Meet Our Band Directors
Jason Clemens
Email: clemens_J@shaker.org
Mr. Clemens is a lifelong Cleveland area resident, having grown up in Painesville and graduated from Riverside High School. He has a Bachelor of Music Degree, Cum Laude with Honors from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, OH. He also has a Master's degree in Educational Administration from John Carroll University and is currently taking principal licensure classes. His major instrument is trumpet.
Mr. Clemens started his teaching career working in the Ledgemont Local Schools, where he taught band, choir and general music for five years. In July 2008, he was hired by the Shaker Heights City Schools. He directs the high school Concert Ensemble, both 7th Grade Concert Bands, the 8th Grade Concert Band, and one 7th Grade Choir, as well as co-directing the marching band with Mrs. Tyrrell.
Bill Hughes
Email: hughes_b@shaker.org
Mr. Hughes is the Director of Jazz for the Shaker Heights School District and the director of the High School Wind Ensemble. He has 20 years of experience as a jazz artist, orchestra director, band director and private music teacher. His main performance instruments are the flute and saxophone. His secondary instruments are the piano, clarinet and trumpet.
Mr. Hughes has a Bachelors degree in Music Performance and a Masters degree in Instrumental Conducting, both from Cleveland State University. He is a recipient of the Who's Who Award among American Teachers. He has performed at The Boarding House, Club Isabella, The Cleveland Bop Stop, The Mardi Gras, Cain Park and the Cleveland Amphitheater.
Kristin Koterba
Email: koterba_k@shaker.org
Kristin Koterba started teaching in the Shaker Schools in the fall of 2014. She was a student teacher for the Shaker Bands in 2005 from Kent State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education and Flute Performance. Since then, Kristin taught elementary music and assisted with high school band for two years in South Carolina and also taught middle school and high school band for seven years in Georgia. She completed her Masters Degree at Vandercook College of Music in Chicago in 2013 and serves on its alumni board. She began work on her Ph.D. in Music Education at Kent State in 2017. She has presented research at the Kent State's Colloquium Graduate Research Series, the Ohio Music Educator's Association state conference, the International Society for Music Education conferences in Baku, Azerbaijan and virtually in Brisban, Australia, and the National Association for Music Education National Conference in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Kristin has been the leader of Eagle-Orzel's English Language through Arts Camp for middle school and high school students in Otwock, Poland. Kristin’s main role in Shaker is teaching the 6th grade flutes, alto saxophones, and French horns. Additionally, she teaches 5th grade instrument exploration rotations at the elementary schools and assists with the Shaker Marching Band international tours. Her husband, Stan, is an assistant principal and she has two sons, Stan and George. Stan plays the clarinet and both boys are avid soccer goalkeepers and baseball players.
Joseph Kulikowski
Email: kulikowski_j@shaker.org
Mr. Kulikowski grew up in Seven Hills and is a graduate of Padua Franciscan High School. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance, a Teaching Certification and a Master's Degree in Music Performance, all from Cleveland State University. He was the winner of the 1st Annual Cleveland State University Concerto Competition in 2002. He has subbed with the Akron Symphony and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and has played many shows at Porthouse Theatre and Playhouse Square. Currently, Mr. Kulikowski performs as the trombonist with local rock/horn band Funkology. The trombone is his primary instrument. He can play any of the brass instruments and woodwinds. Mr. Kulikowski has been with the Shaker Heights School District since 2008.
Ken LeeGrand
Director, Clinician, Performer, Session Player. These are just some of the many hats worn by Ken LeeGrand. Known for his inspirational Saxophone Solos and articulate horn section work it amazes listeners when he plays classical music on his clarinet. Ken has performed with, Freda Payne, Jean Carne, Petula Clark, The Temptations, Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, The Miracles, Michael McDonald, The Funk Brothers, and Aretha Franklin to name a few. With his group “Horns and Things”, Ken has had the privilege of being the opening act for, the late Dexter Gordon, El DeBarge, Jimmy Heath, Freddie Hubbard, Ronnie Laws, Phillip Bailey and Joe Sample, Average White Band, Najee, Kevin Eubanks, Brain Culbertson and En Vogue to name a few. With “Horns and Things” Ken has released 4 CD’s. Ken has also done pit work for numerous plays at The Cleveland Playhouse, The famed Karamu Theater and in Playhouse Square. He has also had numerous performances at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jacobs Field, Gund Arena and Blossom Music Center. As a traveling musician, LeeGrand has performed extensively throughout The United States and Europe.
