Our Directors
DAN CARLSON
Director
Mr. Dan Carlson graduated in 1994 from Pipestone High School (MN). While in middle and high school, he marched in both the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (1988), as well as the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade (1994). In 1999, he received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. Prior to his graduation from SDSU, he student taught in Luverne, Minnesota. He also completed his Master of Music Education Degree from the American Band College of Southern Oregon University between the summers of 2002 and 2004.
Mr. Carlson was a Drum Major for the Pride of the Dakotas marching band at SDSU from 1995 through 1998. During his time at SDSU, he marched in the 1996 Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C. In 1992 and 1997 he was a member of Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. He has been writing drills for high school and college marching bands around the country since 1996 and has also been an active clinician for drum majors around the region. Mr. Carlson began teaching band at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1999. Mr. Carlson performed in 2004 at the South Dakota Bandmasters Convention with his concert band and assisted with the symphonic band in their appearances at the Bandmasters Convention in 2001, 2006, 2010, and 2013. As head director, he brought the band to perform at the 2018 South Dakota Bandmster’s Convention. During his time at Lincoln, the LHS Patriot Marching Band has performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 2000 and 2008, and in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California in 2005 and 2013. In both 2015 and 2017, the Lincoln Band was a finalist at the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional, placing 13th overall in finals competition at an event which included over 60 marching bands each year. The band continues to be recognized as one of the top programs in the upper Midwest in all facets. Mr. Carlson is a member of Phi Beta Mu and the South Dakota Bandmasters Association and was recently featured in School Band and Orchestra Magazine in the article “50 Directors Who Make a Difference.” In 2016 Mr. Carlson received the “Outstanding Bandmaster” Award from Phi Beta Mu, an award granted to one South Dakota Band Director each year. During the summer of 2019, Mr. Carlson also co-directed a band on a seven-country tour of Europe with the South Dakota Ambassadors of Music.
Mr. Carlson is in his 22nd year as a director at Lincoln, and 8th year as head director - a position previously held by his father for 14 years (during which time they taught together as a father-son team). Dan now directs the Symphonic and Varsity Bands, as well as the Marching band, Pep Band, and Jazz Bands 1 and 3. Mr. Carlson has two daughters, Isabel and Adrienne.
Contact Mr. Carlson at daniel.carlson@k12.sd.us or 605-367-7895.
Drew Balta
Assistant Director
Drew Balta is in his ninth year of teaching and first as the Associate Director of Bands at Sioux Falls Lincoln High School; the past eight spent at West Lyon High School where he served as the Director of Bands. At Lincoln High School, he co-directs the “Patriot” Marching Band and Pep Band; and directs Jazz I, Jazz II, Concert Band, and Freshmen Band. Under his direction at West Lyon, the Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Symphonic Bands have earned consistent division I ratings at their respective IHSMA State Events. During Balta’s tenure, the “Wildcat” Marching Band has earned numerous 1st place finishes accompanied by some major highlights, including but not limited to, a four-time finalist at the Festival of Bands in Sioux Falls, a 5th place overall finish at the 2019 F.O.B., and Grand Champion regardless of class at the 2019 Dutchmen Field Championships; the top jazz ensemble has qualified for the Iowa Jazz Championships in five consecutive years, featuring runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017; 100 percent of high school students participate in the IHSMA state solo and ensemble contest; the top concert band was selected to perform at the 2020 and 2021 Iowa Bandmasters Association Conferences as the guest 2A honor band; and the number of band participants in grades 5-12 continues to grow reaching as high as 37% of the total enrollment in 2021.
In addition to his teaching duties at West Lyon, Mr. Balta serves as the Northwest Iowa Honor Band Chair and district representative and state chair of the IBA Marching Band Affairs Committee. In 2017 he was named the NWIBA Martin Crandell Award recipient for outstanding High School Educator. In 2022, Balta was accepted to present on building a successful band culture at the Iowa Bandmasters Conference. Mr. Balta is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and attended Cedar Rapids Prairie High School under the direction of Mr. Craig Aune. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Secondary Music with an emphasis in trumpet performance from William Penn University. While at William Penn, Balta served as the Marching and Maneuvering Instructor for the Prairie “Hawk” Marching Band and student taught under Jason Pentico at Pella High School and Bruce Peiffer and Carolyn Brickley at North Mahaska. He studied trumpet with Mr. Dick Redman.
In his spare time, Mr. Balta enjoys watching Cubs baseball and Hawkeye basketball and football while spending every minute possible with his wife Amanda and daughter Wrigley. In addition, Mr. Balta is an assistant baseball coach at West Lyon.
Contact Mr. Balta at drew.balta@k12.sd.us.
Marching Band Staff
Color Guard
Technicians: Julie Hadley, Serena Scott, Kaitlin Niles, Ashley McKeown
Designer: Blueprint Pageantry Designs
Music
Visual & Musical Technicians: Emily Anderson, Sam Anderson, Jade Bolin, Andrea Carlson, Kevin Carlson, Robert Conrad, Tim Eckert, Caden Hoeke, Micheal Hoffman, Connor Ilchuk,
Lon Semansky, Trey Townsend, Tasondra Walicke, Joe Waters
Percussion
Technicians: Pete Hansen, Dan Sailer, Leo Taylor, Adam Asmus, Tyler Klussman,
Aaron Ragsdale, Aiden Roux
Arranger: Dan Sailer
Compositions and Drill
Arranged & Designed: Blueprint Pageantry Designs