Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band

The Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band is the marching band program at Deep Run High School. It is optional to all music students and open to people interested in joining the color guard. In its 5 years of existence, it has held the title of Virginia Honor Band for 4 years, which consists of winning two straight superior performances at VBODA Festivals. The Deep Run Marching Band was selected from a pool of many Virginia High Schools to march in the London New Year's Parade to represent Virginia's 400th year. Deep Run High School's band holds competitions anually for bands to compete in. The band is currently being directed by Jaraun M. Ransome.

Current Staff
Jaraun M. Ransome is the current director of the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. He recently joined the Deep Run band as director upon spending a year at James Madison University, where he and his wife Stephanie were conductors in the Graduate Program. They are both happy to be a part of the Deep Run band family.

Stephanie Ransome is a music specialist of the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. She is an instrumental music teacher in the Richmond area and a native of Harrisonbrug, VA where she received her B.M. at James Madison University. While at JMU, she studied oboe with Michele Kirkdorffer and conducting with J. Patrick Rooney and Robert McCashin. Mrs. Ransome maintains a private oboe studio, teaches strings and elementary music in Hanover County, and is a music specialist with the Deep Run High School Band. She performs Oboe and English Horn regularly in the Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Pops Band and the Commonwealth Winds. She is an active clinician and adjudicator for marching and concert venues.

Lindsay Guerlet is a music specialist of the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. She spent three years teaching elementary general music in North Carolina. In 2002, she received her M.M.E. from Florida State University and returned to the Richmond area. Mrs. Guerlet served as band and orchestra director at Fairfield Middle School for five years. Now, she teaches band at John Rolfe Middle School.

Matthew Bruins is a music specialist of the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. He has Bachelor of Music Education degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia and a Master’s of Music Education from East Carolina University, where he also studied concert band conducting and music technology.
Matthew is currently the band director at Pocahontas Middle School, where he has led a successful award winning program for five years. He has taught previously at Wilder Middle School and at Broad Creek Middle School in Morehead City, North Carolina, where he has met with similar success.

Allen Kilgore is the percussion coordinator for the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. He also is the Percussion Caption Head for the Carolina Gold Drum & Bugle Corps from Rocky Mount, NC. Allen has been a member of Carolina Gold since the inaugural competitive season in 2002 and has served as percussion captain in conjunction with joining the instructional staff in 2005.

Ryan Gillis is the front ensemble coordinator for the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. Mr. Gillis has been involved with percussion instruction since 2004 throughout the Central Virginia Area. He has worked in private percussion instruction as well as with Drumlines and Percussion Ensembles. Mr. Gillis worked most currently with Monacan High School in Chesterfield, Va. He attended Monticello High School where he studied with Kevin Murphy. Mr. Gillis is currently a Music Education major at Virginia Commonwealth University and a student of Professor Kris Keeton.

Tony McCain is the color guard coordinator for the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. Mr. McCain has over 20 years of experience in Marching Band and Pageantry of the Arts. He has instructed numerous high schools, workshops, clinics, camps, organizations, and James Madison University. He is currently Director of Ngoma African & Contemporary Dance Company( University of Richmond), The Colorguard Coordinator at Deep Run HS Glen Allen,VA,), Colorguard Instructor at Lee-Davis HS Mechanicsville, VA, Co-director of The Ezibu Muntu African Dance Theatre, Richmond, VA( which recently performed at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music, NYC, has appeared in The Dave Mathews Band "STAY" Video, and The Sally Hemings Movie, CBS.

Marty McCartt is the music arranger for the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. Marty McCartt is a freelance composer and arranger for junior high, high school, and collegiate level concert, marching, and jazz bands, as well as percussion and other small ensembles. His music and conceptual design services are showcased at , where he serves as Creative Director.

Ralph Stewart is the drill designer for the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band. Ralph currently lives in Orlando and is a 1998 graduate of East Carolina University, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. He has been a visual clinician, designer, adjudicator and consultant for many championship organizations within DCI, WGI, and BOA for more than 15 years.

John Mills is a member of the Deep Run Marching Wilcat Band staff. He graduated from Deep Run High School in 2007. John currently attends James Madison University, where he pursues a degree in Foreign Languages and Secondary Education, and continues to compose and arrange music for bands, soloists, and other ensembles.

Traditions
Band Camp
Band Camp for the Deep Run Marching Wildcat Band is a huge tradition. All members of the band meet to learn the music, drill, and choreography for the upcoming field show. The difficulty of the show directly affects the length of the camp. Band Camp '06 was only 1 week long, however; band camp '07 was 2 weeks long. Not only does work get done at band camp, friendships are made and members bond. Orange and ice-pop breaks are a favorite for all band members.

Shows
Shows of the Deep Run Marching Band have included "Latin and Jazz", "Follow the Dream", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Spanish Fire", and "The Pursuit of Wealth, Beauty, and Happiness". The band also participated in the 2007 London New Year's Day Parade representing Virginia and its 400th birthday as a colony. The lastest show is titled "tra-VELOCITY". The band placed 13th out of 25 bands in its first appearance at BOA Regional Championships at Towson University in Maryland, missing finals by only 3 places (the top ten go on to compete in finals).

Videos of the band are available at:

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Notable Alumni
Jimmy Royston - Drum Major for the University of Virginia Marching Band.

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See Also

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