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Copiah-Lincoln Community College Wolves

Blue Wave Staff

Juanita Proffitt
Juanita Proffitt

Bio

Juanita Proffitt, Director of Bands, begins her 12th year as a member of the music faculty at Co-Lin. She has 20 years of experience as a band director and 30 years of experience teaching private brass, woodwind and percussion students in Mississippi and Alabama. Proffitt earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Mississippi State University and a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Alabama. In addition to teaching music theory, she oversees each area of the band program, including The Blue Wave Show Band, concert band, jazz band and brass ensembles.

Her duties also include serving as a resource and support provider to the district band directors and students. Her prior levels of teaching experience include middle school, high school, and university. She plays the trombone in several ensembles and is in demand as a performer and clinician. She served as the clinician for the 2016 Mississippi Association of Independent Schools All-State Band and for numerous other regional clinic bands.

Proffitt is a member of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association, Mississippi Junior, and Community College Band Directors Association, Mississippi Women Band Directors Association, past president of the Capital District Band Directors Association, founding member of the 49ers Small Band Association, is a past member of the East Central Band Directors Association.

She was selected as Phi Theta Kappa’s Faculty Scholar at Co-Lin for 2016-2017. She was also selected to Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers, Applebee’s Teacher of the Month, and President’s Scholar at Mississippi State University and at the University of Alabama.

Proffitt also serves the college as the chairperson for the college’s division of fine arts.

Proffitt’s published works include: “76 Trombones” The Mississippi Bandmaster (November 2005) and “Band Director Resources” The Mississippi Bandmaster (April 2004).

 


Chad Austin
Chad Austin

Bio

Chad Austin begins his sixth year as the assistant director of the Blue Wave Show Band. In addition to his duties as assistant 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.

Kennedy Moore
Kennedy Moore
  • Title:
    Colette Director

Bio

Kennedy Moore begins her fourth 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 second year at Co-Lin as a Music Appreciation Instructor and Color Guard Director for the Blue Wave Show Band. Mr. McElwain is a native of Kosciusko where he served as Drum Major of the Big Red Band all four years of his high school experience. After graduating from Kosciusko High School, he attended 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, Mr. 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 Mr. 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.