President-Elect Candidates

JUSTIN DALY

MATT PIROS

Justin Daly is an active music educator, clinician, and adjudicator from Connecticut. He currently serves as the Director of Bands at East Lyme High School. In addition to teaching, he plays trumpet throughout Connecticut, serves as a music proficiency judge for US Bands in New England, and frequently guest–conducts for local community bands. He has presented professional development workshops, clinics, and lectures across New England and online.

Justin has earned degrees in Music Education (BS), Music (BA), and Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in Music Education (MA) from the University of Connecticut. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Music Education from Boston University. During his undergraduate studies, he was fortunate enough to serve as a drum major of the UConn Marching Band. As a graduate student, he contributed to the UConn band program as a director intern, where he assisted with the marching band, served as the graduate director of the hockey and basketball pep bands, and acted as a conducting assistant with the concert band.

 
Justin is highly passionate about the marching arts and drum corps. His drum corps experience includes performing as a lead trumpet player and flugelhorn soloist with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019 and with the 50th Anniversary Bluecoats Alumni Corps in 2022. He previously taught as a brass instructor or consultant with the 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps and the Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps and has been a member of the brass staff with the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps of Sacramento, CA, since 2022. 
 
Justin received the 2023 Connecticut Music Educators Association Outstanding Emerging Music Educator Award and the 2024 Connecticut chapter of the American School Band Directors Association Outstanding Potential Award.

Matt has served as the Northern Region Director since 2023 and by day is the Director of Instrumental Music and Unified Arts Team Leader at Sage Park Middle School in Windsor, CT. Previous to his work at the middle school level, Matt served as an elementary band, choir, and general music teacher for eight years.

Matt has also held a variety of leadership positions in the marching arts, including Visual Caption Head at Naugatuck High School and Brass Caption Head, as well as Staff Coordinator for the CT Hurricanes Drum and Bugle Corps. Matt regularly presents professional development in and out of his district. He holds both a PK-12 music licensure and an administrative endorsement, and is currently a doctoral student at CCSU studying the links between teacher preparation and teacher retention