STAFF
Cliff Dawson
Director of Bands
Mr. Dawson currently serves as the Director of Bands at Braden River High School. At Braden River, Mr. Dawson's responsibilities include overseeing all areas of the band program including the jazz bands, percussion, beginning band, brass and woodwind classes, and the "Marching Band of Pirates".
Prior to becoming the Director of Bands at Braden River, Mr. Dawson was the Assistant Director of Bands where he coordinated jazz band, beginning band, brass class, symphonic band and was the Assistant Director for the Marching Band of Pirates. Before joining the band faculty at Braden River, Mr. Dawson was a full-time educator at Northeast High School in Pinellas County for eight years. During that time, he successfully led the music department in teaching and directing multiple courses, including Concert, Jazz, Marching Band, Music Technology, Guitar, Percussion, and Orchestra Ensembles. His students and bands and students have consistently earned Superior ratings and additionally has aided many students in achieving All-County and All-State selections.
Music has been a part of Mr. Dawson’s life for his entire academic and professional career, and teaching is a true passion of his, not just a job.
Mr. Dawson is a Trombonist and graduate of the University of South Florida and Florida State University. He was also a member of the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps from 1993-1996, and was a member of the 1997 World Champion Concord Blue Devils.
Ricardo Robinson-Shinall
Director of Colorguards
Ricardo is originally from MS where he attended the University of Southern Mississippi and was both Colorguard Captain/Coordinator and Drum Major for the Pride of MS Marching Band.
While in MS, Ricardo was the Colorguard Director for the Petal High School Marching Band which won numerous state and regional Championships in band and colorguard. He served for 10 years as the Colorguard Director/Coordinator for the East Central Community College Wall O’ Sound Band in Decatur MS.
Ricardo has numerous choreography, design, and consultation credits for colorguards and bands throughout the Southeast including Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps, U.S.F. Winterguard and University of South Florida Winterguard, McEachern HS (GA), Jackson Academy (MS), Columbia HS (MS), Denham Springs HS (LA), Amor Independent Winterguard (AL), Optemystic Independent Winterguard (MS), eMenience Indoor Percussion Theatre (MS), Lafayette HS (LA), and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (LA).
An active member of the Gulf Coast Judges Association, Ricardo has judged and critiqued top programs from all across the country. He has served on the Bands of America/Music for All Summer Symposium colorguard staff since 2003. In addition to colorguard and band, Ricardo is an active show choir, musical theatre, and dance company choreographer and director. His performance credits include the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps Colorguard 1998, Optemystic Independent Winterguard (1999-2003), eMenience Indoor Percussion Theatre (2004), and the 2001 DCI World Champions the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.
Pat Miller
Visual Coordinator
Pat Miller has been involved in the world of the pageantry arts for over 25 years as an educator, designer, adjudicator, clinician and consultant. Originally starting his career as a performer with the Garfield Cadets, Pat has served in many roles including drill designer, visual caption head, instructor and consultant for several DCI, BOA, and scholastic championship programs. Pat’s involvement has included such outstanding DCI organizations as The Cadets, The Phantom Regiment, The Glassmen and is currently on the visual staff with The Blue Knights.
Scholastically, Pat has been instrumental in achieving multiple state championships in Virginia and Florida, and has been involved with Lassiter High School (GA), Center Grove High School (IN), Plymouth Canton (MI), Thomas Jefferson HS of Science and Technology (VA), and has been working with the Braden River High School Marching Band since the 2012 season.
Pat is an active adjudicator throughout Southeast and has been a Guest Conductor at the University of Georgia Middle School Honor Band Festival in Athens, GA. He is currently in his tenth year as the Director of Bands at The Out-of-Door Academy, a Pre K-12 independent college preparatory school in Sarasota, FL. Pat enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters at the beach and running Tough Mudder extreme endurance races.
