Instructional & Design Staff
Biographies are below. Updates on the way.
Mark Gowman, director & battery instructor
Elizabeth Gowman, assistant director & cymbal instructor
Dennis Slater, front ensemble instructor
Sara Palmisano, choreography & more
Visual design by...
Biographies
Now in his 12th year with the program, MARK GOWMAN, known as Mr. G or simply "G" to both students and parents, is director of both the Victor Marching Blue Devils and the Victor Indoor Percussion Ensemble. He has won a NYS championship and two BOA regional championships with the Marching Blue Devils, and VIPE has won 7 of the last 10 New York State Percussion Circuit championships since he was named director. Mr. Gowman is now in his 6th year as marching band director, having been appointed director just days before the 2020 COVID shutdown.
Mark is the instrumental music director at East Rochester High School, where he has led the instrumental program since 2001 and serves as ERSD Fine Arts Team Leader. At East Rochester, he directs the award-winning ER Jazz, the Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, 7th & 8th Grade Jazz Band, and Róisín Dubh, the school's nationally-recognized Irish music program. His ERHS ensembles have been featured in performance at the New York State School Music Association's annual winter conference 3 times in the past 8 years. He is honored to have received a yearbook dedication from students, the Distinguished Service Award from the PTA, and to have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Music Education by ERHS & district administration.
Mark holds degrees in music education and performance from the University of Michigan and the Eastman School of Music. At Michigan, he played in the snare line of the Michigan Marching Band while simultaneously pursuing a degree as a trumpet major and studying with the legendary Armando Ghitalla. While in high school in the state of Michigan, he was principal (1st chair) trumpet of the All State Band his junior year; his senior year, he served as principal trumpet for the All State Symphony Orchestra, was named lead trumpet for the All State Jazz Band, and took 1st place in the Michigan Music Association’s rudimental snare drum championship.
Mark has presented professional clinics on music education, Irish music, and marching percussion at the Eastman School of Music, Boston University, the University of Oregon, and other collegiate music schools; seven workshops and three featured performances at the annual NYS state music education conference; and has presented at the Music Educators National Conference. He has previously served as a member of the WGI Percussion Advisory Board and as president of the New York State Percussion Circuit. When not teaching or making music, he loves spending time in the outdoors, traveling with his family, hiking, and riding his mountain bike. Luckily, he doesn’t crash as much as he used to.
Assistant director ELIZABETH GOWMAN has been the cymbal instructor for Victor High School since 2017. A classical pianist, Elizabeth was a member of the cymbal line at the University of Michigan, and has served as cymbal tech and percussion instructor for numerous high school programs. She holds degrees in music education and music therapy from the University of Michigan and Immaculata University, and has been active as a music educator for nearly 25 years.
Elizabeth is a special education teacher at East Rochester High School who holds degreees in music education, music therapy, and special education. Sheis a former adjunct professor at the University of Rochester and Finger Lakes Community College, and created the music program for an early childhood curriculum that was funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. She has also worked as a music consultant, training classroom teachers in the greater Rochester area, and presenting workshops and mentoring teachers as far away as Wisconsin and Florida.
A Victor graduate who was part of the Marching Blue Devils’ first-ever state championship, she also serves as an assistant director and front ensemble instructor with the marching band.
Elizabeth loves her many, many plants, cooking, baking, and time with her family. She is the proud mom of three Victor Percussion alumni, and “Mama G” to all the rest.
Now in his fifth year with the program, DENNIS SLATER is the front ensemble instructor and lead cheerleader/hype man for Victor Percussion. bringing Dennergy™ to everything we do. Dennis began his marching arts career in the front ensemble of East Syracuse Minoa High School’s Indoor Percussion Ensemble, where he was a member for six seasons, and the ESM Spartan Marching Band for five seasons. Dennis was a proud member of the front ensemble for both of ESM’s gold medals at the New York State Percussion Circuit Championships in 2018 and 2019. Dennis graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2023 with his B.S. in Accounting, and performed as a member of the Geneseo Percussion Ensemble from Spring 2021 to Spring 2023. Outside of band, Dennis is a certified public accountant and an auditor with EFPR Advisory in Rochester, New York. He has a passion for reading and birdwatching in his free time.