Band Department Staff

Eric Thornbury has been directing bands since 1992.  He is the Music Department Chair and Director of Bands for Noblesville Schools.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Indiana State University and a Master’s of Education from Indiana Wesleyan University.  

 

Mr. Thornbury’s current responsibilities include directing three concert bands, a marching band, a pep band, and chamber ensembles as well as overseeing the band, orchestra, choir, piano, guitar, recording and lab classes in Noblesville Schools.  Mr. Thornbury was an adjunct Professor of Music at Indiana University Kokomo for 9 years and was the president of the Howard County Arts League.  He is a member of the Indiana Bandmasters Association, The National Association for Music Education, and the Indiana Music Educators Conference.  He served as the vice-president for the Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission for 5 years and represents music and education on the Noblesville Fine Arts Council.  Mr. Thornbury has been a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator for middle school and high school bands throughout the State of Indiana.  

 

In his tenure at Noblesville the band program has more than doubled in size, the Marching Band won the Indiana State Fair Band Day Championship in 2017 and 2018, were an ISSMA Class A Semi-Finalist in 2019 and ISSMA Class A State Finalists in 2021.  Eric is a trumpet player who plays as often as time allows.  He resides in Noblesville Indiana with his wife and five children.  

Bethany Robinson holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education and a master’s degree in Education. She began teaching music in 2005. Bethany is the Assistant Band Director and the Jazz Director for Noblesville High School. She currently serves as the President-Elect for the National Association for Music Education Jazz Council and President of the Indiana Jazz Educators Association. During the 2014-2015 School year, Miss Robinson was named Indiana Jazz Educator of the Year by the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation, Teacher of the Year for Noblesville Schools during the 2015-2016 school year and was a 2016 Indiana Teacher of the Year Semi-Finalist. She is also a two-time Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellow, where she received grants to study jazz and culture in both the US (2011) and Brazil (2019).

 

In 2021, her top jazz band was 1 of 15 jazz bands selected for the prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Festival. She is a 2022 Grammy Educator of the year finalist. Bethany spends her time outside the classroom playing upright and electric bass in several groups in the Indianapolis area.

Jacob Crossley earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Indiana State University in 2013 after graduating from Hagerstown High School. Mr. Crossley was the Drum Major for the Indiana State Marching Band in 2012 and taught at North Decatur High School for 6 years.  His directing credits include the Decatur County Combined Marching Band for four years and the Southeastern Indiana Honor Band.  Mr. Crossley was awarded Decatur County Teacher of the Year in 2017!

 

Jacob is currently the Assistant Band Director at Noblesville High School where he  the 2021 Marching Millers to ISSMA Open Class A State finals and guided the Noblesville Indoor Percussion group to an Independent Class A State Championship in 2019 and a Scholastic Class A Bronze in 2021! 

Jeff Welsh began his career in pageantry after playing saxophone in the marching band from middle through high school.  He then became a marching member of the University of Florida’s color guard rifle line.   While serving as drum major of the UF Gator Band he marched with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps Color Guard and wrote drill for the UF Band and South Fork HS in Florida.  After graduation he became the color guard director and designer for the Florida Visual Ensemble and XPOZ-A winter guard.  Since that time, he has written marching band drill and directed/designed for many programs across the state of Florida.  Mr. Welsh took the Sebastian River High School Color Guard program from a local unit to a WGI Finalist in Scholastic A!  

 

Jeff has designed for all three WGI Scholastic classes and the Independent A and Open classes, with his units reaching the WGI finals 23 times.  Jeff has also served in various judging roles. He took a few years off to enjoy watching his children Jarrod and Carli march in their own units.

 

He is currently proud to serve as Color Guard Director here at Noblesville High School (returning to his Midwest roots).  He has elevated the Winter Guard from a local SRA team to a 2021 WGI Scholastic Open national virtual finalist group!