Mike Gillespie - Visual Designer
First and foremost a musician, Mike Gillespieis a skilled creator of visual programs that exemplify the musical nuance of any program. With his ability to deliver an innovative, effective and achievable design, he enabled Carolina Gold to place first in the Class a division in the Visual Design and Development caption during the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) World Championships in Rochester, New York. Mike's design talents have also garnered numerous first place recognitions at a variety of national high school competitions. His design credits include fourteen fresh, innovative shows, and collaborations with nine different directors, adding his unique skills to create their schools' visual products.
Mike’s in-depth background in visual design comes from his affiliation with Drum Corps International. He marched lead trumpet with Carolina Crown and then marched three years with the Cavaliers of Rosemont, Illinois where he was the trumpet soloist in 2006 and 2007. In the Cavaliers Mike secured a gold, silver, and bronze placement at the World Championship Finals. Armed with the skills he had developed as a performer, Mike returned to to DCI later, teaching in the brass caption with the silver-medal Cavaliers in 2010, and taught in the visual caption with the renowned Santa Clara Vanguard of Santa Clara, California in 2011.
Adding to his artistic and performance background Mike accesses a wealth of knowledge from his time spent as an educator. As Director of Bands, Mike brought his high school group to straight superior ratings at concert and jazz band festival. Mike was the visual caption head at Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle corps in 2010 where they earned their highest DCA placement. He also has taught adjunct at five high schools for a total of ten seasons. Mike is able to write drill that satisfies the nuance of student leadership, classroom management, and developmentally appropriate staging and motion for high school learners.
Mike is currently working on a Master’s of Music at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He adds this degree to a Master’s of Arts in Teaching from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor’s in Music from The University of Oklahoma. Mike also has plans for several upcoming projects, one to include an album of original musical compositions.
Adding to his perspective on body movement, Mike has been awarded a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, has studied Pilates, Tai Chi, and Yoga. Currently he resides in Greensboro, North Carolina.
