Troopers Announce 2027 Caption Management Team
The Troopers are excited to announce our Caption Management Team for the 2027 season.
This year’s team brings together returning leaders and new faces, with a tremendous amount of experience from across the drum corps activity. As our plans for 2027 continue to take shape, we’re excited to have this group leading our members and working alongside our design team to bring the season to life.
Lauren Teel
Percussion Arranger / Caption Manager
Matt “Doc” Stratton
Brass Caption Manager
Dr. Taylor Winkler
Visual Caption Manager
Justin Ratcliff
Audio Caption Manager
Ritika Deivasigamani
Leadership & Conducting Coach
Heather Stone
Color Guard Caption Manager
Some of these individuals have already helped shape the Troopers experience our members know today. Others will bring new ideas and perspectives to the corps for the first time. Together, they make up a team we’re incredibly excited to have in place for 2027.
More information about the team
Lauren Teel is the Instructor of Percussion for Jacksonville State University and the Percussion Caption Head / Arranger for the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps. She is actively involved in the percussive arts community as a performer, educator, and adjudicator.
Prior to Lauren's appointment at JSU, Lauren served as Director of Marching Percussion for the East Texas A&M “Pride” Marching Band and Assistant Director of Percussion for the East Texas A&M Percussion Studio. In 2012, Lauren had the privilege of traveling to Chennai, India to perform for an audience of over 75,000 people with Oscar winning composer, A. R. Rahman. Lauren also appeared in the 2013 blockbuster, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, as a timpanist.
Lauren proudly endorses Innovative Percussion, Remo, Marimba One, and Zildjian.
Dr. Matt Stratton is a conductor, educator, and brass musician whose career has been shaped by a simple belief: great music begins with great people.
Whether in the concert hall, on the marching field, or in the classroom, Stratton works to create musical cultures where students are supported, challenged, and inspired to pursue excellence. His teaching emphasizes strong relationships, clear expectations, artistic development, and the belief that the most meaningful musical experiences develop not only better performers, but more confident and independent people.
Stratton’s career bridges collegiate music education and the marching arts. He is active within the broader music community through Music for All, Drum Corps International, and Winter Guard International. He is an artist and clinician for Yamaha, a founding member of the Ultimate Drill Book Education Team, and an endorser of Warburton Mouthpieces and Lung Trainer breathing devices.
A significant part of his work has centered on developing brass programs and the educators who lead them. His experience with the Cavaliers, Cadets, and Bluecoats reflects a career-long pursuit of a brass sound defined by clarity, precision, consistency, and musical expression. Just as important, he believes great programs are built by great teams. His leadership focuses on bringing together talented educators around a shared philosophy, common expectations, and a genuine commitment to the students they serve.
That work has taken Stratton throughout the United States and around the world as an educator, clinician, adjudicator, and consultant, including engagements in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, and throughout Europe.
Stratton has been recognized for his work as an educator at both the high school and collegiate levels through nominations for Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. He was also inducted into the Cadets Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the organization and its legacy.
Dr. Stratton continues to proudly serve as Professor of Music, Director of Bands, and Chair of Instrumental Music at Olivet Nazarene University. At Olivet, he works alongside an outstanding community of students and colleagues who continue to expand the quality, reach, and impact of the university’s instrumental music program. Under his leadership, the Tiger Marching Band has performed internationally in London and Rome and represented the university on the national stage, including an appearance in a Presidential Inaugural Parade.
Across every part of his career, Stratton remains committed to the idea that music can build community, develop character, create belonging, and give people an opportunity to become part of something greater than themselves.
For “Doc” Stratton, that is ultimately what the work is about, the people, the relationships, and the shared pursuit of expression through music. There is great joy and anticipation for this opportunity to join “America’s Corps” the Troopers. Their slogan of Honor, Loyalty, and Dedication, fits closely with the Discipline and Diligence embedded in the DNA of the brass program. He looks forward to organizing the team that will build something incredible for the brass performers in Casper.
Dr. Taylor Winkler is an active music educator with a diverse range of skills, experience, and knowledge. Currently, Taylor holds the position of assistant band director at Smyrna Middle School in Smyrna, Tennessee. Before this, he served as Low Brass Instructor at Jones College where he taught private studio lessons and conducted the low brass ensemble. Taylor has earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippi where he studied the tuba. Additionally, Taylor holds a Master of Music from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Tennessee Technological University.
