Adjudicators

Dr. Nathan Beeler holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education from Boston University. His research interests include engaging with Indigenous music in settler classrooms, creating and selecting repertoire for multicultural musical experiences, and exploring alternative delivery methods for secondary music education. 

Dr. Beeler has served as the resident conductor of Scotia Brass and the Dalhousie Wind Ensemble, and has guest conducted the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, the Chebucto Symphony, and Nova Sinfonia. He is a highly sought-after clinician, guest conductor, and presenter. Currently, he is the vice principal of Halifax Regional Arts, one of Canada’s largest publicly funded arts programs. 

Nathan is the author of “Everything Matters: 50 Essays on Music Education,” as well as several scholarly works, including his dissertation, titled “Stepping Toward a Culture: Mi’kmaq Music in Settler Instrumental Music Classrooms.” In 2010, he received the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence, one of Canada’s highest honors for educators.

Krista Bryson is a PhD student in Educational Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island and longtime Music Director at Three Oaks Senior High School in Summerside, PEI. After fifteen years leading the program, she recently stepped away from directing the concert band to focus on the school’s dynamic, auditioned R&B Band and the newly developed Popular Music Performance (PMP) program. This innovative program—now at the heart of her doctoral research—has broadened access to music education, strengthened both the PMP and traditional band programs, and helped secure two full-time music educators for the thriving department.

Krista holds a Master of Music in Percussion Performance degree from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Prince Edward Island. As a high school band director, her ensembles have earned numerous gold standings at national and regional festivals, including the Atlantic Festival of Music and MusicFest Canada. Her leadership in music education has been recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the Kerri Wynne MacLeod Women of Impact Award for Women in Music. A dedicated conductor and educator, she has also recently served as a sessional instructor at UPEI, teaching courses in conducting, percussion techniques, jazz techniques, applied percussion, and directing the UPEI Jazz Ensemble.

As a professional percussionist, Krista enjoys performing with the PEI Symphony Orchestra and in contemporary productions including those led by Craig Fair. Her varied musical career has included directing marching bands, indoor drumlines, percussion ensembles, community choirs, and steel drum ensembles, reflecting her commitment to inclusive, authentic, and community-connected music-making.

In addition to her work as a PhD student researcher, teacher, and music director, Krista is a research assistant for a multi-year project studying ADHD and executive functioning and she enjoys sharing presentations on neurodiversity in education. Krista finds daily inspiration in teaching students who love music as much as she does, and in coming home to her loving husband Gary, sons Charlie and Christopher, and their sweet golden retriever, Lucy.

Gary Ewer is a trumpeter, composer, arranger, conductor and clinician. A native of Halifax, he received his Bachelor of Music degree in music composition from Dalhousie University. He subsequently studied composition at McGill University with composers Alcides Lanza and John Rea. He has been conducting Symphony Nova Scotia’s Link Up concerts for children for the past several years. He has also most recently been a Senior Instructor of Music at Dalhousie, teaching aural skills, music theory, orchestration and choral techniques.

As a public school music teacher for many years, Mr. Ewer conducted concert bands, choirs, and the Halifax Schools Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Ewer’s choral and instrumental compositions and arrangements have been performed by The Elmer Isler Singers, Symphony Nova Scotia, Halifax Camerata Singers, and many other ensembles. His works are published by Cypress Choral Music and Pantomime Music Publications.

Dave Staples is a veteran East Coast performer and music educator and
maintains a busy freelance career as a pianist, trombonist, composer,
adjudicator and recording artist. Dave has performed and recorded with
such artists and groups as Mike Murley, Renee Rosnes, Kenny Wheeler,
Kurt Elling, Omar Hakim, the Maritime Jazz Orchestra and Bicoastal
Collective as well as numerous East Coast musicians and ensembles,
including John Chiasson, Ian Janes, Scott and the Rocks, Latin Groove,
the Blakey Project, the Mingus Project, the Horace Silver Tribute Band, the
Halifax Trombone Summit, the Back Alley Big Band and his own Dave
Staples Septet. In 1995, he received the East Coast Music Award (ECMA)
with Jeff Goodspeed as Jazz Artists of the Year for their album release of
“Eastern Passage”(CBC Productions) and is featured on the 2006 ECMA
Jazz Album of the Year “Tom Roach: Piano Trios” (CBC Productions).

Dave taught instrumental music with the Halifax Regional School Board for
over 30 years and is co-founder and former director of the Nova Scotia
Honour Jazz program, which has worked with talented students of jazz in
Nova Scotia for the last 35 years. He has also served as a board member
of JazzEast and was on the Canadian Executive Board of the International
Association for Jazz Education as Newsletter Editor and Director of
Communications from 2003 to 2008.