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Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wolves

Blue Wave Staff

Chad Austin
Chad Austin

Bio

Chad Austin begins his seventh year at Co-Lin and first year as the director of the Blue Wave Show Band. In addition to his duties as band director, he also teaches percussion, pilots the entertainment industry degree, and assists with the Concert Band and Jazz Band. Austin also directs the basketball pep band and "The Sojourners," Co-Lin's rock band. 
He is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a bachelor's degree in music education. While at MSU he performed with the wind ensemble, percussion ensemble, and The Famous Maroon Band. Austin earned his master's degree in band conducting from Sam Houston State University.
Prior to coming to Co-Lin, Austin taught for 14 years in the Mississippi Public School System and served as the assistant band director/percussion instructor in the Brandon and Warren Central band programs. His percussion ensembles and concert bands have consistently been recognized for excellence on both state and national levels. In 2011, the Warren Central Indoor Percussion Ensemble won the Mississippi Indoor Association Percussion Scholastic A gold medal, and in 2013 the group had it's initial performance at the WGI Percussion World Championships.
In 2007 and 2008, Austin served as percussion coordinator and conductor for the Mississippi All-State Concert Band Percussion Ensemble. In 2009, he served as the percussion instructor on the staff of the International Champion Mississippi Lions All-State Band. Also in 2009, Austin received the A.E. McClain Award for Mississippi's Outstanding Young Band Director from the Mississippi Bandmasters Association. In 2022 Austin was awarded the outstanding faculty member of the Co-Lin Wesson campus.
He is a past president of the Capital District Band Directors' Association and currently serves as treasurer on the executive board of the Mississippi Indoor Association. He has served as a clinician for the Southwest Mississippi Band Directors' Association as well as the Scott County Honor Band Clinic. He has served on adjudication panels for the Mississippi Lions All-State Band, Mississippi Indoor Association, and The Pine Belt Marching Invitational.
Austin is a member of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association and the Percussive Arts Society. He also serves as an educator artist for Yamaha and Innovative Percussion.

Jason Harrell
Jason Harrell

Bio

Jason Harrell is in his first year as part of the musical faculty at Co-Lin as Assistant Director of Bands. As part of his duties as assistant director, Harrell will direct the Concert Band as well as assist with the Blue Wave Show Band. A seasoned educator with 21 years of experience, Harrell has been a part of the Pearl Pirate Band’s staff for the last 19 years.

Harrell earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from Delta State University and a master’s degree in music from William Carey University. He is also a National Board Certified Teacher. He has served at Forest Hill High School in Jackson and Brandon High School in Brandon, where his concert band achieved Superior ratings.

Harrell’s experience includes teaching junior high low brass classes, directing the Pearl Jr. High Advanced Band (which also received Superior ratings), and managing administrative tasks for a junior high band program with over 250 students. He was also the director of the Pearl High School Varsity Band, which earned Superior ratings in concert and sight reading at the MBA State Band Evaluation.

As a freelance tubist in central Mississippi, Harrell has served as a band clinician and studied tuba under Dr. Ed Bahr and Mr. Wade Rackley. He has also given low brass lessons. His musical contributions include being a tubist with the Mississippi Wind Symphony and coordinating TUBACHRISTMAS.

He and his wife, Belinda, have two children, Emma and Austin.


Kennedy Moore
Kennedy Moore
  • Title:
    Colette Director

Bio

Kennedy Moore begins her fifth year as Colette Director. She has 20 years of dance performance, theatre performance, choreography, and teaching experience. This includes 14 years of competitive dance in regional and national competitions with Showstoppers Studio of Dance, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom Parade, halftime performance at the 2014 Sugar Bowl, and the University of Southern Mississippi Southern Misses dance team.

Moore has performed and choreographed in the Brookhaven Little Theater's production of "Newsies the Musical," "Little Mermaid the Musical," "Matilda the Musical," and "Frozen Jr." as well as regional large teen tap line and large hip-hop productions. She has trained with numerous dance professionals at conventions and master classes. 

She currently teaches all hip-hop classes from first grade through high school at Showstoppers Studio of Dance and assists with jazz, tap, ballet, and contemporary classes. Moore also hosts dance camps and choreographs for several high school dance teams.

Moore is a graduate of Brookhaven High School, Co-Lin, and the University of Southern Mississippi.


Cody McElwain
Cody McElwain

Bio

Cody McElwain begins his third year at Co-Lin as Color Guard Director for the Blue Wave Show Band. In addition to his duties as the color guard director, he begins his first year as Fine Arts Division Chair, teaches courses for the music department, and directs the Co-Lin Jazz Band. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University where he studied Music Education with an emphasis on saxophone.

At MSU, he participated in the Famous Maroon Band as a section leader, Saxophone Ensemble, Concert Choir, and Chamber Singers. After completing his Bachelor’s degree, McElwain received his Master’s in Music from the University of Mississippi where he served as a graduate assistant for The Pride of the South Marching Band. While at Ole Miss, he performed in the Ole Miss Wind Ensemble as the principal baritone saxophone player.

In 2012 McElwain relocated to Vicksburg, MS to teach band for the Vicksburg Warren School District. During his ten years with the VWSD, Mr. McElwain consistently received superior ratings with his bands and developed his color guard programs into competitive, all-superior programs. Throughout the calendar year, he works with band programs across the state of Mississippi as a color guard and design consultant and choreographer.