Daniel R. Pritchett became Director of Bands at Valparaiso High School and Music Department Head for Valparaiso High School during the 1995-1996 school year.  Mr. Pritchett conducts the Valparaiso H.S. “A” Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Studio Band during the school year and also teaches a jazz improvisation class.  He graduated summa cum laude from Ball State University in 1975, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music and Math Education.  In 1978, Mr. Pritchett completed the Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies at Valparaiso University.  Prior to his appointment as Director of Bands, he was Assistant Director at VHS from 1975-1995 where he conducted the Valparaiso H.S. “B” and "C" Bands.  Other responsibilities that Mr. Pritchett performs are the coordination of the beginning summer band program and a number of financial and logistical areas at the secondary music level.  He has served as Secretary-Treasurer (1983-90) and President (1991-92 and 1998-99)) of the Indiana Bandmasters Association (IBA), and the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) in 1995-96.  His professional memberships are to IBA, Indiana Music Educators Association (IMEA), Music Educators National Conference (MENC), College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), and is a member of Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.  Mr. Pritchett was honored by Quinlan & Fabish with a Chicagoland Outstanding Educator Award for 2005; honored by the Indiana Music Educators Association as the “Outstanding High School Music Educator of the Year” for 2004; and he was selected by School Band and Orchestra magazine as the “Indiana Director Who Makes a Difference” in 2005 and 2001.  In 1992, he was honored as an “Outstanding Alumnus” by the Ball State University School of Music.  He is the father of two children, Katie, who is a graduate at the University of Wisconsin/Whiteater and was President of the 2002-03 “A” Band, and Josh, who lives in Costa Mesa, California and was Vice-President of the 2004-2005 “A” Band.  Josh will graduate this December, finishing his degree this semester in Australia.

Miguel E. Rosario-Vega has been Assistant Director of Bands at Valparaiso High School since the 1995-1996 school year.  Born and raised in Puerto Rico, he received his Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance and Master of Arts for Teachers degrees at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana.  Mr. Rosario conducts the Valparaiso High School “B” Band, Concert Band, Jazz Lab Band, and travels around the school district’s middle schools assisting their respective band programs.  Prior to coming to Valparaiso, he was an Associate Instructor at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music from 1991-1993 where he taught in the areas of music education and brass techniques.  He has performed trumpet with the Puerto Rico Casals Festival Orchestra, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Northwest Indiana Symphony, and the Whiting Parks Festival Orchestra.  He has guest conducted regularly with schools around the state, the Indiana Bandmasters Association’s All-District Honor Band, All-Region Honor Band, and the Great Lake Music Camp.  During his teaching career Mr. Rosario has been awarded two Lilly Endowment, Inc. Teacher Creativity Fellowships (2000, and 2007).  The first Lilly grant was for research work on wind music written by composers from Puerto Rico.  In 2007 he was named a Lilly Endowment, Inc. “distinguished fellow” and traveled to Russia, Europe, and across the United States to pursue professional growth as a conductor.  In the fall of 2009 he made his European conducting debut in a concert with the brass and percussion section of the Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra in Spain in an all Gershwin program.  He is a professional member of the League of American Orchestras, the Indiana Bandmasters Association, the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and the Indiana Music Educators Association.  Mr. Rosario is married to Esta, Director of Music Ministries at the First United Methodist Church in Valparaiso and they have four children; Kristofer, Ricardo, Olivia, and Antonio.