Meet The Judges

Ryan Arp is currently in his eightenth-year teaching instrumental music and nineth year at newly formed Liberty High School in North Liberty. At Liberty, he co-directs along with Nicholas Carlo the Lightning Marching Band, Lightning Pep Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Collective, Lightning Jazz Band and teaches lessons. Bands under his direction have earned consistent Division I awards.

Prior to teaching at Liberty, Ryan taught at East Buchanan in Winthrop and at City High and Southeast Junior High in Iowa City. In 2014, The City High Jazz Ensemble was selected as the featured jazz band at the Iowa Bandmasters Conference. Ensembles he co-directed at Southeast Junior High with Bill Pringle performed as the featured junior high band at the 2014, 2016 (jazz) and 2017 IBA Conferences. He served three years as the state IBA Jazz Affairs Chairperson, and five years as SEIBA District Jazz Chair. Ryan served as the SEIBA President from 2019 until 2021.

A native of Eldridge, Iowa and graduate of North Scott High School, Ryan earned a bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in music education at the University of Kansas. His professional affiliations include the Iowa Bandmasters Association, Southeast Iowa Bandmasters, and Jazz Educators of Iowa. In his free time, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife Lindsey, son Eli, his cat Mia and dog Callie. Their favorite thing is to be outside and active in the great outdoors.

Andrea Cooper is an Illinois native with teaching and administrative experience that extends from Illinois and Iowa all the way to Europe. She currently serves as the Assistant Principal at Sherrard High School in Sherrard, IL. Andrea has held positions as a choral director for the Orion School District (IL), choral director for Pleasant Valley Community School District (IA), band and choir director for the Department of Defense School System in Landstuhl and Kaiserslautern Germany, and Director of Choral Activities at Bettendorf High School (IA). While at Bettendorf, she directed multiple curricular and extra-curricular ensembles including the top auditioned choir and the varsity show choir Surround Sound. Groups and individuals under her direction have achieved top honors at solo/ensemble contest, large group contest, various honors ensembles/festivals and All-State festivals across the Midwest and Europe including Illinois Music Educators Association (IMEA) events, Iowa OPUS honor choir, American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) honor choirs and Iowa/Illinois All State. She has been invited as a guest director/clinician/adjudicator for many events across the Midwest and Europe.

Andrea received her BA in Music Education from Central College in Pella, IA, her MA in Middle Level Education from Walden University and her MS in Educational Leadership from Western Illinois University. She currently resides in Orion, Illinois with her husband (Brandon) and son (Bryant).

Eric J. Hayes, Jr. is a professional performing artist, choreographer, and arts educator from Indianapolis. His resume boasts work in theatre, commercial and live entertainment, and sporting events. He also has choreographed for independent recording and touring artists, as well as for arts education programs and organizations throughout the country. Selected performances and choreography credits include: Indiana Pacers & Fever, Indianapolis Colts, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Ideal Talent (Indianapolis), Glam Tie Media (Chicago), Marcus Terell & The Serenades (Chicago & cruise ship), Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, Indiana State Fair, Hoosier Lottery, Super Bowl XLVI, and The Indianapolis 500 Festival & Parade.

Since 2005 he has worked with competitive high school and middle school show choirs as a choreographer and clinician. His groups have placed and won caption awards at state-, regional-, and national-level competitions. He has created choreography and staging for more than 30 schools and ensembles, including college and professional groups. In 2015, he was nominated for an Aspire Award for Best New Choreographer, presented by FAME.

Chase Shoemaker currently serves as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, the Director of Music for Capitol Hill Lutheran Church, the vocal music accompanist for Timberline Middle School (Waukee, IA), and as a vocal teacher/coach through his own studio in the vibrant East Village of Des Moines, IA. Apart from these positions, Chase also works as a freelance composer, arranger, vocalist, clinician, and adjudicator for various schools and organizations throughout the state of Iowa.

Mark Traynor Quamme is in his 15th year as freelance choreographer + clinician, thrilled to support students across the Midwest and beyond! Mark is a 2008 Holmen High School graduate (Wisconsin), where he got his start with show choir in “Midwest Express”. Mark continued performing at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he started choreographing with show choir programs in the Chippewa Valley and continued to do so while getting his Master of Arts in Servant Leadership from Viterbo University. Mark has continued to direct, choreograph, and clinician over the last 15 years with a variety of ages + styles of movement, including show choir programs, college music ensembles, high school theatre productions, and studio dance.

When he isn’t choreographing, Mark is also the Founder + Lead Flow Finder at The Creative’s Flow (@thecreativesflow), a creative studio designed to support freelance creatives + small business owners. Mark lives in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota with his husband, Nick, and dogs, Nora + Betty. Have a great season, ya’ll!