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Staff Bio  Gary W. Schumann
Executive Director
KnightFire Percussion Ensembles
Gary started his drum corps career at the young age of 6 years old as the mascot for the Nisei Ambassadors Drum and Bugle Corps out of Chicago, IL. Throughout the late 1970’s and early 80’s, he continued to march with programs in and around the Chicagoland area such as the Mount Prospect Imperials, Elmhurst Vaqueros and the Cavaliers of Rosemont. Gary moved to San Diego, Ca where he eventually marched with the Velvet Knights and the Anaheim Kingsmen.
After High School, Gary, along with long time friend and fellow percussionist Steve Elias, started “Say Hey Productions” a company that provided percussion arranging, drill writing, color guard choreography and even “Corps Style” instruction for many successful San Diego area marching programs such as Grossmont H.S., Granite Hills H.S., Monte Vista H.S., Vallhalla H.S., Morse, H.S. Sweetwater H.S., Mar Vista H.S., El Capitan H.S. and Ramona H.S.. During their tenure at these schools, Gary and Steve were able to aide these programs to many sweepstakes and first place finishes along with several high caption awards not only in the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association arena, but in WGI and Drums Across California (DAC) as well.
Gary moved back to Illinois in 1993 and continued instructing in the areas of percussion, color guard and drill for programs such as Le-Win H.S., Dakota H.S., Freeport H.S., Phantom Cadets, Guardsmen, Racine Scouts, Colt Cadets, Macomb H.S., and the Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks. Gary studied percussion for 3 years under Dr. Richard Cheadle and Mr. Kevin Nichols and is currently working towards his Masters degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration at WIU.
Gary is a member of PAS, and a member of Vic Firth’s Education Team as a Marching Percussion Specialist
Contact Information
 Kevin A. Nichols
Director of Percussion KnightFire Percussion Ensembles
Mr. Nichols is currently the Assistant Professor of Percussion at Western Illinois University, teaches applied percussion and percussion methods course, coaches jazz combos, and is the Drumline Instructor/Arranger for the Marching Leathernecks. Outside of WIU, he is active as a performer, director, clinician and adjudicator throughout the Midwest
In the Fall of 2005, Mr. Nichols was the featured soloist with the WIU Symphony Orchestra performing the Concerto for Percussion and Small Orchestra by Darius Milhaud. In addition to being a member of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, he was the featured percussionist on their performance of Darius Milhaud’s La Cration du Monde and Aaron Copland’s Music for Theatre. Other symphonic performance accomplishments include University of Iowa Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, Knox-Galesburg Symphony, and Galesburg Symphony Chorus.
Active on the drum set, he has entertained audiences as part of various Jazz, Rock, and Latin groups throughout Illinois. In particular, he enjoys performing music of the Caribbean with the Trinidad Tripoli Steel band and Steel Express. Other on-campus performances include solo recitals, the Faculty Chamber Series, and Summer Music Theatre; he is a founding member of the Hopper Jazztet.
Mr. Nichols has been a presenter for the I.M.E.A. All-State conference, WIU Jazz Festival, I.C.M.E.A. events, various schools and music retailers. As a director he is the former Director of the Central Illinois Youth Percussion Ensemble in Peoria, and has led Concert and Marching Percussion Ensembles throughout the state of Illinois. During the summer months, he is a Percussion Instructor for the WIU Summer Music Camps. In 2005, Mr. Nichols was an adjudicator for the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) International High School Percussion Ensemble competition. Additionally, he has adjudicated events for University of Missouri, Illinois High School Association and the Illinois Music Educators Association’s All-State Convention.
Mr. Nichols is currently completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa. In addition, he holds two Master of Music degrees from Northwestern University, in Jazz Pedagogy and Percussion Performance, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from Illinois Wesleyan University. His teachers include Dan Moore, Jim Dreier, Al Payson, Terry Applebaum and Robert Bankert.
Mr. Nichols is a member of the PAS Drumset Committee and a former officer for the Illinois Chapter of PAS. He is a member of I.A.J.E., M.E.N.C., and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Mr. Nichols is an Educational Artist for the Avedis Zildjian Cymbal Company.
Office Location: 111 Sallee Hall
Office Phone: 309/298-1235 Scott Lawson
Assistant Director
KnightFire Percussion Ensembles
Scott Lawson started as a musician in Junior High and High School in Macomb, IL. He participated for four years with the Macomb Sr. High School Marching Band and Pep Band, playing trombone, under the direction of Dave Wetmore. He then attended Western Illinois University, where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting (Radio) and participated in the Western Illinois University Marching Leathernecks (under the direction of Dale Hopper) and the WIU Pep Band for five years, also playing trombone.
During this time, he became introduced to drum and bugle corps through a friend. He then marched for two summers as a baritone with the Quad City Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, based out of the Quad Cities in Iowa and Illinois. He then marched for five summers as a lead baritone with the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps from Dubuque, Iowa.
During his time with the Colts, Scott developed a website for alumni of the Knights, located at http://www.knightscorps.org, so that members could keep in touch and organize reunions.
Following this, he continued on with “real life” for a few years, and eventually decided to return to WIU to get his Masters of Science degree in Instructional Design and Technology. During the final semester of this education, he went back and played for one season with the WIU Pep Band while he was finishing up his Master’s degree.
Scott is a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. He currently is the manager of Camera Land One Hour Photo, in downtown Macomb, does a little website design on the side, and him and his wife are expecting their first child in October of 2007.
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