2025 Educational Team
Mark Lortz
Brass Arranger
Mark Lortz is Director of Music at Stevenson University and brass arranger for the multi-world champion Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps. As a composer, his original music has been premiered internationally and at The Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the Bands of America National Percussion Festival, the College Band Directors National Association, and the Baltimore Ravens Marching Band. Lortz’s compositions have received awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and laudatory reviews
in Gramophone and The Instrumentalist magazines. They also made Bandworld’s Top 100 list of band compositions and J.W. Pepper’s Editor’s Choice lists. He has worked with the United States Army Field Band, Jazz Ambassadors, and The United States Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. In addition to composing, Dr. Lortz is a sought-after adjudicator, lecturer, and conductor, lending his expertise to honor bands, orchestras, and community ensembles. The Maryland Music
Educators' Association recognized his outstanding contributions to music education by honoring him as an outstanding educator in 2024.
Dr. Lortz earned a Ph.D. in Music Education from Temple University and a Boyer College of
Music and Dance Fellowship. He has also earned degrees in percussion performance and music education composition from The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He was Associate Music Director and Principal Percussionist for the North American tour of Phantom of the Opera and Percussionist with the international performing ensemble The Dallas Brass. In addition, he has performed and recorded with premier orchestras throughout the United States.
Dr. Lortz was inducted into the Reading Buccaneers Hall of Fame in 2018.
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Michael Tanzos
Brass Caption Head
Returning for his 4th Season as Brass Caption Head in 2025, Michael has been involved with
Drum Corps for the past 15 years. Starting out as a member of Reading Buccaneers in 2009,
Michael went on to march in the Cadets in 2010 & 2011, winning a DCI World Championship. After his marching career, he went on to teach brass at Bushwackers, Cadets2, and the Reading Buccaneers. Michael is currently the Instrumental Director at Whitehall High School.
Michael graduated from Nazareth High School and earned his Music Education degree from
Kutztown University.
Mitch Meussner
Color Guard Caption Head
Mitch Meussner is excited to return for his third season leading the RBCG. Mitch started color
guard at Arundel High School, where he was a designer and choreographer for many years and started marching Drum Corps with the Reading Buccaneers in 1997. From there he marched Independent World Class finalist Just Class from Baltimore, MD and the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps from 2000-2002.
When not teaching color guard, Mitch enjoys spending time with his niece and nephew as well as his puppy, Luna.
Travis Peterman
Battery Arranger/Percussion Caption & Ensemble Coordinator
Born and raised in Newark, Delaware, Travis began his percussion career in the Christina
School District, spending five years with the All-State Junior and Senior Bands. Quickly finding a
passion for the marching arts, he went on to perform as a snare drummer with the Reading
Buccaneers, United Percussion, the Blue Stars, and Rhythm X.
He started teaching drum corps with the Cadets2 in 2012 as the Snare Technician and Battery Choreographer, remaining with the corps for three years. Travis previously held the positions of Director, Program Coordinator, and Battery Arranger for Cadets Winter Percussion during its three year tenure. He served as the Battery Arranger and Director of Percussion for the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2016 through the 2019 season. From 2015 to 2022 Travis held various roles at Carolina Crown, including Percussion Caption Supervisor and Battery Co Arranger. Peterman spent 2023 with The Cadets percussion section, in what would be their final season.
Currently, Travis is the Program Director of the George Mason University Indoor Drumline (where he also holds the position of Battery/Visual Designer), as well as the Percussion Caption Supervisor at the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps and the Percussion Caption Head and Battery Arranger for the Reading Buccaneers. Peterman is an accomplished adjudicator with circuits such as SCPA, KIDA, and NYSPC. As of 2022, Travis serves as the Percussion Coordinator for the Atlantic Indoor Association’s North region.
Travis is honored to have studied under educators such as Thom Hannum, Tom Aungst, Tim Jackson, Jim Ancona, Tim Fairbanks, Darick Kelly, Rich Hammond, and Chris Feist. He is a
proud member of the Vic Firth, Pearl/Adams, and Remo education teams. Outside of the
percussion world, Travis holds an A.A. in Criminal Justice from Delaware Tech, a B.S. in
Behavioral Science from Wilmington University, and a M.Ed. in School Counseling (also from
WilmU).
Reed Kimmel
Audio Manager
Meet Reed Kimmel. With a lifelong passion for drumming that ignited at the age of 5 and an
impressive decade-long career as an audio engineer in the marching arts, he looks to continue his passion with the Reading Buccaneers. Reed lent his talents to renowned ensembles such as The Cadets, Spirit of Atlanta, United Percussion and Towson University, showcasing their productions
in the marching arts community. Now in his third year with the Reading Buccaneers, Reed will act as Audio Manager.
Beyond the realm of drums and audio engineering, Reed shares a unique tradition - watching every Marvel movie on release day with the same five friends.
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Paul Cullen
Staff & Music Coordinator
Entering his 12th year with the Buccaneers, Paul previously served the corps as Mellophone Music Instructor (2011 & 2018-2020), Brass Caption Head (2012-2015), and Ensemble Coordinator (2022-2024).
Paul received his Bachelors of Music in Film Scoring from The Berklee College of Music and since 1999 has served in many roles in the marching arts including: performer, drum major, music technician, caption head, coordinator, composer, arranger, editor, consultant and adjudicator. He has been actively involved with drum corps, marching bands, concert bands, wind ensembles and
percussion ensembles, as well as having served as music designer and editor for numerous independent and scholastic winter guard programs throughout the United States.
