Mr. Jerry Philp
Drill Writer 

Jerry Philp is in his 17th year of teaching as director of bands at Skyline Middle School in Harrisonburg, Virginia.   He designs drill for several high school programs across the Commonwealth and works specifically with the Virginia Honor Band Harrisonburg High School Marching Band,  the 500 strong James Madison University Marching Royal Dukes,  and is co-director for the WGI medalist JMU Nuance Winterguards.  He has helped write and stage over 135 marching arts productions.  As a judge he is WGI certified in general effect, and appears regularly with shows in the Atlantic Indoor Association, Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association, and the Virginia Marching Band Cooperative.  His drill has been featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and on CollegeMarching.com. ​

Mr. Nick Hathaway 
Music & Visual Technician

Mr. Nick Hathaway is a local professional Tuba player going into his last year at Old Dominion University. He has been playing the tuba for 14 years and holds positions in several local ensembles outside of ODU including Tidewater Winds and the Virginia Wind Symphony. He also has been the acting principal tuba of the ODU Wind Ensemble and Orchestra for the past 3 years. He also has several years of experience as section leader of the ODU marching band tuba section as well as helping local high schools throughout the marching season and school year. He also has been the acting principal tuba of the ODU Wind Ensemble and Orchestra for the past 3 years.

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Mr. Jon Hooten 
Music & Marching Technician

Mr. Hooten is a class of 2014 graduate of Kempsville High School. He was a member of the Old Dominion University Monarch Marching band baritone section for four seasons. Mr. Hooten was a contracted player for Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps as wells as a two time member of the Carolina Gold Drum Corps Associates. He has also been working in the fine arts since 2015 with multiple band programs as well as competitive show choirs. Outside of music he is a chef by trade and enjoys hiking his in his free time. 

Ms. Holly Thyng
Guard Instructor 

 

Mr. Damian Fitzgerald 
Percussion Technician

Mr. Fitzgerald is First Colonial Band Alumni Class of 2021. Mr. Fitzgerald is currently a student at Virginia Tech pursuing his degree in Aerospace Engineering.  He has participated in both marching band and  winter percussion during his time here at first colonial. Mr. Fitzgerald joined as a percussion Tech in 2022 with a goal to create a welcoming environment to grow as a person and as a musician.  

Mr.Kristian Quillion 
SRt and Music Technician 

Kristian Quilon is currently a 4th-year Sound Recording Technology student of the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music at Old Dominion University.  He is a multi-instrumentalist and has studied music and classical piano for 15 years.  At ODU, he plays saxophone in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Orchestra, and Saxophone Trio/Quartet; double bass and piano in Symphony Orchestra; and bass guitar and saxophone in Jazz Combo.  In April 2023, he performed George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the ODU Wind Ensemble as a winner of the Young Artists Competition.  Outside of ODU, Kristian is a substitute music director/accompanist at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, the accompanist for the Catholic High School Band/Orchestra and Choir, the bassist and saxophonist for oldies/disco group called D’Originals, a guitarist/vocalist of the indie-rock band Moonsmoke, a saxophonist of a big band called Deep Blue, and the pianist for Virginia Wind Symphony.  He was an actor/singer in multiple musicals and plays in high school, and he transitioned to playing bass, auxiliary keys, and woodwinds in the pit band/orchestras for musicals in the area, especially at St. Matthew’s Catholic School and First Colonial High School.   He is also one of the audio engineers, bassists, and keyboardists at Coastal Community Church.  Kristian is a sound engineer at SJI Media, an audio and video company in the Hampton Roads area, under which he has worked live sound reinforcement and mixed live shows for Tidewater Winds and Deep Blue.  His teaching experience consists of general music and instrumental private teaching, and recently, he was the music instructor for a summer theatre camp at CHS.  In his free time, Kristian likes to write and produce music, collect vinyl records, play video games, read books, and have jam sessions with friends!