Ken appeared in and assisted Music Director, Sam Andrews of Big Brother & the Holding Company with the selection of musicians in the first Cleveland performance of Love Janis. Of Ken, Sam wrote, “On Tenor Saxophone here in Cleveland we have Ken LeeGrand who knows how to go for the ecstasy notes at the end of a tune.”
As a session player, LeeGrand has played on numerous jingles and amusement park soundtracks. Ken has played on nationally released products by Kelly Chapman, Cliff Habian’s Manhattan Bridge and had major impact on “GENERATIONS” the critically acclaimed CD by Bill Ransom that Dr. Mike of Radio IO called “one of the ten most significant mainstream releases of the year!!”
As an educator Ken always has between thirty and forty private students, and annually holds his own Saxophone Retreat that averages twenty students. For the last twenty years, Ken has been the resident artist for the Grammy Signature School Shaker Heights School District Band Department that has 1000 plus students in bands from grade 5 through 12. As an educator Ken has former students at various universities such as The Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, Ohio State, Ithaca College, The Cincinnati Conservatory, Oberlin College, New School of the Contemporary Arts and Berklee School of Music to name a few.
For the last seven years LeeGrand has been the Director of J@MS. (Jazz at the Music Settlement) a nationally acclaimed program that is a partner of the Berklee City Music Network.
For the last twenty two years Ken has also been the saxophonist at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church.
Ken maintains a very busy schedule be it directing and assisting several bands in Shaker Schools, recording his fourth CD as co-founder of his own group, “Horns & Things”, performing in the Gospel Genre, or doing a Residency at a University, he simply says, “ Being busy in a lot of diverse situations definitely makes this interesting and fun!!”
Adrian Pocaro
Mr. Pocaro graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education in 2000. In 2001 he was hired by the Shaker Schools as high school Concert Band director and brass instructor at Woodbury Elementary. He was the Marching Band Director from 2004-2009 and Co-Directed the Marching Band from 2010-2014. In 2015, he became lead band director at Shaker Middle School. As of 2024, Mr. Pocaro has resumed co-directing the Marching Band with Mr. Clemens and is the high school symphonic band director.
A native of Twinsburg, Ohio, Mr. Pocaro's primary instrument is the trumpet. His secondary instruments are the french horn and the euphonium.
Gianna Tyrrell
Mrs. Tyrrell is one of the middle school department chairs and organized the 5th grade instrument rotation at Boulevard, Fernway, Onaway, Lomond, and Mercer. She teaches at all five elementary schools and 6th grade band and Shaker Middle School.
Mrs. Gianna Tyrrell grew up in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University and a Master's degree in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois. Mrs. Tyrrell started her teaching career at Geneva Area City schools in 2012 teaching Middle School and High School band and general music for three years. She started working in Shaker Heights in 2015 and resides in Shaker as well. Her husband, Joel is also a music teacher in the Cleveland Area. They have 2 kids, Francesca and Anthony. The clarinet and piano are her primary instruments. Her secondary instruments are Saxophone and Flute.
Victoria Scott
Ms. Scott started her career here at Shaker as a long term sub, which later turned into an opportunity to be hired in the fall of 2022. She currently teaches 6th grade Band and Orchestra at the Middle School, along with a Concert Band at the High School and assists with the Shaker Marching Band.
Ms. Scott is from Garrettsville, Ohio. She graduated from James A. Garfield high school, and attended both Kent State University and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Throughout both college tenures, Ms. Scott gained experience playing in jazz bands, pipe bands, and a british style brass band, while simultaneously graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from KSU. Outside of the school day, she teaches private lessons and volunteers for various music groups in Northeast Ohio.