Shane Philen - saxophone, band instruments, theory, and composition

A GRAMMY® nominated and DOVE® award winning performer, Mr. Philen has devoted his skills and experience as a performer, arranger, composer, producer, clinician and adjudicator since 1992. He is also active in the recording industry as a session artist for LiveHorns.com, a recording company that allows artists and songwriters to include a real, “live” horn section to any recording project.

Mr. Philen has been featured with Big Daddy Weave, Travis Cottrell, Johnny Diaz, 4Him, Natalie Grant, Group 1 Crew, Karen Fairchild (Little Big Town), Gloria Gaynor, Philip Lassiter, Dan McMillion Jazz Orchestra, Mandisa, Marvin Sapp, the Moscow Sax Quintet, The Temptations, TRUTH, Veggie Tales, Hezekiah Walker and Ayiesha Woods. His arrangements have been featured at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Legends in Concert, Jazz Education Network’s JEN Conference, Mobile Big Band Society, NBC Universal, Sony EMI, Integrity Media, and Bollywood Films.

He has also served as musical director for the Distinguished Young Women Program (formerly America’s Junior Miss), coordinator of the Mobile County High School Jazz Honor Band, and has performed with numerous ensembles, theatre productions, society events, cruise lines, and festivals such as Bayfest, Gulf Coast Ethnic and Heritage Jazz Festival, Halifax Jazz Festival, Pensacola Jazz Fest, and Arts Alive.

Mr Philen plays and endorses exclusively the SAX DAKOTA TENOR SAX MODEL SDT-XG 505 at all live and recording venues and events.

David White - drum set and percussion

David White has had a love for music for as long as he can remember and has played drums since the age of nine.  His first “drum set” consisted of cardboard boxes played with Tinkertoys.  At the age of twelve, David received his first real set of drums for Christmas and after playing along with records for two years began taking drum lessons at age fourteen.   Studying under Dr. John Papastefan, David received a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of South Alabama before going on to study jazz at the University of North Texas under Henry Okstel and world-renowned jazz drummer Ed Soph.  In addition, David has also taken private lessons with jazz drumming great, Jim Chapin and funk drummer, Mike Clark.

In addition to teaching at Full Scale School of Music, David also teaches at the University of Mobile and Ellis Studios and performs regularly at Dahlia’s Electric Piano Hall and Dayspring Baptist Church. David has performed with the Port City Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony and more recently with the Mobile Symphony.  He has also played drums for many musical theater productions at the Joe Jefferson Playhouse and the Mobile Theater Guild and played in numerous rock, country, blues, jazz and big bands.  With these various musical groups, he has performed in ten states including Pennsylvania, New York and Texas.