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  Grayslake Central High School Music Department
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Emily Ferguson - Director of Choirs

Classes taught at GCHS: Concert Choir, Mixed Ensemble Honors, Treble Choir Honors, Guitar 1, and Guitar 2
Mr. Geller
About the Director: Emily Ferguson is an enthusiastic choral music educator who is elated to join the RAMily at Grayslake Central!  Emily earned her B.A. in Music Education with a choral emphasis from Augustana College (IL).  By the Mighty Mississippi, Emily proudly served as a section leader in the Augustana Choir, which toured in the United States, Germany, and Austria, including performances at Carnegie Hall.  Prior to GCHS, Emily has taught general music and secondary choirs across Northern Illinois for nine years.  This past summer, Emily also completed her Master of Music Education degree at the University of Illinois.
​

Outside of teaching, Emily enjoys playing piano, reading, hiking, cooking (even when it ends disastrously and we end up at Wendy's), being outside, traveling, and cheering on the St. Louis Cardinals.  She and her husband live in Lake Villa with their cat, Mirabelle.  ​

Zachary Geller - Director of Bands

Classes taught at GCHS: Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Guitar 1, Guitar 2, Music Theory 1/2 and AP Music Theory
Mr. Geller
About the Director: Zachary Geller has been the Director of Bands at Grayslake Central High School in Grayslake, Illinois (School District D127) since 2021.  At GCHS, Mr. Geller is the director of the MARCHING Rams, teaches all three levels of concert bands (Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble), Guitar 1 and 2, and AP Music Theory.  Mr. Geller also directs the pep band during basketball season, the annual pit orchestra for our school musical, and teaches all extra curricular Jazz Bands.  Prior to teaching at GCHS, Mr. Geller was the Director of Bands at Streamwood High School (School District U-46) for 8 years.  At SHS, Mr. Geller taught the SABRE Marching Band, concert band, pep band, jazz band, music theory, and is the director of the pit orchestra for the annual school musical.  Mr. Geller is proud to have been a member of the music staff at School District U-46, who helped the district be recognized as one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation in 2019. 

Prior to teaching at Streamwood, Mr. Geller taught for three years as the Instrumental Music Teacher at Riverview Middle School in Plymouth, Wisconsin. At Riverview, Mr. Geller taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Band, Jazz Band, Music Technology, and Jazz Appreciation. 

Mr. Geller received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010, and his Master of Music Education degree in 2018 from U of I as well. As an undergrad at the University of Illinois, Mr. Geller was a member of the Marching Illini for four years, during which he arranged the music of Ben Folds, which was performed by the Marching Illini in 2009. He was also assistant director, and later, director of the Orange and Blues Band.  While at the University of Illinois, Mr. Geller studied trumpet privately with Professors Ronald Romm, Tito Carrillo, and the late Dr. Michael Ewald, conducting with Dr. Joseph Manfredo and Dr. Louis Bergonzi, and music technology with Professor Scott Wyatt.  

Mr. Geller is an active adjudicator and speaker having presented multiple professional development sessions for School District U-46, and was a guest speaker on the 2017 music educators panel for pre-service teachers at the Lake Forest College of Music.  Mr. Geller spends his free time writing and arranging music, and works as a clinician over the summer teaching performance techniques to various high school marching bands.  Mr. Geller has written music for The Marching Illini, The University of Illinois Basketball Band, Lakes Community High School (IL), and many other school bands throughout Illinois. 

MARCHING RAMS STAFF

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Andrew Magosky

Assistant Marching Band Director

Hello! My name is Andrew Magosky. I am the Assistant Marching Band Director here at
Grayslake Central High School, and I am thrilled to be able to work with you and our great staff!

My marching career began in high school just like yours where I marched trumpet. Later on I marched the 2015 season with the University of Illinois Marching Illini and was a member of The 2016 Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps where I played mellophone. The summer after I marched DCI, I left the activity to teach high school marching band and joined the world class visual staff of the Lincoln-Way Community High School Marching Band where I taught marching fundamentals, dance fundamentals, and two seasons working with the woodwind music staff, and one season teaching the trumpet section music. Finally, In 2022 I had the honor of joining the Grayslake Central Marching Rams staff as Assistant Director which brings us to today!

