cheerleading for many years as well. Nancy has a bachelor’s of science degree in elementary and secondary math education from SUNY Cortland, where she participated in the college choir, select choir, and cheerleading squad. Go Red Dragons! She also holds a master’s degree in special education from Lemoyne College. After college Nancy performed at Salt City Center for the Performing Arts, as well as in an acapella/50-60’s doo-wop group “Street Corner” and then with a 70’s-80’s-90’s band “Phoenix Rising”. Nancy has 2 daughters and a son-in-law: Mary Margaret, Carrie & TJ. She and her “better half” Brian enjoy going to SU football and basketball games as well as spending time at their family camp. She is looking forward to an amazing second season for SCSD Pride!

Ben's obsession with the marching arts started in 3rd grade, when he went with his dad to pick up his sister from her first marching band practice. As a student, Ben immersed himself in New Hartford's marching arts programs, and found a deep love not only for performing, but for writing and arranging. Ben studied privately with renowned composers Zhou Tian and Ryan Chase during his undergraduate years at Colgate University, and graduated with a degree in Music Composition and Orchestration. For the past 7 years, Ben has found his way back to New Hartford to work as a brass and ensemble instructor. Ben has also served as New Hartford's Music Designer/Arranger for the past 5 seasons, and has been privileged to work on some of the program's most innovative shows. During these years, New Hartford has performed in NFL Stadiums, won the 2023 USBands Ludwig-Musser Classic, and seen its highest NYS Field Band Conference Championship scores in the program's history.
Ben has also served as Rome Free Academy's Music Designer/Arranger for the past 3 seasons, as well as the Visual Designer for the 2023 season. He has written for symphony orchestras, wind ensembles, college pep bands, elementary school groups, TV commercials, documentary series...and now, his second year with the Pride of Syracuse! It has always been a dream of his to have the opportunity to join a band in their first years, and he is excited to watch the rest of this 2nd season unfold for this wonderful group of people!

Woodwind Instructor - Aaron Nosky

Ron Abate' has over 3 decades in pageantry as a designer, consultant and clinician. He is currently Director of Education for the Cavalcade of Bands. Ron has been Executive, Visual Education and Associate Director for the Pennsylvania Federation of Contest Judges. Inclusive of facilitation of educational events to the MENC of The Crane School of Music, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, LMBA, MYCGC, PFCJ and NYFCJ .
Dr. Abate’ has been connected to many notable programs: The Empire Statesmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps, Cicero-North Syracuse, Northstars Marching Band, The “Laurens “ Jaguars” color guards. The Rochester Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps and the Kingston Grenadiers Drum and Bugle Corps of Ontario, Canada as well as Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Marching Band; to name a few.
Ron has adjudicated for IPA, NJNJ, Drum Corps Associates, Drum Corps International, NYFCJ, NYSFBC, US Bands, and the Musical Arts Conference.
Dr. Abate' is also an Associate Member of the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, the International Trumpet Guild, and Psi Chi Honors Society. He has an MS & Doctorate in Psychological Studies. Ron Is a psychotherapist, behavioral consultant and crisis intervention specialist professionally. Ron is Lead Consultant for Autonomy Life Consulting of Jeannette, PA. He is the proprietor of Company Front Productions since 1988. Ron resides near Pittsburgh PA, with his wife Mary Beth and their “fur kids”.

Aaron Nosky is the woodwind caption head for the Pride of SCSD. He is the band director at Ed Smith K-8 and has been teaching in SCSD for 13 years. He has 8 years of marching band performance experience with Oswego High School and Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. He enjoyed 6 years teaching the Jordan Elbridge Marching Band and 3 years teaching their Indoor Percussion Ensemble. During his time with JE, the band competed and won competitions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland as well as winning the NY Governor's Cup in Small School Division 2. Mr. Nosky is a proud graduate of Mansfield University and Syracuse University where he earned his B.A. and M.A. in Music Education. While all of that is very impressive, Mr. Nosky considers his greatest accomplishment to be landing a certified Manitoba master sized walleye while ice fishing in Winnipeg.

