Director of bands
Greg Gibson is entering his 14th year in education and currently serves as Director of Bands at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, GA. Prior to coming to North, Mr. Gibson served as Director of Bands at Ledford Senior High School in Thomasville, NC. His responsibilities included directing the marching band, two concert bands, jazz band, and percussion ensemble. Ensembles under his direction have consistently earned superior ratings at local and state assessments.
Mr. Gibson has degrees from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and the University of Georgia (UGA). While at UNCG he studied clarinet with Dr. Ed Riley and conducting with Dr. Kevin Geraldi and Dr. John Locke. He had the opportunity to perform with the Wind Ensemble with featured performances at the NC State Music Educators conference and the Music Center at Strathmore. Performing with the Wind Ensemble at UGA, he had the opportunity to play at Kennesaw State University and Atlanta Symphony Hall. While at UGA he served as a TA for the Music Education Department, the Redcoat Marching Band, and studied conducting with Dr. John Lynch.
Mr. Gibson’s professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Kappa Kappa Psi.
Mr. Gibson currently resides in Flowery Branch with his wife Erin, two daughters Lily and Cora, and dog, Baxter.
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Assistant director of bands
Brandon Soloff is currently the Assistant Director of Bands at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, GA. Previously he served as Co-Director of Bands at Taylor Road Middle School in Johns Creek, Georgia. His responsibilities included co-leading the Taylor Road Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Little “Big” Band. Mr. Soloff also served on staff with the Chattahoochee High School Marching Band, a Bands of America Grand Nationals Semi-Finalist. Ensembles under his direction have earned consistent ‘Superior’ ratings at Performance Assessments and have been featured at regional performances such as the 2020 Georgia Music Educators In-Service Conference.
At age ten, Soloff began his study of trumpet and has since studied with Thomas Hooten (Principal Trumpet of the LA Philharmonic), Robert Murray, and the late Lew Soloff. Mr. Soloff holds a Masters of Music Education degree from the University of North Texas. He earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Columbus State University's Schwob School of Music in Columbus, GA. Mr. Soloff performed at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, TN in 2015 with the Schwob Wind Ensemble. In addition to the Schwob Wind Ensemble, he also performed with the Schwob Philharmonic, Schwob Jazz Orchestra, Schwob Trumpet Ensemble (National Trumpet Competition Ensemble Semi-Finalists 2014-2016).
Mr. Soloff is active as a clinician, presenter, freelance performer, and private lessons instructor and is a recipient of the National Band Association's "Citation of Excellence." His professional affiliations include the National Band Association, Georgia Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the International Trumpet Guild. He currently is a member of the renowned Cobb Wind Symphony community band.
Mr. Soloff resides in Norcross, Georgia with his lovely wife Bethany and cats, Ellie & Bella. In his spare time, Mr. Soloff enjoys cheering on his Atlanta Braves!
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director of percussion
Mark Kapral is currently the Director of Percussion at North Gwinnett High School. Prior to re-joining the band program in the Fall of 2023, Mark served as the Assistant Band Director and Percussion Director at North Gwinnett from 2014-2019. In 2005, Mark began his teaching career in Milton, GA where he served as the Percussion Director and the Assistant Band Director at Northwestern Middle School and Milton High School.
Under his leadership, Mark began the indoor drumline at Milton High School in 2006 and led the ensemble to a WGI World Championships Scholastic A Bronze Medal in 2008 and World Championship Finalist placements in the Scholastic Open Class in 2010 and Scholastic World Class in 2011, 2012, 2013. The Fall drumline at Milton High School was awarded “best overall percussion section” at all marching band contests from 2007-2013. In addition, Mark directed the steel drum band “Sheer PAN-ic” and the percussion ensemble, both of which performed at multiple local and state events each school year.
In 2015, Mark served as the inaugural director of Q2, the second ensemble in the Atlanta Quest organization. Competing in Percussion Independent Open Class, the ensemble placed 7th in Finals at the WGI Percussion World Championships.
During his time at North Gwinnett, Mark established a year-round concert and marching percussion curriculum. The percussion ensemble annually performed a fall concert, chamber concert, and spring concert, and regularly participated in the Lassiter Percussion Symposium. In 2016, Mark started the indoor drumline as a Scholastic A Class ensemble. In 2017, the Indoor Drumline and Concert Ensemble made their first appearance at the WGI World Championships with the Concert Ensemble earning a 7th-place finish in Finals. In 2019, the indoor drumline was a Scholastic World Class Semi-Finalist at the WGI Percussion World Championships.
Mark is a Founder and Executive Board Member of the Georgia Indoor Percussion Association. He has previously held positions on the WGI Percussion Advisory Board and the Percussive Arts Society Marching Percussion Committee. Mark is a Vic Firth Education Artist.
In addition to teaching percussion, Mark runs his website design business - Maddhouse. He is also actively involved in the personal growth and development field and helps people work through personal challenges and discover the truest version of themselves. Mark currently lives in Sugar Hill, GA with his two cats Max and Miles.
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director of color guard
Born and raised in Terry, Mississippi Marcus attended Hillcrest Christian School and Hinds Community College prior to his move to Georgia in 2014. While continuing to teach, design and choreograph in the activity full time, Marcus continues with online classes at Kennesaw State University where he studies to obtain his Bachelor of Science in Integrative Studies with focuses in Dance and Childhood Psychology and Development.
As a performer, Marcus has had the pleasure of performing within the Drum Corps International and Winter Guard International Communities with both the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps (World Class Finalist) and World Class Champion Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. Marcus has also performed with Paramount World Winter Guard in 2013 and 2014 (First-Time World Class Finalists) and has had the honor of performing with the Georgia State University Marching Band in the 2014 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As an educator and designer, Marcus has provided movement choreography for numerous programs throughout the south. Among the most local are Sprayberry HS, River Ridge HS, Johns Creek HS, Kell HS, Lambert HS and Mill Creek HS. He served as Director of Color Guard at Duluth HS in Duluth, GA and recently finished an exciting 4 year term as Director of Color Guard at Chattahoochee HS in Johns Creek, GA prior to serving in his most recent positions as Guard Caption Head at Mill Creek HS in Hoschton, Georgia. Accumulating knowledge and experience with each of these positions, these programs reached new heights with record membership numbers and program success across the Scholastic Cadet, Scholastic Novice, Regional A, Scholastic AAA, Scholastic AA, Scholastic A and Scholastic Open classes within their local SAPA circuit.
At the Collegiate and World Class instructional level, Marcus has had the privilege of working with The University of Georgia Winter Guard for the passed 3 years, 2019-2021, and looks forward to joining the University of Georgia FlagLine Staff as a choreographer in the upcoming 2022 Fall Season. In Summer 2021, Marcus joined the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps Visual Staff as a movement choreographer for both CrownBrass and CrownBattery sections in their program entitled, “Project21.”
Marcus is no stranger to North Gwinnett High School Band Program and looks forward to another exciting term entering his 5th year at the helm of The Bulldog Guard Fall Program with it’s Scholastic A, Regional A and Cadet Winter Guard Programs in his role as Guard Director and Fall Program Coordinator.
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