Athletic Band Directors

Staff

Associate Instructor Staff TBA

Ross Wilkerson, Graduate Staff
Ross Wilkerson was born and raised in central Indiana, and graduated from Indiana University in 2008. He has more than a decade of experience with the Marching Hundred as both a marcher and instructor. Ross was a member of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle corps in 2005, and has taught with the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps and high school programs across the state. By day, he works a totally normal job with IU’s University Information Technology Services (please call 812-855-6789 for assistance).

Brookelyn Wood, RedStepper Staff
Brookelyn Wood started her dance training at a young age in Greenwood, Indiana at The Dance Refinery, where she learned many styles of dance but focused on jazz, hip-hop, and acro dance. Brookelyn also has a strong pom background through school and competitive cheerleading. After high school, she continued her dance career at Purdue University where she was a four-year member and captain of the Purdue Golduster Dance Team, a pom-jazz team that performs with the Purdue Band. During that time she traveled and performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the St.Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, and two bowl games. After college, Brookelyn joined the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders, where she danced for four years and was captain for two of those years. With the Colts Cheerleaders, she traveled and performed in Honduras, Hong Kong, and London. Brookelyn has also coached two high-school varsity dance teams in the Indianapolis area and has choreographed for various high school and colleges around the state.

Ben Handel, Drumline Director/Arranger
Ben has been director and arranger for the IU Drumline since 2018, and assistant director since 2012. During his time, the drumline performed for enormous game-day crowds at Indiana University and for thousands more at national events such as The Pinstripe Bowl and The Foster Farms Bowl, BOA Grand Championships, and PASIC. Ben Handel has a long history as a performer and educator in a variety of musical settings.

As a performer, Ben has been featured on stages across the United States, Canada, and Japan. His credits include the original Broadway cast, national and Japanese tours of “Blast!”, Off-Broadway with “Drumstruck”, The Dallas Brass, Aimachi, and many other local and regional shows and bands. He was also a member of the front ensemble for both the Bluecoats (1997) and Blue Devils (1999) and the Marching Hundred tenor line (1998, 1999).

Benjamin Braude, Assistant Drumline Director
Benjamin, known by most as “Benjy,” hails from Cincinnati (OH) and currently lives in Bloomington where he teaches high school biology and chemistry. Benjy graduated from IU with a bachelor’s degree in biology as well as a master’s degree in secondary education. He performed with the IU Drumline for five years, and returns to work with the group as assistant director. In his marching career, Benjy is proud to have performed with the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps, Legacy Indoor, and Rhythm X. He works as a bass technician with high schools across the Cincinnati and Indianapolis areas, most recently teaching at Center Grove High School, Legacy, Legacy Open, Veritas, and the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps.

Dan Leathers, Band Manager
Carson Bauer, Drum Major
Kal Ellison, Drum Major
Alexandra Boden and Lauren Fischer, Social Media Coordinators