Mr. Alex Schmitt
Patrick Henry High School Director of Bands
Mr. Alex Schmitt is a music educator, clinician, and adjudicator, currently in his fifteenth year serving as the Band Teacher at Patrick Henry High School. At Patrick Henry, Mr. Schmitt teaches three concert band classes, two percussion ensembles, jazz band, and leads the Marching Patriots. Mr. Schmitt’s education includes a Bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in Music, and a Master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Education, Curriculum, and Instruction. While studying at Virginia Tech, Mr. Schmitt served as Drum Major of the Marching Virginians for two years. Under Mr. Schmitt’s direction, the Patrick Henry High School band has been recognized around the state of Virginia as a program on the rise. The band was recognized as a Virginia Honor Band for the first time in school history in the 2018-2019 school year, and four additional times since. Other awards include “Superior” ratings and 1st Place finishes at festivals and competitions around the state. As an important part of the Roanoke community, the Patrick Henry bands have performed hundreds of performances in town at local concert halls, museums, and churches. In December 2014, The Marching Patriots represented the Commonwealth of Virginia in the 2014 Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii. In April 2017, the Patrick Henry High Symphonic Band was invited and performed at Carnegie Hall. In addition to teaching, Mr. Schmitt is an accomplished performer, composer, and arranger. He currently lives in Roanoke, Virginia and loves spending time outside with his wife and two children.
Dr. Derek Shapiro
Virginia Tech Director of Bands
Derek Shapiro is director of bands and assistant professor of music at Virginia Tech where he conducts the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and teaches conducting. Prior to his appointment at Virginia Tech, he has held positions at Eastern Michigan University, Georgia Southern University, and Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, FL. A strong advocate for music education with nine years of public school experience, Shapiro has taught at the middle school and high school levels. He is the co-lead editor of the award-winning Original Études for the Developing Conductor, a peer-reviewed Creative Commons-licensed collection of supplemental études designed to enhance contemporary conducting educational resources by amplifying the voices of composers from historically excluded groups. He has been published in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series and has presented at clinics across the United States. Shapiro received a Doctor of Musical Arts in conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, a Master of Music in conducting from The University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Keene State College. He is a member of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and the Virginia Music Educators Association.