Director of Bands
Lafe Cook has been a high school band director for twenty-one years years and is in his fifteenth year as the Director of the Dobyns-Bennett Band Program. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where he was Drum Major of the Pride of the Southland Marching Band and a Graduate Assistant with the music department. Mr. Cook taught at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Virginia for six years prior to coming to Dobyns-Bennett.
Mr. Cook’s teaching responsibilities at Dobyns-Bennett High School include directing the Symphonic Band, the Marching Band and administrating the 385 member band program. He also serves as the music department head for the high school for the over 450 musicians involved in music instruction at Dobyns-Bennett.
Under his direction, the Dobyns-Bennett Band has experienced tremendous growth over the past fifteen years, increasing from 180 to over 300 musicians. The Dobyns-Bennett Symphonic Band has performed at numerous conventions including the College Band Directors National Association and National Band Association Southern Regional Convention in 2002, the Tennessee Music Education Association Conference in 2000 and 2004, 2008 and 2012 the Bands of America’s National Concert Band Festival in 2006 and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Convention in 2002 and 2009. Our band program was the recipient of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s 2004 Sudler Flag of Honor Award.
Mr. Cook is the Tennessee Music Education Association State Band Chair, President Elect of the East Tennessee Band and Orchestra Association, the past President of the Tennessee Bandmasters Association and is a former member of the Board of Directors for the National Band Association. Mr. Cook is a four-time recipient of the National Band Associations’ Citation of Excellence and has been honored by the John Philip Sousa Foundation as a Sudler Flag of Honor Laureate. He was named “Aide de Camp” to the Governor of the State of Tennessee in 2005. His professional and honorary affiliations include the National Band Association, Tennessee Music Education Association, East Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association, National Education Association, Phi Beta Mu and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Mr. Cook was inducted into the prestigious American Bandmasters Association in 2009.
Associate Director of Bands
Ryan Gilbert has been teaching since 1997 and has served as the Assistant Director of Bands at Dobyns-Bennett High School since 2002. He received his Bachelor’s in Music Education from Lee University and his Master’s in Education from Tusculum College. Mr. Gilbert began his teaching career as the interim Assistant Band Director at Dobyns-Bennett High School. He taught as Band Director from 1998-2000 at Patrick Henry High School in Glade Springs, Virginia. He became Band Director at Sullivan North High School in Kingsport, Tennessee in 2000 where he remained until becoming Associate Director of Bands at Dobyns-Bennett High School in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Gilbert has arranged the marching band music for 11 shows performed by the Dobyns-Bennett Marching Band. These shows have produced numerous first place awards including two Governor’s Cup wins at the Contest of Champions, 1st place overall at the WCU Tournament of Champions, and 1st place music at the Towson, MD Bands of America Regional.
Mr. Gilbert’s teaching responsibilities include Music Technology, AP Music Theory, Marching Band, and director of the Symphonic I band. Mr. Gilbert’s theory students have typically maintained at least a 90% passing rate on the AP exam since he began teaching the course in 2002. His concert bands have received superior ratings every year they have participated in the state concert festival.
Assistant Director of Bands
Percussion Instructor
Jason Walsh has served as the Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Percussion at Dobyns-Bennett High School since 2001. He received his Bachelor’s in Music Education from East Tennessee State University. Mr. Walsh began his teaching career in 1999 as an Interim Band Director for Linkhorne Middle School in Lynchburg, Virginia. He then taught at Hampton High School in Hampton, Tennessee where he served as both the middle school and high school band director.
Mr. Walsh’s teaching responsibilities at Dobyns-Bennett include conducting the third concert band, multiple percussion ensembles and the marching percussion section, directing percussion at John Sevier Middle School, as well as arranging the percussion scores for both the football and competitive marching bands.
Since Mr. Walsh has arrived at Dobyns-Bennett the percussion ensemble has performed at PASIC, BOA’s National Percussion Festival and the TMEA Conference (in conjunction with the band). The Percussion Ensemble has also hosted various clinics and performed with Mr. Paul Wertico (Pat Metheny), Mr. Arthur Lipner, Jeff Queen and Mr. Andy Harnsberger. He also has had a number of percussion students involved in All-East Senior Clinic and has had many percussion students participate in the Tennessee All-State Band.
Mr. Walsh is an active adjudicator and consultant in the region and a member of the Vic Firth Education Team and the Percussive Arts Society. Mr. Walsh and his wife August have a son, Miles.
