Mr. Ryan F. Wright

Director of Bands

AP Music Theory Instructor

Mr. Ryan F. Wright is the Director of Bands at South Lake High School in Groveland, Florida, where he conducts the Screaming Eagle Regiment, the Screaming Eagle Wind Symphony, the Screaming Eagle Jazz Ensemble, the Screaming Eagle Percussion Ensembles, and the Screaming Eagle Guard Ensembles. He is also the adjunct percussion instructor at Lake-Sumter Community College. Mr. Wright holds a master's degree in music education from Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He also holds a bachelor's degree in musc from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where he studied percussion under Beth and Danny Gottlieb, and conducting under Dr. John Sinclair. He has also studied at the University of Phoenix, the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida, Central Florida Community College (where he received an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts with Honors), and Lee University. He has studied percussion under Jeff Moore, Bob McCormick, James Newman, Joe Southard, and Dr. Andy Harnsberger. He is a certified Advanced-Placement Music Theory Instructor. He is the co-advisor of the South Lake High School chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Mr. Wright marched on the first drum line with the inaugural Herd of Thunder Marching Band at the University of South Florida in 1999. His professional experience includes instructing, composing, arranging, and designing for South Lake High School, East Ridge High School, Nova High School, Leesburg High School, Christian Home and Bible School-Mt. Dora, Tavares High School, Tavares Middle School, Carver Middle School, Ft. Pierce Central High School, Oak Ridge High School, Spruce Creek High School, and South Sumter High School. Prior to his appointment at South Lake High School, he served three years as Associate Director of Bands, Director of Percussion Studies, and Tri-M Music Honor Society Sponsor at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Florida. And, before that, he served one year as Director of Bands and Chorus at Dunnellon High School near Ocala, Florida. His body of work includes marching band, concert band, and percussion ensemble arrangements and original compositions. He is well versed on marching percussion, concert percussion, drum set, hand drums, piano, bass guitar, saxophone, euphonium, horn, and voice. Mr. Wright is the coordinator of the Central Florida Percussion Festival. He is also a professional percussionist with Southern Winds, a wind ensemble based out of Deland, Florida. He has served as a percussionist/timpanist with the Hernando Symphony Orchestra in Spring Hill, Florida. He is a program consultant with Brahma Percussion, an independent indoor percussion ensemble based out of the University of South Florida. He has previously worked with Riptide Percussion from Jacksonville, Florida, Spitfire Percussion from Inversness, Florida), and Magic of Orlando Drum and Bugle Corps. Currently, he is a member of the music staff at Gateway church in Clermont, Florida, where he plays keyboards, bass guitar, and drums. His professional affiliations include Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, Percussive Arts Society, the National Association for Music Education (MENC), Tri-M Music Honor Society (lifetime member/honorary member/advisor), the Florida Music Educators Association, the Florida Bandmasters Association, and the Central States Judges Association. Mr. Wright is an artist and endorser for Innovative Percussion, Inc. He and his wife, Gina, and son, Aidan, reside in Clermont, Florida.

Email: wrightr1@lake.k12.fl.us