The 2008 Penn Band High School Honor Bands

Greer Cheeseman, Director of the Penn Band, has been with the organization for over 30 years, serving as Director for the past decade. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania and leads the organization both in practice and philosophy. Greer graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977, but in effect has never left. He was an active member of the band as an undergraduate (Treasurer and Drum Major), became the Assistant Director shortly after graduating, and was elevated to Director in 1994. In his 30+ years of involvement with the Penn Band, he has overseen a program that boasts an average annual membership of 100, and those students perform at upwards of 80 events a year, which includes sporting events and official Penn events.

Kushol Gupta, Ph.D., Assistant Director of the Penn Band and Program Director of the Summer Music Camp, has served as an assistant with the Penn Band over the past nine years. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Pennsylvania to complement his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Biochemistry and Pharmacology. Kushol is an avid arranger, as well as a trombonist and tubist. In 2006, he was the lead author of Images of America: The University of Pennsylvania Band (published by Arcadia Publishing), which details the first 100 years of the organization's history. During his tenure with the Band, he has spearheaded the program's high school outreach efforts, including the establishment of three high school honor bands: The Palestra Honor Band, Band Extravaganza Day, and the Southwest Airlines 4th of July High School Honor Band. In 2004, he established the Summer Music Camp.

Adam Sherr, MSEd, Assistant Director of the Penn Band, has been with the organization for over 20 years. Adam has a degree in History & Sociology of Science from Penn in 1990 and, in 2000, completed a MSEd in Higher Education Administration. He is currently working towards his EdD, also in Higher Education Administration with a focus in Leadership Development in undergraduate students. His "day job" is as an Academic Advisor in Penn's School of Nursing and serves as their Director of Student Information and Registration. Adam is an accomplished tubist and is at the forefront of Student Life on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.