In the Leander Band, we are incredibly fortunate to have a world-class private lesson faculty and program! We strongly recommend band students register for private lessons to help propel them forward in their growth as a musician. They offer one-on-one time with a specialist on their instrument and are worth every penny. Private lessons are NOT tutorials or remediation. They are enrichment that will allow your student to get the most out of their band experience. Private lessons are also incredibly convenient as most lessons take place during a child’s band class or before or after school!
Email Mrs. Brigham at amanda.petro@leanderisd.org for District Private Lesson Grant information.
- Private Lesson Facts to consider:
- 82% of the Leander Band is in private lessons
- 100% of the students that make Region, Area, and All-State Bands take private lessons
- 98% of the Wind Ensemble takes private lessons
Click here to sign up for Private Lessons
Private Lesson Staff
Flute – Rachel Lopez
Flute – Annie LeDonne
Annie LeDonne is an instrumental music composer based in Austin Texas. Annie Earned their Bachelor’s Degree in Music Composition, and Bachelor’s in Flute Performance from Baylor University in May of 2025. As a student, they gained experience transcribing and arranging for small commissions, composing video game and film music, and programming original works for concerts and recitals at Baylor. Along with composition, Annie has an extensive flute performance background participating in various festivals, ensembles, and performance groups such as the Galway flute festival of 2019, the Gary Schocker flute festivals (2018-2020), the Baylor Symphonic Band, Wind ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and chamber programs. Annie is a freelance composer, performer, and private teacher in the North Austin area. Their Primary teachers included Dr. Scott McAllister and Dr. Charlotte Daniel.
Oboe – Korey Young
Korey Young is an Austin-based freelancer, reedmaker, and oboe teacher. He is Principal Oboist of the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly with professional orchestras throughout Central Texas. As a soloist, Korey was a semifinalist in the Young Texas Artists Music Competition and was invited to compete at the Barbirolli International Oboe Competition at age 19. He was a guest soloist with Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra in celebration of their 80th Anniversary season in 2025.Mr. Young has been teaching oboe in the Austin area since 2020 and has coached many students to District band, Region band, Area band, and Young Artist Competition accomplishments. In 2025 he served as a panelist for “Oboe Teacher’s Talk” at the International Double Reed Society’s annual conference.
Bassoon – Aaron Lukenbill
Aaron is a bassoonist from Cedar Park, Texas. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Texas and also received a Master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. His teachers include Dr. Darrel Hale, George Sakakeeny, and Kim Laskowski. Aaron has performed with various ensembles across the state and country such as the Mansfield Philharmonic and The Syracuse Orchestra. Additionally, Aaron has attended summer festivals such as the Brevard Institute in North Carolina, the National Music Festival in Maryland, and the International Lyric Academy in Italy.
Clarinet – Stephanie Grubbs
Stephanie Grubbs is one of the clarinet private lesson teachers at Leander HS. She earned a Bachelor’s in Music Education at the University of North Texas. She was a band director for 10 years and has been teaching privately for in the Austin area for over 19 years. She lives in Liberty Hill with her husband and has two grown daughters. She prides herself on her personal and positive approach to teaching.
Clarinet – Tricia Moore
With nearly 30 years of experience in music education, Tricia Moore is passionate about helping students develop confidence, musicianship, and a lifelong love of music. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and a Master’s Degree in Education and recently retired after 29 years as an elementary music teacher.
As both a music educator and parent of former band students, Tricia understands the value of a strong music program and strives to make every lesson engaging, encouraging, and rewarding. She is the proud parent of two college graduates—one from the University of Texas at Austin and one from Texas State University. When she is not teaching, Tricia enjoys playing clarinet in her local community band and spending time with her two golden retrievers, Cadence and Coda.
Saxophone – Dustin Hunter
Dustin Hunter is an Austin based saxophonist and music educator. He holds a Bachelor’s of Music degree from Louisiana State University and a Master’s of Music degree from the University of New Mexico. Locally, Dustin performs regularly with Honey Made, a funk and soul band hailing from Austin, Texas, and the Austin Saxophone Ensemble, one of the only professional classical saxophone ensembles in the country. He has also performed with the San Antonio Symphony, Mid-texas Symphony, and various other ensembles of all genres of music. He has been a guest soloist with the Heart of Texas Concert Band and the Louisiana State University Wind Ensemble. As an educator he has been teaching professionally for over twelve years in Virginia, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. His students have consistently won auditions in region, district, area, and state competitions, and have often continued their education at the collegiate level.
Saxophone – Lucy Croasdale
Lucy Croasdale is a performer, collaborator, educator, and composer originally from Madison, WI. She is a multi-instrumentalist who has had the pleasure of playing in an array of musical genres. Her focus lately has been building her private saxophone studio in the Austin, Texas area while developing her professional musical voice.
