LSE Band Staff
R.J. Metteer
Director of Bands
Mr. Metteer has been the Director of Bands at Southeast High School since 1995.
He received a Masters of Music Education in August of 1999 from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and a Bachelors of Arts in Education from Wayne State College in May of 1990. Prior to teaching at Lincoln Southeast High School he attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas as a graduate teaching assistant for the 1994 - 1995 school year. From the fall of 1990 until the spring of 1994 he taught instrumental music in the Lenox Community Schools.
Mr. Metteer is a certified adjudicator in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri as well and active clinician/conductor. He is a former board member of the Nebraska Bandmasters Association and remains an active member. He is a member of the Nebraska Music Educators Conference, and Lincoln Education Association.
Gary Shuda
Assistant Director of Bands
Mr. Shuda has been an Assistant Band Director at LSE since 2014. Along with the band ensembles he teaches percussion, music theory, music technology, and the pit orchestra for musicals.
Mr. Shuda attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree. He was also selected as the Most Outstanding Bandsman within the UNL Band Department in 2012. He then moved to Norman, OK and earned his Master's Degree from the University of Oklahoma in Music and Percussion Performance. At OU, Mr. Shuda served as a Graduate Assistant. His duties included: instructing and arranging for the Pride of Oklahoma marching percussion section, giving individual lessons to undergraduate percussion majors, directing the undergraduate percussion ensemble, as well as teaching the percussion methods class for music education majors. At the conclusion of his tenure, he was awarded the prestigious Ronald J. Dyer award for his outstanding contributions to the OU Percussion Studio.
Mr. Shuda is a Vic Firth Educational Artist and is active as a performer, arranger, and clinician in the Midwest.
Zach Brown
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Mr. Brown is an Assistant Band Director at Lincoln Southeast High School. Mr. Zachary Brown holds a Music Education degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he is originally from Sioux Falls, SD.
Mr. Brown is currently teaching at: Pyrtle, Holmes, Kahoa, and Mickle as well as Southeast High School. Mr. Brown's primary instrument is the horn and he is an active member of the Lincoln Civic Orchestra and the Husker Horn Choir.
Amber Rothchild
Assistant Director of Athletic Bands
Mrs. Rothchild graduated from Lincoln Southeast High School in 2012 and was a member of the Marching Knights. She served as a Drum Major her junior and senior year.
In 2016, Mrs. Rothchild graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Mathematics Education. While at UNL, she was a member of the Cornhusker Marching Band for 4 years and participated in Campus Band for 2 years. She served as a clarinet rank and section leader her junior and senior year.
Mrs. Rothchild joined the marching band staff in 2022 and also teaches math at LSE. She was awarded the 2018 Nebraska Association of Teachers of Mathematics "Rookie of the Year” as well as the 2019-2020 Myrtle Clark Outstanding Math Educator Award. Before coming to LSE, Mrs. Rothchild spent 6 years teaching 8th grade math at Lefler Middle School in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Frank Stroup
Marching and Music Instructor
Mr. Stroup teaches band at Irving Middle School and joined the music department at Southeast in 2020 where he helps with marching band. He graduated from UNL with his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and Music Technology in 2014. Mr. Stroup then moved to the Washington DC area where he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for University of Maryland's Athletic Bands while working to earn his Master's Degree in Music and Trumpet Performance. Mr. Stroup completed his Master's Degree in 2017, studying trumpet under Chris Gekker and Steve Hendrickson.
In 2018, Mr. Stroup moved back to Nebraska and served as the Director of Instrumental Music at Omaha Northwest High School for one year before joining the Nebraska Army National Guard as a trumpet/cornet player in the 43rd Army Band. In addition to his position at Southeast, Mr. Stroup teaches 5th grade band at Morley and Wysong Elementary Schools, is a guest lecturer at Doane University, and continues to perform with the 43rd Army Band. He is a member of the Nebraska Music Educator's Association, Nebraska State Band Master's Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity, and an honorary member of the Tau Beta Sigma Band Sorority.
Anna Wade
Marching and Music Instructor
Ms. Wade is beginning her teaching career at Lefler Middle School where she will teach Vocal Music and Drama while assisting with LSE's Athletic Bands.
Ms. Wade graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Music Education. At WSU she sang in Concert Chorale, played flute in Symphonic Band, and even performed in various Operas! She served as WSU’s C-NAfME Chapter President her junior year and the Collegiate NAfME Vice President of Kansas her senior year. She received the Presser Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship Award in 2021. Outside the school of music, she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta and loved spending time with other passionate, goal-oriented, and kind-hearted young women. She served her chapter on the executive council as Administrative Vice President her Junior Year.
Ms. Wade is a 2018 alumnus of LSE. She was involved in band, choir, theater, and speech as a student. She found her passion for music leadership and teaching during her three years as a Drum Major for the Marching Knights. She is happy to be home in Lincoln with friends and family!
Brendon Sibley
Basketball Band Director
Mr. Sibley has been an instrumental music educator since 1992, beginning his teaching career at Southeast High School.
Mr. Sibley received a Masters of Education in December of 1999 from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln with emphasis in Instructional Technology. He received a Bachelors of Arts in Music Education from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in May of 1992. In addition to teaching at Southeast, he also teaches at Calvert and Clinton Elementary Schools and Lux Middle School. Mr. Sibley is a member of the National Association for Music Education, Nebraska Music Educators Association and the Nebraska Educational Technology Association. He is married and has 3 children.
Samantha Brown
Color Guard Instructor
Samantha Houston Brown has been involved in the marching arts since 2004. In high school, she competed in Bands of America and Winter Guard International with Odessa High School Band of Distinction, Odessa, Missouri. While attending the University of Kansas, she served as a 3 year guard captain with the Marching Jayhawks, 3 seasons with Synchronicity Winterguard, 3 seasons with Avidity Independent Winterguard and a summer performing with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps, from Santa Clara, California.
Samantha has experience instructing and choreographing for high school and collegiate color guards in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Texas, Hawaii and Nebraska. This is her third year as the Color Guard Instructor for the University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band and her fourth year serving in the same position at LSE. In addition to writing choreography and being a clinician, she is a visual staff member with The Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps. She has her Music Education Degree from the University of Kansas.
Vivian Smith
Assistant Color Guard Instructor
Vivian Smith has been the Assistant Color Guard Coach at LSE since 2017. She was a student at LSE between 2012 and 2016 and participated in color guard during that time.
Vivian graduated from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in May of 2021 with bachelor's degree in English and minors in Education, Psychology, and Digital Humanities. Vivian has also worked at the Lincoln City Libraries as a Library Aide since July of 2019.
Wyatt Smith
Assistant Percussion Instructor
Wyatt graduated from LSE in 2015 and has assisted in instructing the Marching Knights percussion section since then. Wyatt was a member of the front ensemble at LSE and also served as a section leader during his last two years. He was also a member of the Cornhusker Marching Band for a year.
Wyatt is an assistant manager at Runza and enjoys playing piano in his free time.