Ray Linkous – Director of Bands
Ray Linkous is currently the Director of Bands at Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, SC where he has taught since the school opened in 2007. After serving 2 years as a band staff member, Mr. Linkous became the Associate Director of Bands in 2009, and later moved into the role of Director of Bands in 2019. A native of Virginia, he grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Roanoke and received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Radford University in Radford, VA where he studied composition and conducting under the mentorship of Mark Camphouse. In 1995 he moved to Kansas to begin work on his Master of Music degree in Conducting at Wichita State University and served as the Graduate Teaching Assistant for University Bands while studying conducting with Dr. Victor Markovich and Jay Decker.
Ray began his teaching career as the Associate Director of Bands at Shepton High School in the north Dallas suburb of Plano, TX where he received the 1997-1998 Plano ISD New Teacher of the Year Award. In 1999 he joined the original cast of the stage production, BLAST! as a tuba performer and conductor, winning the 2001 Tony Award for “Best Special Theatrical Event” and 2001 Emmy Award for “Best Choreography.” In the following years he would go on to serve as Music Manager and Company Manager for the next two follow-up BLAST! productions, SHOCKWAVE and CYBERJAM. While working with the company he had the opportunity to perform at The Apollo Theater: Hammersmith, Royal Albert Hall, and The Queen’s Theatre in London’s West End Theatre District. He has also performed at The Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington DC, Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the historic Fox Theaters in Atlanta, Detroit, and St. Louis.
Ray has nearly 30 years of experience in the drum corps activity and began as a marching member of The Star of Indiana in 1991 & 1992 which won the DCI World Championship in 1991 and the Jim Ott Memorial High Brass Award in 1992. Ray taught in the drum corps activity as a brass instructor for the Crossmen in 1993 & 1994, The Cadets in 1997 as well as its World Championship winning season in 1998, and Carolina Crown in 1999, 2005, and 2009 through 2019. During his time with Crown, the corps would go on to win 7 Jim Ott High Brass Awards and the DCI World Championship in 2013. Ray also served as the Director of Operations and Education at Carolina Crown from 2006-2008. Most recently he serves as a consultant with the Santa Clara Vanguard in Santa Clara, CA as a Music Ensemble Specialist.
Mr. Linkous was a founding member of the Xi Theta Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at Radford University, and is currently a member of the South Carolina Band Directors Association, the South Carolina Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity.
Linkous resides in the neighboring town of Rock Hill, SC and lives with his husband, Nick and their dogs Louie and Dolce.
James Roddy – Associate Director of Bands
James Roddy is a hornist, educator, and leadership consultant from Easley, South Carolina. He earned his Master of Music in Horn Performance from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he served as principal horn of the UT Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Opera Orchestra, and performed with the Volunteer Brass Quintet. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Western Carolina University, graduating summa cum laude.
As a performer, James has appeared with numerous professional ensembles, including the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, Asheville Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Philharmonic, and Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra. His chamber work includes performances and a professional recording project with the Volunteer Brass Quintet, supported through a competitive grant-funded project, including a $5,000 award for the Volunteer Brass Quintet Recording Project.
James has taught in a variety of settings, from private brass instruction to leadership development. He began teaching with Fred J. Miller Inc., where he also contributed to the curriculum design committee for their national student leadership program. His teaching experience includes roles with the Easley High School Band (SC), Tuscola High School Band (NC), Clover High School Bands (SC), and Phillip Simmons High School (SC).
Mr. Roddy was a member of the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps and was a past president of the Omicron Epsilon Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at Western Carolina University. He is currently a member of the South Carolina Band Directors Association, the South Carolina Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education.
JC Calhoun – Percussion Director
Bio coming soon!
Patrick McClean – Percussion Instructor + Band Photographer
Patrick is originally from Fairfax, Va. and marched with the Garfield Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps from 1988-1991, winning a DCI World Championship and High Percussion Award in 1990. Patrick served as a percussion instructor and arranger for numerous High School Marching Bands and Indoor Drumlines in Fairfax, Va. from 1989-2001.
He returned to teaching in 2014 with local High School Marching Bands, and WGI Scholastic and Independent Indoor Drumlines in North and South Carolina. He has been with the Carolina Panthers drumline PurrCussion since 2014, with 3 seasons performing as a member of the bass line until joining the staff as the PurrCussion Assistant. Patrick has been with Nation Ford as a percussion instructor since 2017 for both the marching band and indoor drumline. Patrick has also served as the band photographer for the last 2 seasons.