When she was very young, she started off as a Suzuki violinist, eventually migrating to saxophone, and along the way, picked up guitar, voice, trumpet, bass clarinet, flute, piano, and mandolin, among other things. Since starting college, saxophone has become her main focus. In high school and early undergrad, she was concentrated on jazz and improvisation studies but has turned her attention more towards contemporary and classical saxophone lately.
Throughout her musical career so far, she’s received a few special honors. Some of which were attending the 2019 Essentially Ellington festival and competition, being commissioned by Lawrence University to compose an educational big band chart for the 2022 Fred Sturm Jazz Celebration Weekend, being a member of the Lawrence University Jazz Ensemble when they won the 2023 Outstanding Performance award for Large Jazz Ensemble – Undergraduate College category, and premiering a saxophone quartet concerto, Second Nature by Viet Coung, as a soloist with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble. Another endeavor she is proud of was when Lucy created and led a weekly beginner’s jazz workshop September 2021 – March 2022 where she taught improvisation lessons and lead the educational jazz jam that followed, in an effort to create accessibility to the genre. Along with the workshop, Lucy was a co-founder of LU’s Jazz and Gender Equality Initiative. Most recently, Lucy had the honor of being a fellow at Bang on a Can’s 2026 summer festival and LOUD Weekend.
Lucy Croasdale earned her Master’s degree in Music Performance at The University of Texas at Austin where she studied with Dr. Stephen Page and earned a Bachelor of Music Performance with a Jazz Emphasis from Lawrence University where she studied with Steven Jordheim and Jose Encarnacion.
Trumpet – Dr. Shane Pitsch
Shane Pitsch holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in trumpet performance and literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance degree from Eastern Illinois University, and a Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance (jazz emphasis) degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Shane has performed with artists such as Willie Nelson, The Drifters, Sam Moore (of Sam and Dave), Maria Schneider, Wayne Shorter, Steve Turre, Henry Butler, Spoon, What Made Milwaukee Famous, The Latin Breed, Johnny Bush, Ron Wilkins, and many others.
Over the past several years, Shane has been involved with many Austin area bands, including Global Soul (co-leader), Ghandaia, Opositivo, The Latin Breed, The Caldwell Shine Band, ATX Big Band, Blind Date, The Nash Hernandez Orchestra, and The Contemporary Works Jazz Orchestra.
Trumpet – Joey Tkach
Horn – Regan Pilgrim
Regan is a freelance horn player and teacher returning to Central Texas. Originally from Belton, Texas, she recently completed an Artist Diploma at Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music, where she served as a graduate assistant.
As a performer, Regan has appeared with ensembles including the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra and has maintained an active freelance career in Georgia and the Southeast. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where she served as a teaching assistant in the horn studio and was selected as a Henry Mancini Institute Fellow. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Oklahoma State University.
In addition to her performance career, Regan is a dedicated educator with experience teaching students of varying ages and backgrounds. She is passionate about helping students build strong fundamentals, confidence, and a lifelong appreciation for music. Regan is excited to continue performing, teaching, and building connections throughout the Central Texas musical community.
Trombone – Dr. Javier Stuppard
Dr. Javier Stuppard strives for excellence as an eclectic musician while upholding the highest of standards. He maintains an active performance schedule in various styles of music including Jazz, Salsa, Orchestral and Commercial. He has been featured at several major conferences such as the International Trombone Festival, the National Trombone Workshop and the Texas Music Educators Conference with both the Minor 4th Trombone Quartet and JazzBonez. In addition, the Minor 4th Trombone Quartet presented at the Texas Bandmasters Association Conference, have been featured guest artists with professional and collegiate Symphony Orchestras, and perform recitals and master classes at Universities nationwide.
Dr. Stuppard is an energetic advocate of music in public schools and often serves as an adjudicator, clinician, and mentor. In 2015, he gladly accepted the position of Artist Mentor for Electrify Your Band!, a program that was created to assist with the promotion of fine arts in school districts around the nation by bridging imagination and intellect though musical self-expression. This program allows him the opportunity to teach students the important combination of being an educator, performer and entertainer though clinics and performance on Electric Trombone.
Additionally, he is a founder the Fresh2Def Horns, a horn section who’s soulful sound is a culmination of an exceptional blend, superb musicianship, and creativity that is adjusted to enhance any genre of music. They have a distinct style that is deeply rooted in entertainment; their delivery of a “complete package” is evident though choreography, and high-energy that engages the audience through interaction. To further enhance the experience the look of the section is chosen from a wardrobe of matching attire such as suit and ties, fitted hats and Air Jordan shoes.
As a free-lance musician, Dr. Stuppard has performed with Lukas Graham and taped live for the MTV Woodies, played festivals such as SXSW, Austin City Limits, Blues of the Green, and opened for a variety of artists such as Canadian Brass, Leon Bridges to Kool & the Gang. On the orchestral side of music, he has also performed with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, Temple Symphony, Round Rock Symphony, and the Bermuda Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2010, he had the distinct honor of opening for a speech given by President Obama in Austin, Texas. From 2009-2018, Dr. Stuppard served as Assistant Professor of Music at Huston-Tillotson University. He holds a B.M.E from Norfolk State University, a M.M and D.M.A. from The University of Texas at Austin. His principal teachers include Paul Adams, Ron Westray and Dr. Nathaniel Brickens.