Brass Co-Instructor - Megan Kirsch

Megan Kirsch has been teaching Band and Orchestra in the Syracuse City School District in Syracuse, New York for nine years. She has spent her entire career in the district as the Instrumental Music teacher at the Expeditionary Learning Middle School (ELMS). She has also taught at other schools within the district, including Hughes Magnet School, The Syracuse Latin School, Bellevue Elementary School, and Clary Middle School (where she is currently working in conjunction with ELMS). In addition to her teaching role at ELMS, she is also a Crew Leader and a member of the School Leadership Team. She also has a private instrumental music lesson studio outside of school.
Hailing from Liverpool, New York, Ms. Kirsch continued her education to become a music teacher and is a proud alumnus of Syracuse University. While at Syracuse University, she earned her B.M., B.S., and M.M. in Music Education, with a Brass Emphasis. She is also a member of the Onondaga County Music Educator's Association, the New York State School Music Association, and the National Association for Music Education. In 2023, Ms. Kirsch presented on multidisciplinary expedition design and implementation for the Expeditionary Learning (EL) National Conference in Denver, CO.
Ms. Kirsch resides in Liverpool, New York with her three children, Gavin, Ainsley, and Hayden. The four of them love going on adventures, exploring, attending performances and sporting events, and being outdoors.

Brass Co-Instructor - Brent Paris

Color Guard Instructor - Alyssa McDonald

Alyssa McDonald will be one of the co-directors for the color guard in the marching band. She has been in color guard since she was very young in school. As a part of the Cicero North Syracuse marching band from 2016 to 2019, Alyssa has two gold medals in the Large School Class 2 and a silver medal in the National class. She has performed at the TaxSlayer Bowl of Champions in Jacksonville, Florida where they placed 1st, the USA Bands in Allentown, Pennsylvania where they placed 1st, and the Bands of America at Baltimore, Maryland where they placed 7th. In 2018 Alyssa marched at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Alyssa was also a part of the CNS winter guard from 2014-2020.

Color Guard Instructor - Seth Pearson

Seth has over two decades of color guard instruction, dance & weapon choreography, and show design. Teaching credits include River City Rhythm and Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps, and over 25 independent and scholastic programs in over 10 states. Notable marching credits include Carolina Crown (DCI Finalist), Cadets2 (DCA Champion) and Onyx World (3-time WGI medalist and 2-time WGI Champion.

Pit Instructor - Jana Hallberg

Jana Hallberg (soprano, oboist) is a Crane School of Music graduate and has taught private vocal and instrumental lessons and music in public and private schools since 1998. In 2014 she co-founded and was a conductor and instrumental teacher for various ensembles in the Tidewater Homeschool Community Band and Orchestra in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which is still going strong. Jana has co-directed 3 high school musicals, a middle school musical, directed 2 elementary musicals, been a pit performer for 6 musicals, performed previously and currently in community ensembles and a rock band. She joined White Sabers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2023 when they were DCA and cannot wait for their next season now that they are DCI. Most recently she began performing in the cast of Dickens Christmas in Skaneateles and had a blast singing carols, interacting with holiday shoppers, and playing the flageolet. Jana currently teaches general music at Delaware Primary in the SCSD.

Drumline Instructor - Austin Aserian

Austin Aserian is an engaging performer and educator in the Syracuse area. After graduating from SUNY Fredonia in May 2016, where he studied percussion and voice for a Bachelor's in Music, he performed as a percussionist and vocalist for various local musicians. In May 2019 he graduated from Syracuse University with a Master's in Music Education upon finishing his first-year teaching in SCSD. His favorite experience as a percussionist during this time was committing to a study abroad in Ghana, West Africa, where he studied the music, dance, and culture. World drumming (including mallets) has continued to be a passion of his along with modern band music.
During the ‘25-‘26 school year, Aserian will be entering his 8th year teaching, 3rd year as the choral director at Nottingham, and 2nd year as the Battery Head for the Pride of SCSD marching band. As a school kid, Aserian participated in nearly every vocal and instrumental ensemble at his school, as well as honors youth ensembles in CNY, and marched all year around in parade band, marching band, and winter drum line, where he was usually playing center snare or tenor (quints) as the battery captain. This summer Aserian really looks forward to expanding the battery and pit into a strong percussion section, and is excited for those of you who don’t know him, to become acquainted with Dr. Beat.