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2023 Colorguard Staff
Mitch Meussner is excited to take on this new role with the RBCG. Mitch started color guard at Arundel High School, where he’s been a designer and choreographer for many years and started marching Drum Corps with the Reading Buccaneers in 1997. From there he marched Independent World Class finalist Just Class from Baltimore, MD and the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps from 2000-2002. When not teaching, Mitch enjoys spending time with his niece and nephew as well as his puppy, Luna.
Tyler Leynes is excited to return to the Reading Buccaneers colorguard staff this summer. Since joining the staff in 2018, he hopes to continue to provide training and choreography to further heighten the program. Tyler brings with him drum corps experience not only from his time marching in the Reading Buccaneers (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017), but his time in DCI with Jersey Surf (2009 – 2010) and the Cavaliers (2011). He also hopes to provide insight from his time teaching Field of View Winterguard for the past few seasons (2017 – 2023). This will be Tyler’s 4th season on staff.
Shannon Hall currently resides in Montgomery County, MD and is the Senior Analyst of Workforce Management for Total Wine & More. He has a strong sense of passion, precision, commitment, and is detail oriented. His great deal of enthusiasm and creativity has led to several successful accomplishments with the teams he has led and has had partnerships with.
This will be Shannon’s 14th year with the organization, 13th on staff. He has both performed and taught at Reading Buccaneers since 2008, Black Watch 2006-2010, 2012-2018, and performed at Contemporary Color in Canada and New York with Black Watch. Shannon has also taught at Pennsauken High School (NJ), Allentown High School (NJ), Broadneck High School (MD), William Penn High School (DE), Middletown High School (DE), Arundel High School (MD), and Field of View (PA). Shannon is thrilled to be returning to the RBCG staff as the Lead Choreographer for the 2023 season!
Mikayla Close started her color guard career in 2013 with the West Shore School District Color Guard middle and high school programs. Mikayla’s drum corps career began with the Cadets2 DCA corps in 2018. She first auditioned for DCI after that summer and marched with Carolina Crown from 2019 until she aged out last summer in 2022. Mikayla is a currently a senior at Elizabethtown College studying Occupational Therapy with a minor in Business Administration and will continue at Etown to earn her MSOT in 2024. Here, she is also the captain of her college’s dance team. Mikayla continued her winter guard career after high school marching with AMP Winter Guard from 2020 to 2023. She also started her color guard teaching career with Hempfield High School in 2020 and continues to teach there today. Mikayla is thrilled to join the RBCG this year and join the other side of the drum corps activity as a staff member.
Emily Dachroeden started her colorguard career at her high school in 2007. She went on to perform with the Missouri State University PRIDE Marching Band from 2012-2015. During college, she also began her WGI career, performing with National Avenue in 2012, and the Pride of Missouri State 2013-2016. After college, she performed with Emanon World in 2017. She has been performing with Blessed Sacrament since 2018. She is very excited to work with the Reading Buccaneers this summer!
Makenzie Wrightstone is a Reading Buccaneer alumni who started her colorguard career with her middle and high school programs. Makenzie joined the RBCG in 2013 and then from 2015-2017. She took the step to audition for a DCI corps and spent her 2018 and 2019 summer marching Santa Clara Vanguard. While at West Chester University Makenzie studied Elementary Education/ Special Education and a minor in dance. She marched with the Incomparable Golden Ram Marching Band 2016-2018, 2020. She took a leadership role the 2019 fall season after she got double hip surgery. Makenzie also marched AMP in 2019 and 2022. She spent her 2022 summer marching one more year of bucs. Aside from teaching WCU colorguard she is a Special Education teacher. Makenzie is thrilled to continue to be involved with the RBCG but in a different role.
Jacob Allison (he/him) is an an elementary general music teacher in Anne Arundel county public schools and is from/lives in Severna Park, MD. He teaches colorguard at Arundel High School and has been with the program since the 2017 indoor season. He also got the chance to teach/choreograph The Raiders this past summer. He marched Cadets2 in 2017-2018, The Cadets in 2018-2019, The Caballeros in 2021-2022, and has been marching AMP World since 2019.
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