About Us

Who are the Derby City Knights?

The Derby City Knights Performing Arts Association is a soon to be 501c3 non-profit organization. Our long term mission is to provide a wide variety of performance opportunities for adults and youth of all ages. The first phase of this mission is the establishment of the Derby City Knights Drum & Bugle Corps. Or goal is to be a high quality, highly sought after group that will entertain thousands of people and enrich the lives of our members on many different levels.

What is Drum and Bugle Corps?

Drum and bugle corps is a marching and musical activity, similar to marching band in many ways. The instrumentation is much more specific - only brass and percussion instruments are allowed, as well as color guard - dancers who also perform with equipment such as flags, sabers and rifles.

Derby City Knights Brass Staff

Matthew A. Basey -- Corps Director / Brass Caption Head
Mr. Basey is a graduate of Meade County High School in Brandenburg, KY. He attended the University of Louisville from 1993 until 1996, where he majored in music education. In 1996, He changed his focus to electrical engineering. He has been a marching and brass instructor at several Kentucky high school including Meade County (1993 - 1996), and most recently Central Hardin High School (2004 - 2005). Mr. Basey's first drum corps experience with the Star of Indiana in 1992, where he marched Contra Bass. He also was a part of the Star of Indiana Alumni Corps in 2004. In 2005, Mr. Basey worked with the DCA Class A World Brass Champions, Music City Legend from Nashville, TN. At Music City Legend, he served as the visual caption head, assistant brass caption head, and was a co-drill writer. His most recent Drum Corps experience was as a member of the 2006 Mini Corps World Champions Star United.

Shane Embry --- Assistant Corps Director / Baritone Instructor
Mr. Embry is a graduate of Meade County High School in Brandenburg, KY. He was a music education major at the University of Louisville from 1993 until 1999. Mr. Embry started teaching marching band in 1985 at Meade County High School. He remained with that program until 2003. During that period he also worked with Grayson County in 1995 - 1996 and Mercer County in 1998. He also works as a freelance marching brass clinician with many bands in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2004, Mr. Embry has been the Assistant Band Director at Central Hardin High School.

Derby City Knights Percussion Staff

Scott Brawner -- Percussion Caption Head
Bio coming soon

Jordan Alvey ---Battery Tech/Arranger--Director at Large--Director of Recruiting
In addition to working with the Derby City Knights Jordan Alvey is the Percussion Caption Head for Meade County High School, New Washington High School, and Waggener High School and serves on the percussion staff for Carroll County High School as well. Jordan also teaches leadership and conducting and visual techniques with many high schools in the KY/IN area, and in 2007 Jordan worked for the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy teaching Leadership, Conducting, Marching, and Mace Techniques. Jordan attended Western Kentucky University as a double major of Architecture and Music Education and now works in the Architecture/Engineering field as a CAD Technician(Structural Engineering/Fire Sprinkler System Design)

Chris Scarberry - Front Ensemble Caption Head and Arranger
Chris Scarberry is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in music performance at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He has been the front-ensemble caption head for the Marshall University Marching Thunder in from 2005-2007 and a front-ensemble ensemble technician for the Optima Indoor Percussion Ensemble from Minford, Ohio from 2005-2006. During the summer months, Chris is an active instructor with various high-school marching bands in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. He has also been an instructor with the George N. Parks' Drum Major Academy since 2006. Chris is a regular performer with Huntington Symphony Orchestra and former member of the Flat Baroque Mostly Marimba Quartet in Huntington, West Virginia.

Jim Reed -- Percussion Arranger
Jim Reed has served as percussion arranger for Music City Legend since its founding in 2004. He is currently band director at Goodpasture Christian School in Madison, Tennessee, where he has been since 2002. Previously, he served as director of bands at East Robertson High School from 1999-2002. Mr. Reed is also the founder and director of OPTIMUS Percussion Ensemble, an independent competitive indoor percussion ensemble in the Nashville area. In 1996, Jim marched snare with the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin, where he served as Field Commander and Percussion Captain for the Marching Skyhawks as well as section leader for the symphonic band and percussion ensemble. While at UTM, he studied under Nancy Mathesen and has been able to work with such people as Rich Holly, Julie Hill, and Eric Willie. He has instructed or designed for more than 20 groups from the high school level through college and drum corps. Mr. Reed is proud to also be a Charter Member of Music City Legend and a member of its Board of Directors

Derby City Knights Visual Staff

Dan Goldman -- Visual Caption Head
Dan Goldman graduated from Floyd Central High School and as a student participated in their state finalist marching and concert bands as well as their award winning orchestra while capturing a State Championship in 1995. In addition to these programs he diversified his musical talent in many organizations, including 5 area pep bands, FCHS Symphonic Band and 6 years of Floyd County Youth Symphony, including their Vienna Tour of 1995. Mr. Goldman's drum corps experience includes the Northmen (1994) from Green Bay, Bluecoats 1998 and other various partial seasons.

Mr. Goldman has been teaching visual programs at high schools and state finalist since 1994. He has written and co-written drill for state caliber ensembles and has developed his skills in consulting, program coordination, show design and concepts. Since leaving the School of Music at the University of Louisville in 1997, he became a self-taught AutoCAD technician in the field of Land Surveying and Civil Engineering and now resides in Indianapolis, IN, where he continues to enhance his visual design skills.