Mark Monaghan – Percussion Arranger & Percussion Caption Head
Mark is an NJ-based musician and educator currently holding the middle school band director position at Eisenhower Middle School in Roxbury NJ as well as a percussion specialist for the district. As a graduate of Rutgers University, he holds degrees in both music education (percussion focus) and psychology. Having worked with various scholastic percussion ensembles in New Jersey, Mark has also worked with various independent musical organizations such as The Santa Clara Vanguard (battery technician) and The Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps (percussion/music coordinator). He has also worked with his alma mater, the Rutgers University Marching Scarlet Knights, since 2016. Mark would like to thank his teachers for their immeasurable impact on his musical career as well as for their selflessness and energy: Joseph Tompkins, Kyle Zerna, Mike Truesdell, Javier Diaz, Todd Nichols, Paul/Sandi Rennick and Kevin Chaffinch.
Matt Blood – Front Ensemble Arranger & Front Ensemble Coordinator
Matt Blood is a marching arts designer, educator, and consultant based out of Southern New Jersey. He has worked with many marching bands, indoor percussion ensembles, and drum corps on the East Coast and in the Midwest as the sole proprietor of mattbloodmusic.com. Currently, Matt holds the positions of Front Ensemble Coordinator/Arranger/Sound Designer for the Hawthorne Caballeros, Front Ensemble Caption Head/Staff Arranger for the Rutgers University Marching Scarlet Knights, Front Ensemble Arranger for the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps, and Front Ensemble Caption Head for long-standing WGI World Class finalist United Percussion.
Matt received his Bachelor’s degree in classical percussion performance from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where he learned from Joe Tompkins, Kyle Zerna, Mike Truesdell, and Javier Diaz. In addition, Matt has performed as a member of the United Percussion Front Ensemble during their 2012-2014 seasons, and was fortunate enough to work with many amazing educators, including Steve Ballard and Ian Hale.
Jeffrey Chambers – Brass Arranger
Born in Issaquah, Washington in 1990, Jeff Chambers grew up in eastern Washington and now composes and arranges music that is played and heard around the world. He is the owner and lead brass and percussion arranger for Jeff Chambers Music LLC. He studied composition with Dan Bukvich and Robert Dickow at the University of Idaho and upon graduating, immediately made a full-time career in music composition and arranging. He specializes in pageantry music, musical theatre and music for film and media while constantly expanding to other genres. His music is frequently noted as fresh and exciting and in 2013, one of his arrangements was recognized by Rolling Stone Magazine as a “Mind-Blowing Cover”. He has won numerous film score awards around the world and is actively collaborating with composer and playwright Jesse Sanchez on the music for two new musicals in New York City and Tucson, Arizona.
To date, Jeff has composed and arranged over 130 new marching band shows and has received national recognition as a prominent and emerging marching arts designer. His shows have competed at all levels of BOA, USBands, Tournament of Bands, Cavalcade of Bands and Texas UIL. This year 145 marching bands across the country performed his music, 22 of which performed brand-new commissions. He currently serves as the lead music composer and arranger for the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps, co-brass arranger for the Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps, Music Arranger for Phoenix Drum and Bugle Corps and was the percussion arranger for the Eruption Indoor Percussion Ensemble in 2016. He also composes and arranges indoor winds and indoor percussion shows for programs across the country, including ensembles that compete in Dayton, Ohio at the WGI World Championships. His work is published through Marching Show Concepts and on his website, www.jeffchambersmusic.net His work in the world of film, theatre and media can be heard on his site, www.jeffchamberscomposer.com.
Jeff currently lives in Puyallup, Washington with his wife Karissa, daughter Oakley and their two spoiled pups. In April of 2023 they will be welcoming a baby boy to their family!
Cliff Bialkin – Music Coordinator
Mr. Bialkin recently retired after celebrating his 32nd year as the Director of Bands at Ramsey High School in Ramsey, New Jersey. His responsibilities included directing the award-winning Ramsey High School Jazz Ensemble, the “Big Blue” Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, and Pit Orchestra, as well as supervising and working with all competing groups in the department including the Winter Guard and Percussion Ensemble. He arranged and collaborated on music performed by all the bands and ensembles on a regular basis. Under his leadership the groups routinely received top honors in competition and performances both domestically and internationally. The RHS Jazz Ensemble had been a consistent finalist at IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) festivals, as well as many contests and festivals throughout the Tri-State area. Under his direction, the Ramsey High School Wind Ensemble garnered many superior and gold ratings at state, domestic, and international festivals. In 2019 Mr. Bialkin conducted the Music Educators of Bergen County Incorporated (MEBCI) Honors Band. In 2010, Mr. Bialkin was selected to be the guest conductor of the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA) Western Division Jazz Ensemble. In 2003, the Ramsey Jazz Ensemble was selected to be a guest of the Japanese government and the sole representative of the United States at the “All Japan Cultural Arts Festival” held in Fukui, Japan. During his tenure at Ramsey, the Marching Band and Jazz Ensembles traveled to London, England, Paris, France, and Rome Italy to participate in the New Year’s Day Parades and festivals.
Mr. Bialkin was a founding member of the Musical Arts Conference (MAC), and was on the executive board since the inception of the association, serving in many roles including Vice President and President.
Currently, Mr. Bialkin is working with Marching Show Concepts (MSC) as a custom show designer, writer, and production coordinator. Mr. Bialkin is a consultant for Youth Music of The World (YMOTW) and often serves as a clinician/judge for bands in and around the New York metropolitan area, as well as internationally. He is a member of the Conn Selmer VIP program and is also the assistant coordinator for Tournament of Bands (TOB) Region10.
Mr. Bialkin has been actively teaching in the drum corps world since 1996. In 2003 he joined the staff at Hawthorne Caballeros for their championship run. Since then he has been teaching, designing, programming, coordinating and consulting multiple all age, and junior drum and bugle corps. Mr. Bialkin has a full private studio of low brass players and is a freelance trombonist in the NY/NJ Metropolitan area.
Mr. Bialkin currently resides in Ramsey, New Jersey with his wife Sabrina, a teacher in the Wayne Township Public Schools in Wayne New Jersey, and his 23-year-old son Joshua, who is a Trumpet player attending Yale School of Music as a Master of Music Performance Candidate.