As an educator within the marching arts field, Taylor most recently served as Visual Caption Head with the Music City Drum & Bugle Corps, a world-class drum corps based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also an active adjudicator within the KMEA and SCGC circuits as well as serving on panels across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In the winter, Taylor works with Cap City Percussion, a world-class indoor percussion ensemble based in Dayton, Ohio. Previously he has held positions with the Louisiana Stars Drum & Bugle Corps, Audio Theater, Petal Indoor Percussion, and has consulted, choreographed, and taught for various high schools across the United States.
Alongside his educational career, Taylor has an established performance resume. He can be heard on multiple studio albums and projects including: The Music of Leroy Osmon Volume VI, Live at ’55, and on the EA SPORTS College Football 26 soundtrack. Taylor has served as substitute tubist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra where he performed with vocalists such as Kristin Chenoweth and Bobby Weir. He is a winner of the USM Winds, Brass, and Percussion Concerto Competition, a multiple time finalist in the Derryberry Concerto Competition, and has performed for a wide variety of audiences across the Eastern United States. Being a large believer of chamber music, Taylor has played locally with various groups including: The Quintelligence Jazz Quintet, Tubannati, and The USM Graduate Brass Quintet. He is also an alum of the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps where he played the baritone and trombone.
Born in Marion, Indiana, and now residing in Nashville, Tennessee, Taylor has cultivated and fostered a wide array of friendships and experience throughout his life. Aside from music, you can find Taylor weightlifting, delving into fantasy literature, and watching basketball—especially his Orlando Magic.
Taylor is looking forward to his first year as Visual Caption Manager with the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps!
Mr. Ratcliff earned a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in 2007, National Board Certification in 2015, and a Master's in Educational Leadership at George Mason University in 2024, Mr. Ratcliff also completed course work in Curriculum and Instructional design at the University of Virginia.
Mr. Ratcliff is the Director of bands at Rock Ridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia and opened Rock Ridge HS in 2014. In 2022, Justin served as the interim caption supervisor for the audio team with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps and as the Audio Caption head for the 2023 season. In 2024, Mr. Ratcliff served on the Audio team for Carolina Crown.
Mr. Ratcliff is an active adjudicator, clinician, consultant, arranger, visual designer, program consultant/coordinator, music designer, and sound designer for high school and college programs across the United States. Mr. Ratcliff currently serves as the Virginia Band and Orchestra Association District 16 state marching representative and VBODA State Adjudicator. Mr. Ratcliff is a Member of VMEA, VBODA, and NAFME. Justin also served on the Virginia Music Educators Association conference planning committee for 17 years as the Exhibit Hall Business manager and coordinator.
Ritika Deivasigamani is currently in her first year teaching as the assistant band director at Willard Middle School in Celina, TX. She also assists with the Celina High School Band in both marching band and concert ensemble settings.
Ritika graduated Summa Cum Laude with Highest Honors from East Texas A&M University in 2026, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Ms. Deivasigamani was a member of Dr. Julee Kim Walker’s flute studio and performed with the Wind Ensemble on flute and piccolo for all four years. She was also drum major for the “Pride” Marching Band, serving as head drum major for 2 years. Other involvements included music librarian, piccolo player for the “Pride of the Court” Basketball Band, and officer for the Epsilon Beta chapter of Tau Beta Sigma. Prior to college, she was a 2-year drum major for the award winning Lone Star High School Band in Frisco, TX.
In summer of 2025, Ritika marched with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps as a conductor. She then served as the Conducting and Leadership Intern for the Troopers in 2026. Ritika is passionate about teaching leadership through music education. She is beyond excited to champion this ideal as she returns to the Troopers as the full-time Conducting and Leadership Coach!
Heather Stone is the Color Guard Director at Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock ISD, where she has led the program for the past eight years. Originally from Kettering, OH, Heather began her performance and teaching career in Ohio before moving to Indianapolis in 2012, where she continued working with multiple programs there for three years, until moving to Austin, TX.
With over 20 years of teaching experience, Heather has directed and choreographed for numerous award-winning programs across the Austin area. Under her leadership, the Cedar Ridge Color Guard has become a nationally recognized ensemble, consistently earning high placements and advancing to the UIL State Marching Band Finals with the Cedar Ridge Band program.
Heather’s work reflects her deep background in the activity, which includes performance experience in Drum Corps International with Capital Regiment (2004-2005) and Winter Guard International with Zydeco Color Guard (2007 & 2012). She has taught across all classes of WGI and remains committed to fostering excellence, creativity, and teamwork in her students.
In 2022, Heather was honored as Director of the Year by the Texas Color Guard Circuit (TCGC), recognizing her outstanding contributions to the community. Her passion for performance and dedication to student growth continue to inspire the next generation of performers both on and off the field.
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