Ron Hardin- Director of Bands
Ron Hardin is currently the Director of Bands at Bellevue East High School. Ron took this position in 2000, and has led the Chieftains to many successful performances in all areas, including Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Bands, Indoor and Concert Percussion, Chamber Ensembles and Indoor Color Guard. Under his watch, the band programs have performed in ten different states.
Ron Hardin's experience in the drum corps activity is extensive, spanning over twenty years. As a performer, he spent the 1991 and 1992 seasons with the Star of Indiana. Upon the completion of his performing career, Ron joined the Blue Devils as a member of their visual staff for eight seasons and later spent five years as the Visual Caption Head of the Santa Clara Vanguard. Currently Ron serves as the Visual Caption Head of the Canton Bluecoats. In addition to instructing, Ron has designed visual programs for Yamato, Pride of the Lions, Magic of Orlando and Minnesota Brass. IRon is also affiliated with the Blue Stars as Visual Coordinator and adviser. Ron is currently an instructor representative on the DCI Instructors' Task Force.
Ron is very active as a pageantry designer. He has designed hundreds of shows for bands, drum lines, winter guards and drum corps. Annually, Ron designs for over twenty groups. Ron is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the world, having done many clinics throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. Since 1999, Ron has served as a visual judge for Winter Guard International, annually judging for many circuits, regionals and world championships. Ron has performed several judging clinics for NMEA, NSBA, WGI, several indoor percussion circuits and the Judging Association of Mid America.
In addition to his experience in the drum corps activity, Ron also has extensive history as a professional music educator and performer. He was the founder and past conductor of the Diablo Wind Symphony, and was the Director of Bands at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, CA for six years where served as President of the Contra Costa County Band Director's Association and Vice-President and Contest Coordinator of the Western Band Association. In addition, he was the recipient of the Jack R. Snyder Young Band Director's Award. When he is not teaching or conducting, Ron finds time to play bass trombone with several ensembles. His greatest pride and joy is his family: his wife Molly, and their daughters Emma and Celeste.
Ryan Placek - Assistant Director
Ryan Placek enters his fifth year on staff as an Assistant Director with the Bellevue East bands. Previously, he was Head Director of Instrumental and Vocal Music with the Johnson-Brock Public Schools, and Assistant Instrumental and Head Vocal Director with Plattsmouth Community Schools.
Ryan has conducted many vocal and instrumental clinics throughout the state and has adjudicated several area contests and festivals including District Music Contest. His experience also includes writing percussion and drill for marching bands. Ryan earned his Bachelor's of Music Education degree from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys coaching and playing volleyball, traveling, following drum corps, and performing with area vocal ensembles.
Dana Murray - Drumline Instructor
As a high school student, drummer, Dana Murray immersed himself in music. He spent countless hours in the "woodshed" studying the masters and honing his skills. A native of Omaha, this "young lion" naturally began gigging wherever and whenever he could which included street corner performances. In the mid 90’s, Dana moved to Boston to attend the renowned Berklee School of Music on scholarship. Shortly thereafter, on the advice of the jazz legends Max Roach and Victor Lewis, a Omaha native, Dana moved to the center of the jazz universe, New York City. From the mid 90’s to the early 00's, Dana was a big part of the city’s scene. He toured the world with Wynton Marsalis and began gigging and recording with the likes of Donald Byrd, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roy Hargrove, Sherman Irby, and James Hurt, to name a few. Dana also played several Broadway shows, including the rock opera “Tommy”. Unlike many jazz musicians, Dana did not limit himself to jazz. Dana toured with the Soul Trance band Topaz and in support of jam band stalwarts Widespread Panic, performed with Atlantic records’ WaxPoetic alongside Norah Jones and Steely Dan singer Carolyn Leonhardt. Along with Malike Burke, Dana founded Reallive, a cutting-edge hip-hop group. Dana is also an A-list Producer who has produced records for a variety of labels including BlueNote. Dana recently produced Eric Revis’ new release "Tales of the Stuttering Mime".
Dana returned to Omaha at the end of 2003 to raise his son Aleeke. The opportunity to reunite musical skills with longtime friend Mitch Town was exciting and he immediately began work on the new group, Von Angel. Combining 21st Century technology with an old-school attention to musicianship, Von Angel's upcoming album charts new territory on the modern music landscape.
Currently, Dana is one of the most in demand educators in the Mid-West. Dana performs many clinics across the country as a product endorser for Vic Firth drumsticks and Istanbul cymbals. Holding head percussion positions at Bellevue East and Burke High Schools for the last four years, his programs have been top performers in the State as well as winning multiple out of state contests. Creatively, Dana is currently scoring the music for the film “Desert Flower” based on the world wide best-selling biography on Super Model, Activist, Waris Dire. As founder of Dojo Percussion and its parent company DMgroove Drum Dojo, Dana aims to reach the masses through the power of music and percussive art.
Matt Arbeiter
Matt Arbeiter received a Bachelor of Percussion Performance from the University of Omaha, at Nebraska. He has studied under Tomm Roland (Percussion Director at UNO), Ken Yoshida (Principal Percussionist for The Omaha Symphony), and Dana Murray (Endorsed by Vic Firth and Istanbul Cymbals, played drums for Wynton Marsalis and many others).
Matt Arbeiter is a free lance musician working with many bands and artists. He has performed and recorded with various Saddle Creek artists such as Orenda Fink, Todd Fink (of The Faint), A.J. Mogus, Ian Aelio, Jake Bellows (of Neva Dinova), and Tim Kasher (of Cursive). He also performed with The Omaha Symphony, in which he performed concerts featuring Frank Sinatra Jr., Linda Rondstadt, and Yo Yo Ma. Other local groups he is currently performing with include The Jazzwholes, Heidi Joy, Midwest Dilemma, Paper Owls, Old Money, and Matthew Amendez Trio.
Matt is currently on staff as a Percussion Assistant at Bellevue East High School and Omaha Burke High School. Bellevue East is led by former Blue Devil Caption Head, Ron Hardin.
Julie Hadley - Color Guard Instructor
Julie is a former captain of the color guard at the University Nebraska-Lincoln where she earned her Bachelors degree in Psychology and Philosophy. She has been an instructor for various competitive HS color guard and winter guard programs in Nebraska for the last 7 years. In addition to her chorography and instruction Ms. Hadley also currently holds the position as Head Judges Adjudicator for the Heartland Color Guard Association. In the winter she is an active judge for JAMA (Judge Association of Mid- America) as well and a caption auxiliary judge for Nebraska come marching band season.
Julie currently is employed at Burke High School as a psychology teacher. In her free time Julie enjoys being with friends and family and also finds time to teaches aerobics as a local Jazzercise Instructor.
Molly Hardin - Color Guard Instructor
Molly began her color guard experience in California at age 15, where she was a member of the Velvet Knights Drum & Bugle Corps guard for three years. She performed with Winter Guard International finalist Kingsmen, Bronze Medalist State Street Review, and Gold Medalists San Jose Raiders and Blue Devils winter guards. She also performed with World Champion Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps for four years. While performing with these groups, she earned several medals in both arenas, including the DCI Championship in 1994, and WGI Gold Medals in 1994 and 1995.
Molly studied with many color guard legends, including Stanley Knaub, Scott Chandler, Jim Moore, and Carol Abohatab. Upon completion of her performance years, Molly began teaching local high schools and independent groups, attending workshops led by national-level color guard adjudicators and judging various events. After moving to Nebraska, Molly was a founding member of the Heartland Color Guard Association, and remains active as a choreographer, judge and clinician. She also was the color guard instructor for the University of Nebraska — Lincoln for three years.
Molly currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband Ron and their two daughters, Emma and Celeste. She works full-time as a graphic designer.