​I look forward to a great season with all of you this year! Let’s Go Rams!
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Jon Locke (Jlo)

Drum Line Staff

 My Name is Jon Locke, but I also go by the nickname Jlo. This was given to me when I was a freshman at Warren Township High School in Gurnee and it has followed me ever since. I have been playing drums since I was about five years old; both at home and in my church. As I got older, I had the privilege to learn and play drumset in my middle school jazz band. As I transitioned into high school, I learned how to play the Steel Drums and even played these drums and the kit at Hurricane Harbor at Six Flags for my very first job. 

Throughout the duration of my high school years, I marched for our competitive band playing auxiliary percussion in the front ensemble and marching snare drum. I was introduced to a WGI indoor drumline called L.e.a.P. (Learning everything about Percussion), where I grew significantly as a percussion player. Over the next several years, I competed and marched for three different WGI groups: L.e.a.P., Evolution Indoor and Gateway Indoor Percussion; marching snare drum in each group. When I transitioned to college, I marched for the Big Red Marching Machine; Illinois State University's marching band. I became center snare and section leader during my second year on the line.

Throughout my experiences, I began to develop even more of a love for drums, but specifically for marching percussion. Post college graduation, I moved back home and got involved helping out and teaching the drumline back at Warren. I have taught at Warren as the main drumline instructor - with two other amazing instructors - for ten years. It has been an absolute blessing and pleasure to watch my previous students grow and learn everything they can about marching percussion and become better musicians through the process. 

I currently play drums for my church out in Rolling Meadows, IL, give private drum lessons to a few students and continue to help teach the drumline at Warren. 
​I am very excited to get to work with all of you and watch you individually grow and become better musicians through the process. 


Thank you for allowing me to be part of the Marching Rams family. As my late drum instructor Jeff Hoke would tell us, "Hearts on fire, minds on ice.
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Mason Jenkins

Drum Line Staff

Hello! My name is Mason Jenkins. I am one of the percussion instructors here at Grayslake Central High School, and I am thrilled to be able to work with you all and with this incredible organization!

My marching career began in high school, where I marched Cymbals, Snare, and Quad Tenors. Later on, I marched 4 summers in the Drum Corps International activity, 2 years on bass drum (basses 4 and 5) with the Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps, followed by 2 years with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in the Front Ensemble. After aging out of DCI in 2014, I was brought on staff at Warren Township High School, where I had the privilege of being one of their world class drumline staff - which included fellow GLC percussion staff member JLo! Finally, in 2021, I had the honor and pleasure of being able to come over to our very own Grayslake Central to begin working with this incredible band program, and the journey from there brings us to today!

I am looking forwards to an excellent year with you all, and can’t wait to see where this season takes us! Let’s Go Rams!
GCHS Music Department
400 North Lake Street
Grayslake, IL 60030

Email: zgeller@d127.org

School Phone: 847-986-3300
Copyright © 2022 Grayslake Central High School Music Department. All rights reserved.
  • Home
    • JOIN GCHS BANDS
    • Tri-M Music Honors Society
    • Disney 2023
  • Classes
    • Band >
      • Concert Band
      • Symphonic Band Honors
      • Wind Ensemble Honors
      • Marching Band >
        • GCHS MARCHING RAMS
        • GCHS Guard Auditions
    • Choir >
      • Concert Choir
      • Mixed Ensemble Honors
      • Treble Choir Honors
    • Jazz Band
    • Music Production I/II
  • Calendar
  • Faculty
  • Documents
    • Bands >
      • Handouts and Forms
      • Chamber Music Unit >
        • Information Packet
      • Students Only >
        • Student Documents
      • SmartMusic
    • Choirs >
      • Choir Concert / Event Calendar
      • SmartMusic
    • Private Lessons
    • Order Music Supplies
  • Media
    • GCHS Marching Band >
      • Reference Recordings
      • Performances
    • Concert Bands >
      • Reference Recordings
      • Performances
    • Jazz Band >
      • Reference Recordings
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs