Officers:

Daniel Smithiger – President

Daniel Smithiger is Director of the Percussion area, and Director of Basketball Bands at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in Edwardsville, Illinois. He teaches applied percussion, percussion ensemble, percussion methods, percussion history and literature, percussion pedagogy, and sectionals. Additionally, he directs SIUe Steel and the SIUe Drumline. Since his appointment in the Fall 2010, Mr. Smithiger has grown the Percussion Studio, created the SIUe Steel Band, created the Percussion Institute at SIUe (Summer Percussion Camp), the Marching Percussion Festival at SIUe, created the Greater St. Louis Percussion Ensemble, and the SIUe Marimba Band. He has also initiated the Department’s annual ILMEA audition clinics. 

Mr. Smithiger currently remains in demand as a performer, judge and clinician throughout the states of Missouri, Ohio, Iowa and Illinois. He has taught and performed in Taiwan, Canada, England, France, Austria, Germany, as well as across Arizona, Nevada, California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, and Tennessee. He has performed with the St. Louis Philharmonic, the St. Louis Wind Symphony, the Dubuque Symphony, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the San Angelo Symphony, the Midland-Odessa Symphony, the Mesa Symphony, the Tucson Symphony, the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, Edwardsville Community Orchestra and the Flagstaff Festival of the Arts Orchestra. As a faculty member he performs solo recitals, and he performs as a chamber musician on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. 

It has been his vision to provide the Greater St. Louis area with a viable resource to support the musical arts. He is excited about the development of MIMAC and honored to work with everyone on this list (Officers and Board of Directors).

Marie Brown – Vice President

Marie Brown is an active cellist within the St. Louis area. Her studies started at the age of nine in Alton, Illinois under the teachings of Larry Crabbs, Victoria Voumard, Kim Shelley and Laura Plummer. Through part of middle school and all of her high school career, Ms. Brown studied privately under the direction of Mrs. Fariga Drayton- Conway.
Ms. Brown earned her two bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Music Performance at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, studying under Marta Simidtchieva, Michael Mishra and Lenora Anop. She has been on the faculty with Edwardsville School district and worked for Parkway Schools. As well as being a board member, Ms. Brown is the current cello sectional coach for the Alton Junior Youth Symphony and the Alton Youth Symphony.  Last fall, Marie was the guest conductor for the Alton Junior Symphony. Marie also has a large private studio that spans the Greater St. Louis area as well as teaching for Halpin Music Company. She is a member of the Landolfi string quartet, the Keough String quartet and a founding member of the Eads String Quartet. Ms. Brown is an active player with SIUE’s Summer Showbiz program and Blackburn College as well as other area ensembles. Marie serves as principal cellist for the SIU-Edwardsville University Orchestra as well as Forte Chamber Orchestra St. Louis. Currently Ms. Brown teaches 5th grade Orchestra for Kirkwood School District.
Marie is very excited to be involved with MIMAC, as non-profit work has always played a big role in her life. She is honored to be part of an organization that is so beneficial to the area, and for such a great cause. She looks forward to helping this organization grow in it’s vision to provide a platform for other area musicians to share their vision and creativity with the STL area.

Mark Landon – Treasurer

Mark Landon is President and CEO of Halpin Music Company, with stores located in Alton, IL and Centralia, IL. Mark is a graduate of SIU-Edwardsville and Midwestern Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Mark lives in Alton with his wife Debbie; they have two adult daughters, and (at present) two grandchildren.

Chuck Noud – Secretary

Mr. Noud is a 1999 Graduate of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (BA Music Education) and 2009 graduate of McKendree University (MA Educational Leadership).  Following seven years of teaching elementary music and band in the Highland School District, Chuck took a position at Coolidge Jr. High School in Granite City where he currently directs the Coolidge Jazz Ensembles, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble, as well as several chamber ensembles.  Mr. Noud has held leadership positions in ILMEA, IGMSA, Madison County Band Directors Association, Illinois Federation of Teachers, and is currently the President of the Granite City Federation of Teachers – Local 743.

Board members include: 

Alyssa Cudney Overmann

Alyssa Overmann is in her twelfth year of teaching, and first year as Director of Bands for the School District of Clayton. At Clayton, she directs the Clayton High School Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Jazz Ensemble. She also teaches trumpet and assists at Wydown Middle School. Prior to arriving at Clayton, Alyssa was the Director of Bands at Alton High School in Alton, IL.   

Mrs. Overmann earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Missouri State University and a Master of Educational Administration degree from McKendree University. In 2015-16 Mrs. Overmann was selected to be part of the Illinois Arts Learning Standards Initiative’s music work group, working with educators throughout Illinois to revise the Illinois music standards and make them applicable to the music classroom today. She was also a staff member of the Illinois Ambassadors of Music, served on the IHSA Advisory Board, and is active as an adjudicator/clinician for middle and high school solo & ensemble and organizational contests.  

Mrs. Overmann is an active member of ILMEA and  NAfME.  She resides in Bethalto, IL with her husband Eric, and three crazy pups, Tucker, George, and Carson.

Thomas Pullen

Makayla Quayle

Makayla Quayle is an undergraduate student at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Project Management. She is a graduate of Belleville West High School, where she participated in bands as a member of the colorguard, as well she performed on oboe and tenor saxophone.

Additionally, Ms. Quayle is a visual merchandiser at Winston Retail Solutions and a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. Prior to enrolling at SNHU, she attended the Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA).

She also is MIMAC’s honorary photographer and maintains the newsletter, the MIMAC Messenger.

Dr. Marc Schapman

Dr. Marc Schapman completed a Doctor of Music in Voice Performance at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. A native of Iowa, Mr. Schapman received his Bachelor of Arts from Luther College and his Master of Music from the Indiana University Jacobs School ofMusic. Currently, Mr. Schapman serves as Professor of Voice and Director of SIUE Opera and Musical Theatre. In addition to his SIUE duties, Mr. Schapman serves as a voice teacher for Opera Theater of St. Louis’ Artists-in-Training and Program Coordinator for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis Spring Training program. In 2012, he was named a recipient of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Emerging Leaders Award, an award given to a teacher within their first 10 ten years of instruction who display outstanding teaching and service to the national organization. In addition, Mr. Schapman received the 2012 SIUE College of Arts and Sciences William and Margaret Going Award Endowed Professorship. Awarded to one faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences, this award recognizes a faculty member for outstanding teaching and accomplishments in creative activity. Mr. Schapman’s students are regular winners in local, regional, and national competitions, including: the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, National NATS Student Classical and Musical Theatre Auditions, Central Region NATS Classical and Musical Theatre Auditions, Southern Illinois Young Artist Organization Vocal Competition, St. Louis Chapter NATS Classical and Musical Theatre Auditions, Opera Theatre of St. Louis Artist-in-Training Adjudication, FOX Performing Arts Competition, Union Avenue Opera Crescendo Program, and the SIUE Concerto Competition. “Outreach is central to my personal endeavors as a teacher and performer. I am excited to collaborate with MIMAC to cultivate musical opportunities in the St. Louis area, and to work with such a distinguished group of colleagues to do so.”

Kyle Spies

Kyle Spies is an educator, student, and performer within the Greater St. Louis area. He is currently a graduate student at Webster University working towards a Master of Arts with a specialty in brass pedagogy. He holds his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. At SIUE, Kyle became a member and is now an alumnus of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. In addition to graduate school, Kyle is an educator within the Francis Howell School District in Saint Charles, Missouri, and a staff member for the Mascoutah High School Band in Mascoutah, Illinois. As a performer, he strives to be a versatile and well-rounded low brass musician in which he has played in various ensembles in the area. Kyle has/continues to study euphonium, trombone, and tuba with many fantastic teachers, professors, and professional musicians. It is his goal to continue to be an active musician and educator in the Greater St. Louis area and to share his skills with MIMAC. “I am excited to receive this opportunity to work with this group, and I want to continue to positively influence this area just as my teachers have done before me.”

Miles Vandiver