You have a vision for your marching program. Let’s build a plan your staff and students can deliver.

Whether you’re a new head director or a seasoned team preparing for next season, I can help. Every program faces challenges, and an experienced educator can help you work through them. I’ve learned from mistakes and found approaches that help students and staff succeed. I’d welcome the chance to share what I’ve learned and help you find what works for your program.

A strong creative team matters, as does someone to manage the calendar, coordinate with designers, and turn creative ideas into practical teaching plans.

When music or drill arrives late, or transitions need extra rehearsal, staff must adjust while keeping everything else moving. I can help your team find solutions and manage those demands, giving you more time to focus on students.

After more than two decades as a Texas band director, I know what's on your shoulders. I’ve led programs of varied sizes, budgets, and development stages, including a Title I campus to the UIL 6A State Marching Contest. My students earned honors as 5A and 6A UIL State Marching Finalists, BOA Grand National Finalists, and Regional Champions. Concert ensembles received TMEA State Honor Band recognition and multiple National Wind Band Honors Project wins. These experiences taught me to set priorities, adapt, and help staff use rehearsal time effectively.

We start with what would make the biggest difference for your program.

Do you need more dependable delivery dates? Help connecting the work of several designers? A weekly sounding board? Someone who can watch a rehearsal and help your staff decide what to tackle next?

Depending on your needs, I can help with:

Finding Designers: Need help finding designers or filling a spot on your team? I can help connect you with people for music, drill, choreography, uniforms, flags, and props who fit your vision, students, budget, and timeline.

Getting materials when you need them: Build a production calendar with your designers, establish checkpoints, and follow up early so your staff can prepare to teach.

Working through production questions: Coordinate conversations about transitions, equipment changes, musical demands, and staging so everyone understands the adjustment and who is responsible.

Turning the show into a teaching plan: Help your staff develop exercises, rehearsal sequences, and fundamentals that prepare students for what the production asks.

Making useful musical and staging adjustments: Collaborate with your designers on orchestration, balance, placement, and pacing as the show develops.

Setting weekly priorities: Review video, talk through what’s improving and what’s holding students back, and identify a realistic set of next steps.

Following through: Keep track of decisions and outstanding work so you don’t have to carry every reminder and conversation yourself.

You don’t have to replace the people you trust or add another full-time staff position to get this support. We can build the role around your existing team and the areas where you need help.

Your designers develop the concept and creative products. I help coordinate their work and support the teaching that brings it to life. When something needs adjusting, we work through it together with respect for the design and a clear understanding of what your students need.

My goal is to help you spend less time chasing answers and more time leading rehearsals—with materials ready, a staff that knows the plan, and students prepared for the next step.

Let’s talk about your next season. 

Tell me what you want to keep, what has been difficult to manage, and where another experienced educator could help. From there, we can put together a scope of support that fits your program, calendar, and budget.

Practical support. A plan that fits your program.

Through in-person clinics, video feedback, and ongoing consultation, my goal is to feel like another member of your staff—someone you can call to listen, troubleshoot, and help identify the next step.

Over more than twenty years as a band director, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside students and colleagues whose dedication earned TMEA Honor Band recognition, Mark of Excellence National Winner distinctions, UIL State Marching Finals appearances, and Bands of America championships. Those experiences reinforced how much thoughtful planning and consistent daily teaching matter.

My approach reflects the guidance of Raymond Crisara, Dr. Keith Winking, Beth Bronk, Tom Bennett, Denis Kidwell, Eddie Green, Greg Dick, Tye Ann Payne, Marion West, Dr. Mary Ellen Cavitt, and Ron Morrison. I’m grateful to continue sharing the lessons they generously passed along.

I work with concert and marching bands of all sizes and grade levels, helping directors strengthen fundamentals, solve rehearsal challenges, and prepare students to perform with confidence. Whether you’re a new head director or part of an experienced staff, each clinic builds on your work and focuses on your priorities.

In concert rehearsals, we can address tone, intonation, balance, articulation, rhythmic clarity, and musical expression. On the marching field, we can connect those musical skills to movement, ensemble timing, and consistent performance. Across both settings, I support rehearsal pacing, instructional strategies, and student ownership so progress continues after the clinic.

Tell me where your program is today and where you’d like it to go. Let’s find the next steps together.

Brett is an Instructional Coach with PBSL-USA, a division of the Docentus Group.

With 100+ years of combined direct program leadership, our team of experienced educators empowers students to unlock their full potential as student leaders through a non-traditional approach that equips them with practical tools and ongoing support to navigate peer-based leadership in their fine arts programs.

www.pbsl-usa.com

Brett Nelson | South Texas Sales Representative, Stanbury Uniforms

Every program has its own identity, goals, and challenges. Brett Nelson helps directors find uniform solutions that reflect their vision, serve their students, and fit their budget—while offering the support of someone who understands the daily work of leading a band.

With more than 20 years of experience as a Texas band director, including leadership roles at Jersey Village, Friendswood, and Ronald Reagan High School, Brett brings practical knowledge of concert and marching programs at every stage of development. His students have earned state and national recognition, and his approach remains rooted in the generosity of his mentors and the relationships built through teaching.

Serving Houston, San Antonio, and South Texas, Brett connects performing arts programs with Stanbury’s marching uniforms, concert attire, winter guard and indoor percussion uniforms, flag silks, and accessories. He helps directors navigate design, purchasing timelines, fittings, and future needs so they can make informed decisions with confidence.

Whether you’re planning new uniforms or working through your program’s next step, Brett welcomes the opportunity to listen and help.

stanbury.com