Having been in the activity for the past 25 years, Paul's experience includes work with The Syracuse Brigadiers (2001-2009), The Boston Crusaders (2008), The Reading Buccaneers (2011- 2015 & 2018-Present), The Cadets (2011), Jersey Surf (2014), Fusion Core (2016) and Cadets2 (2017). In the fall Paul, has been actively involved with several Marching Band Programs in the Northeast and is also an active adjudicator with Tournament of Bands, Cavalcade of Bands, US Bands, New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association and has adjudicated several independent shows throughout the East Coast. He has also performed with the Princeton Brass Band from 2016- 2019.
Paul is a 2023 Reading Buccaneer Hall of Fame Inductee and resides in North Wales, PA with his wife, Lisa, and their children Madison (RBCG alum ’19 & '22) and Riley. He is extremely excited to continue serving the wonderful people of the Reading Buccaneers!
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Mark Eichenberger
Front Ensemble Arranger
Mark received his Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and
both his Masters of Music Performance and his DMA in Music Performance from the University
of Illinois. As a performer, Mark maintains a busy schedule as a freelance percussionist in the Princeton area. He is a frequent performer for the Princeton Sound Kitchen, premiering newworks by composers at Princeton University. He also drums with the bands Joy on Fire and Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Mark currently works as a percussion arranger for Hylton Music Design.
Before moving to New Jersey, he worked at the University of Texas-Brownsville as a lecturer of
percussion. Prior to that appointment, he was a freelance performer and teacher in Chicago. In the marching arts Mark was a member of Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps from 2000 to 2004. He joined the Capital Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps Staff as a Front Ensemble Instructor in 2006. From 2008 to 2010, Mark served as an Instructor for the Santa Clara Vanguard Front Ensemble, rising to the position of Co-Caption Head for the 2010 season. He then became the Front Ensemble Arranger and Percussion Caption Head for The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps, a position he held
from 2013 through 2019. Mark was also a Front Ensemble consultant with The Cadets from 2022- 2023. He is currently working with the George Mason University Indoor Drumline as a designer and educator.
Mark lives in Lawrence, N.J., with his wife, Juri, and little rescue mutt, Roman. He is looking
forward to his second season designing and arranging the front ensemble for the Reading
Buccaneers.
Lydia Beam
Visual Caption Head
Lydia is very excited to be back this season in her fourth year as visual caption head! Lydia
marched with the Reading Buccaneers from 2013-2016, and in 2017 marched with The Blue
Knights. Lydia was on visual staff and the horn-line choreographer for The Buccaneers from 2018-2020. She then came into the visual caption head role in 2022-present day.
Lydia has also choreographed for high school groups such as Westfield HS (NJ), Allentown HS
(PA), Ridley HS (PA), Liberty HS (MD), and Greendale HS (WI). Lydia has performed with dance groups such as Souls of the Feet dance company, Allied Motion dance company, and Central Pennsylvania Dance Workshop.
Outside of drum corps, Lydia runs the dance program for the Lancaster City Recreation
Commission and lives in Lancaster City, Pa with her husband and two cats. Lydia is very excited to be back for the 2025 season!
Sam Flemming
Sound Design
Known professionally as "Joseph Noah", Sam is a performing artist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Based in Central Virginia, Sam has been involved with the marching arts since 2010, in which he began his performing career at Powhatan High School. After high school, he became a marching member of the George Mason University Indoor Drumline, as well as Carolina Crown. Since his age-out, Sam has helped to elevate sound design for several high school groups in the DMV area and has created sound for world class groups including Carolina Crown, George Mason University, and the Reading Buccaneers.
Currently, Sam is a sound designer for the George Mason University Indoor Drumline.
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Nicholas Tavares
Artistic Coordinator
Nicholas resides in Wilmington, Delaware and is very involved in the marching arts community in the area. 2025 will mark Nicholas' 15th year of involved with the Buccaneers, 4th as the Artistic Coordinator. In the past, Nicholas has been extremely fortunate to have worked with a number of groups in the Mid-Atlantic region earning numerous awards and accolades including Field of View Winter Guard, Middletown High School (Delaware), Cab Calloway School of the Arts, and William Penn High School. Nicholas has had an extensive marching career including the Reading Buccaneers 2009-2011, Black Watch Color Guard 2009-2010, Apex Winter 1999-2003, 2005-2008 and the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps 2000.
Nicholas is also an active adjudicator with the National Judges Association throughout the fall and winter seasons serving as the organization's Design Analysis/Ensemble Analysis Facilitator.
Nicholas has two degrees in Early Childhood Education and Development and is the Program and Curriculum Coordinator of the Siegel Jewish Community Center--Early Childhood Center in Wilmington, Delaware. Nicholas is also 2023 Reading Buccaneer Hall of Fame Inductee.
Steve Rinda
Visual Designer & Coordinator
Steve is very excited to return to the Reading Buccaneers for the 2025 season. Steve has been involved with DCA since 1997 as a member of the Bushwackers. He spent ten years with Bush as a member, visual caption head, and visual designer. In the last fifteen years, he has also been on
staff with the Connecticut Hurricanes and the visual designer for the Carolina Gold and Fusion Core. He spent three years on the visual staff of the Reading Buccaneers from 2012-2014. He also has designed numerous shows for high school bands in the region and around the country.