Ben Henley – Guard Director
Benjamin Henley is originally from Charlotte, NC and is currently the Colorguard Director at Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, SC. Benjamin is a choreographer and a member of the design team for Etude Independent World from Rock Hill, SC, who were the 2024 WGI World Class Silver Medalists.
Benjamin just spent this summer on staff with the 2024 Carolina Crown Colorguard serving as a choreographer and tech. In addition, he choreographs for James F. Byrnes HS and Catawba Ridge HS. He has an extensive background in dance and musical theater having been on The North American Tour of Dirty Dancing and the 2nd National Tour of Finding Neverland where he served as Dance Captain and Swing. He is an alumni of the Phantom Regiment Colorguard, First Flight (IW), The Cast (IO), and Etude (IO). His love for teaching comes from giving back to an activity that gave him the confidence to pursue all facets of his dreams. Benjamin has been involved at Nation Ford since 2010 in many different roles. He is so glad to continue to call Nation Ford “home” for this long and feels extremely excited for the future of the whole program.
Korey Craven – Guard Instructor
Korey Craven began his marching arts career at James F. Byrnes High School where he was a member of the drum line from 2010-2014 and a member of the winter guard from 2014-2015. Korey went on to continue his performing career as a member of the Carolina Band at the University of South Carolina from 2015-2016. He also spent two summers touring with Carolina Crown as a member of the color guard from 2017-2018. During his time at Crown, Korey served on the Crown Guard leadership team for his age out in 2018. Korey was also a member of Étude Winterguard for 9 consecutive seasons, starting in 2016 and culminating his performing career with Étude as a 2024 WGI World Championships Silver Medalist. During his time at Étude, Korey had the honor of serving on the leadership team for 6 years.
Korey has been fortunate enough to have had many opportunities to teach and choreograph for various high school programs throughout the South East including Byrnes HS, Marvin Ridge HS, Dobyns Bennett HS, White Knoll HS, and Lexington HS. Beyond the High School marching arts, Korey has been on the color guard staff at Carolina Crown from 2023-2025 and a choreographer and instructor at Étude Winterguard since 2025.
Currently, Korey teaches and choreographs for Nation Ford High School. He has been on the color guard staff since 2023 and is excited to continue growing with the program this season! When not at rehearsal, Korey enjoys spending time with his close friends or at home with his cat, Shantay.
Jocquin Fuller – Fort Mill Middle School Band Liaison
Jocquin Fuller is currently enjoying his 27th year of teaching as the band director at Fort Mill Middle School in Fort Mill, S.C. and was recognized as the 2024-2025 District “Teacher of the Year.” He previously served as a middle and high school director in both Rock Hill, S.C. and Charlotte, N.C.
Jocquin holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Winthrop University in Music Education and Conducting respectively. He gained National Board Certification in 2007. During the summer, he serves as the band director for Winthrop’s St-Arts program for students who are talented in the arts.
In addition to his many teaching responsibilities, Mr. Fuller frequently serves as both a judge and a clinician for several band events throughout the southeast. He is a member of Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha. He resides in Fort Mill, SC with his wonderful wife, Kelly, and their nineteen-year-old daughter, Olivia.
Dustin Hoke – Springfield Middle School Band Liaison
Dustin Hoke is the Band Director at Springfield Middle School in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Originally from Claremont, North Carolina, Mr. Hoke began playing the saxophone at age nine. He received the Bachelor of Science degree in music education from Western Carolina University, where he studied saxophone, conducting, and composition. At WCU he served in leadership positions for the Sudler Trophy recipient “Pride of the Mountains” Marching Band under the direction of Bob Buckner and Matt Henley.
Prior to his arrival at Springfield in 2021, Mr. Hoke served several years in the North Carolina Public Schools System and most recently was the Director of Bands at CE Williams Middle School in Charleston, SC. Under his baton, bands have received consistent superior and excellent ratings at Concert Performance Assessment with active student placement in Region and All State.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mr. Hoke is an active composer, arranger, and designer. In 2015, Mr. Hoke released his first marching band publication entitled “ReInvention” with Grand Mesa Music Publishing which has been performed throughout the United States and in Japan. He is a member of the National Association for Music Education and the National Band Association. He currently resides in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
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