The Cavaliers Welcome 2025 Brass Caption Leadership
The Cavaliers are proud to announce the return of Dr. Matt Stratton in a newly elevated role, alongside two new seasoned leaders, forming the brass caption leadership team for 2025.
Matt “Doc” Stratton returns to The Cavaliers for his second year, now as Brass Caption Supervisor. A seasoned marching arts veteran with 30 years of experience, Doc has taught several drum corps including Patriots, Magic of Orlando, Blue Stars, Glassmen, Bluecoats, and most recently the Cadets, leading their brass caption. He is a widely respected clinician and performer, and he currently serves as a Professor of Music at Olivet Nazarene University. Doc is eager to take on this new leadership role, stating, “I am thrilled to have this opportunity to lead this brass program into the future. My aim is to make this CBrass program second to none in our activity. I am honored to join the Cavaliers in this position.”
Seth Murphy, a marching arts professional with over 20 years of experience, joins The Cavaliers as Brass Caption Manager. His impressive career includes working with several drum corps including Carolina Crown, the Blue Stars, Pacific Crest, the Cadets, and most recently, Santa Clara Vanguard. Murphy was a band director at Arcadia High School from 2012-2020, and now serves as band director at First Avenue Middle School, a feeder for Arcadia. “This is truly an astounding organization with many years of competitive success” Murphy notes about The Cavaliers. “It is time to bring the Cavaliers back to the forefront of the activity in both the brass realm, as well as the drum corps as a whole.”
Ray Henricksen, an experienced brass educator at the drum corps and high school level, joins as Assistant Caption Manager. Henricksen's previous roles include serving on the brass staff at The Cadets, where he also marched, and teaching at various high schools across the New York Metropolitan area, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Austin. He currently serves as band director at John P. Stevens High School in Edison, New Jersey. His teaching philosophy is summed up in this quote by Colin Powell: “"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude."
Please join The Cavaliers in welcoming this new brass leadership team! Stay tuned for more staff announcements coming soon at cavaliers.org/corps-staff.
