Modern Band Camp Faculty

Summer 2025 | Modern Band Faculty

Subject to change

Dr. Jill Reese, Director

Dr. Jill Reese, Professor of Music Education at SUNY Fredonia, has degrees from Temple University, University of Michigan, and Michigan State University. She is a Modern Band Fellow with MusicWill and presents workshops and publishes research on topics including ukulele, technology, and improvisation. She founded a community ukulele group called Fredonia Ukulele and is widely known for her YouTube channel that has over 25 million views and 72 thousand subscribers and provides play-along videos for ukulele (https://www.youtube.com/user/DrJillReese). She’s started a number of faculty rock bands at SUNY Fredonia and can be seen performing at open mic nights in the community (but enjoys making music for herself even more). Some of her favorite artists include the Punch Brothers, Tori Amos, and whoever is on her current playlist.

Deanna Civilette holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music education with a choral concentration from SUNY Fredonia, where she also studied music composition and played violin. She is currently the Vocal Director at Lake Shore High School in Erie County, where she teaches choir, piano, guitar, music theory, and vocal directs the school’s musical productions. Under her leadership, her ensembles have performed at the University of Florida, Bowling Green University, and OrlandoFest, earning first place in their class, and have recorded at the Soundtrack Sessions in Disney World.

Residing in Buffalo, NY, Deanna is an avid Buffalo Bills fan. In her free time, you can find her playing violin in a string quartet, hiking, skiing, and writing and working on original music as a singer-songwriter in the studio. Inspired by artists such as Yana, Laufey, The Lumineers, and Maggie Rogers, she recently released her EP Norwood featuring six original tracks, available on Spotify, and has also collaborated with other musicians on additional tracks.  (link provided below). 

https://open.spotify.com/album/5BRbynfL5E0FF9R6FuMFc1?si=EPQ2NdfWSaS-nyc2lea_iQ

Deanna is thrilled to jam and create music with inspiring musicians this summer!

Patrick Daly is the 4-12 instrumental music teacher at North Collins Central School District. He received his Bachelors and Masters in Music Education from the Fredonia School of Music in 2018 and 2020. While his major instrument in college was euphonium, he has also played the bass, guitar, drums, and piano throughout his life.  He has played in cover bands, recorded original songs, and in 2024 founded the Buffalo based brass band "The Honk Committee," in which he plays the sousaphone, arranges, and composes. 

In addition to music, he enjoys hanging out with his two pitbulls, Gaia and Phoebe, and traveling with his wife, Bailey. 

Joseph Fiumano

Hello! My name is Joseph Fiumano and I am thrilled to be a part of the 2025 Modern Band Camp at Fredonia and an instructor and drum-set specialist! I am a percussionist and recent graduate of SUNY Fredonia in 2024 with a degree in Music Education. During my time at Fredonia I played with many ensembles including but not limited to the College Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and Gamelan Ensemble. After graduating Fredonia I started as a pit instructor for the Baldwinsville Marching Bees from Baldwinsville, New York and a long-term substitute general music teacher for the Lyncourt Union Free School District in Syracuse, New York. Currently, I am working as a pit instructor for Baldwinsville's Winter Percussion Program and am a long-term substitute teacher for 8th grade band and 9th grade general music at North Syracuse Junior High School. I got my first glimpse of the Modern Band world through Mr. Jacob Swanson and Gowanda High School. This was a band setting different from the concert bands I have played in and instructed. Students could choose what instruments they wanted to play, what songs they wanted to perform, and how to make the song their own. It was a very student led process with teachers present just to guide them along their way. As I was student teaching at Gowanda, I eventually was able to join in with students playing instruments I was unfamiliar with such as electric guitar and bass. I then realized how powerful Modern Band is for students' musical and social development. I am excited to be a part of the Modern Band Camp at Fredonia this summer and look forward to meeting all of the students!

Amy Spears is Assistant Professor of Music Education at Suny Fredonia where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education. She holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from Arizona State University. Her previous teaching experience includes secondary school instrumental and general music classes in Alabama and Arizona. Dr. Spears has been teaching rock band classes for the past seven years. She has worked with middle school through collegiate students to help them learn how to play rock band instruments, cover their favorite pop songs, write and perform their own original songs, and use technology to create and record their music. She is excited to join the SUNY Fredonia Summer Music Camp staff to bring rock band experiences to students in New York and beyond.

Jacob Swanson
Since 2011, Swanson has performed regularly as member of the Decho Ensemble which he co-founded with Sarah Marchitelli. Decho Voce, a partnered ensemble dedicated to exploring repertoire for voice and saxophone, was established in 2019 with Dr. Katherine Petersen (soprano). Decho’s repertoire includes established works for saxophone, transcriptions, and new works written expressly for their ensembles. Decho has participated in residencies at Mercyhurst University, Idaho University Moscow, and with the NyMusikks Komponistgruppe in Oslo, Norway. They have presented at the PULS festival, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, United States Navy International Saxophone Symposium, Ethos New Music Festival, Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, and North American Saxophone Alliance .

Swanson's debut album, Invisible Cities (2016), featured works for soprano saxophone and piano (James Welch) and was met with critical acclaim for "remind[ing] us what a  beautiful instrument the soprano saxophone is ... [performing with] handsome tone, flawless technique, and great musical sensibilities."-ClevelandClassical His second album, wired. (2017), featured music for soprano saxophone and electronic medium - nearly all composer/performer collaborations. Swanson has additionally recorded with Andrew Cote as part of his debut album, Ulterior Motives (2016) and with Decho Ensemble on their self-titled debut album(2023).

Featured Performers: Two Towns

Two Towns  is a classic rock band with a focus on popular songs of the 60s to the 90s that feature strong vocal harmonies and dynamics. 

Initially made up of veteran musicians from Dunkirk/Fredonia, prompting the band name. The band started in September 2020 with the current lineup of Frank Beach, Deane Patterson, Kristin Britz and Nancy Dietzen.

Frank Beach, lead vocals/bass. As front man for several well-known local, regional and national acts over more than a half century, he is also a multi –music award winner for vocalist, bass, most popular performer, and bands. As part of such bands as “Up All Night”, “Frank Beach and the Duke Street Kings”, “White Lies”, “33 West”, “The Rising” and “Classic Rock Allstars” he brings his experience and talent to help “Two Towns” provide extraordinarily strong vocal/harmonies and unique quality versions of classic rock music.

Deane Patterson, lead guitarist and lead vocals. He also plays mandolin. Before joining “Two Towns”, Deane was known for several bands locally and in Buffalo, notably ”Century City”, a Tom Petty tribute and “Bad Kitty”.  A resident of Westfield, Deane is originally from the NYC area where he was a member of “The Movies” who had several minor radio hits and featured at clubs, such as the Bitter End and CBGBs.  

Kristin Britz, lead vocals and guitar. Before “Two Towns”, Kristin played with “Musicians Against Cancer”, a benefit rock band. She started playing guitar at age 7 and has been singing all her life. She was in all the musicals in high school, with a lead her senior year and also went to All State. Besides music, Kristin loves art, family time and hanging with her five cats!

Nancy Dietzen, drummer and lead vocals. Nancy started drumming at age 6 when her father, a music teacher and local musician, set up a discarded drum set in the basement. Self taught, while listening intently to the Beatles she started playing drums by mimicking Ringo’s beats and fills.  Nancy played in several rock and punk bands throughout her high school and college years.   After raising a family, she returned to playing music after a 25-year hiatus.

Two Towns is committed to inspire young musicians and share the joy of music with its audience.