Dr. Stuppard has served as the International Trombone Festival Competition Coordinator since 2012, is an artist/clinician for Michael Rath Trombones, Applied Microphone Technology, 64 Audio, and plays exclusively on Pickett Brass Mouthpieces.
Euphonium/Tuba – Alex Doolittle
Alex Doolittle is a freelance low-brass specialist, educator, performer, and arranger from Spartanburg, SC. Alex earned a Master’s Degree in Euphonium Performance from Columbus State University – Schwob School of Music, where he served as a Graduate Assistant for the Tuba-Euphonium Studio and Music Theory Department. Alex also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Instrumental Music Education and a Performer’s Certificate from the University of South Carolina.
As an educator, Alex has worked for many public school band programs throughout the Southeast, working primarily with trombone, euphonium, and tuba students. He provided sectional instruction and private lessons, focusing on building strong fundamentals, efficient practice habits, and finding a musical voice. Alex is also a member of the brass staff for Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps, one of the top brass-lines in the world. His diverse teaching background enables him to prepare students for honor bands, all-state auditions, solo and ensemble performances, collegiate music study, and Drum Corps International auditions.
As a performer, Alex has been active in a wide range of ensembles, including the Schwob Wind Ensemble, Schwob Trombone Choir, MAGE Tuba-Euphonium Quartet, the South Carolina Brass Band, and the USC Swing Shift Jazz Band. He is also a former member of Music City Drum and Bugle Corps, as well as Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps. Currently, Alex is in the process of editing and releasing his first solo euphonium album, looking to be published by the end of 2026.
Through his work as an educator, Alex strives to equip his students with the technical foundation and artistic skills to succeed within the classroom, on the stage, and beyond. Alex is excited to begin building his low-brass studio in Austin, TX.
Euphonium/Low Brass – Thanasit Pimnipapatrakul
Mr. P (Thanasit Pimnipapatrakul) is a music educator and professional low brass performer with over 15 years of teaching experience working with students from beginning band through the collegiate level. Originally from Bangkok, Thailand, he is passionate about helping students grow as musicians while building confidence, discipline, and a lifelong love of music. Students and families know him simply as “Mr. P.”Tuba/Euphonium – Sarah Wargo
Sarah Wargo is a graduate of Texas State University! She got her bachelors in music education with a minor in music composition. While Sarah’s primary instrument is the euphonium, she played the sousaphone for Bobcat Marching Band and Bobcat Basketball Band. During her time at Texas State, Sarah was a member of the Texas State Tuba-Euphonium ensemble, with which she performed at a TMEA showcase, and the Texas State Concert Band. She studied under Professor Raul Rodriguez and Dr. Lauren Casey-Clyde. Outside of music and her instrument, Sarah loves reading, working out, doing martial arts, hanging out with her friends, volunteering with a dog rescue, and cuddling with her 2 cats! (Please ask her to see cat pictures!:) )
Percussion – Dr. Ryan Patterson
Dr. Ryan Patterson is a percussionist and educator based in Austin, Texas. He is currently serving as Adjunct percussion professor at the Austin Community College where he teaches percussion private lessons, as well as additional courses. He also teaches Private lessons throughout Leander ISD, the 6th grade percussion class at Leander Middle School, and is the director of the Front Ensemble at Leander High School. He is a world music specialist, having served as performer and director of “The Pans of Texas”, the steel pan ensemble based on the University of Texas at Austin campus. He has also performed with the Saakamu Dance Troupe and studied with them and their musicians at the Bernard Woma Dagara Music center. Dr. Patterson worked with Nani and Emmanuel Agbeli through performances in the states and studied at the Dagbe Cultural Institute in Kopeyia Ghana.
Dr. Patterson is an active performer, having held positions with the Fort Smith Symphony, Poinsett Wind Symphony, Missouri Symphony, Rare Form Percussion Trio, Ensemble 228, and The Blue Notes Group. He has also had the opportunity to present at the North American Saxophone Alliance Conference and the Texas Music Educators Association. His performance experience also extends to a variety of world ensembles including Ewe Drumming and Dancing, Dagara Gyil ensembles, Steel Pan ensembles, and Mbira ensembles.
As an educator, Dr. Patterson’s experience extends to several different genres and ensembles. Before assuming his current position at ACC, Ryan served as the Visiting Professor of Percussion at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith and the Graduate Teaching Assistant for both “The Pans of Texas” and the University of Missouri Drumline. He has also served as Percussion Advisor for the Carolina Youth Symphony and has extensive experience in the marching arts teaching both front ensemble and battery for schools throughout South Carolina, Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas. Ryan holds degrees from Furman University (B.M.), The University of Missouri (M.M.), and The University of Texas at Austin (D.M.A.).