Williamstown, New Jersey
Faculty & Staff
Val Kuntz
Director of Bands
Mr. Kuntz is the current Director of Bands at Williamstown High School and has directed the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Marching Band, and Jazz Ensemble since 2019. He also teaches Music Theory, AP Music Theory, and Music Technology classes during the school day. Before coming to Williamstown High School, he was the Assistant Band Director and Tri-M Music Honor Society Advisor at Edison High School from 2015–2019 and taught 4th - 5th grade band, strings, and general music at two Edison, NJ elementary schools throughout the 2014–2015 school year. Mr. Kuntz earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from The College of New Jersey in 2014 and has an extensive background in teaching Marching Band, Brass Ensemble, Woodwind Quintet, and private lessons at Hillsborough High School and J.P. Stevens High School, since 2012.
In 2018, Mr. Kuntz became more involved with other education organizations including the NJ Music Educators Association by serving as the NJ All-State Band Committee Procedures Chair from 2018-2020, continues to serve on the New Jersey All-State Band Procedures Committee as a committee member, and presented a session on Chamber Music in the Band Classroom at the 2018 NJMEA State Conference. He was also the Eastern Wind Symphony Youth Band assistant conductor for 2 seasons in 2018 and 2019.
When he's not teaching, Mr. Kuntz performs with a number of wind bands, orchestras, chamber groups, and pit orchestras all throughout New Jersey. He has also performed in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago, specifically at the 2015 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and 2017 NAfME All Eastern Convention.
Bill Graff
Marching Braves, Assistant Director
Mr. Graff is currently the music teacher at Oak Knoll Elementary School where he teaches kindergarten through 4th grade general music and 4th grade choir. He is in his 16th year of teaching music and has been teaching in Monroe Township since 2015. Before coming to Monroe Township, Mr. Graff was the Assistant Marching Band Director at Washington Township High School. His other teaching experience includes teaching instrumental music at H.H. Davis in Camden and guitar at West Deptford High School.
Mr. Graff earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music and in Education from Rowan University in 2009. He is currently completing his Masters Degree from Rowan University. Mr. Graff is also an Orff-Schulwerk certified music teacher.
When Mr. Graff is not teaching; he enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Shawn Dessaigne
Marching Braves, Instructor/ Electronics
Indoor Percussion, Electronics
Mr. Dessaigne has been a member of the Marching Braves and Indoor Percussion staff since 2019. He began his career as a teacher at Washington Township High School, where he taught Music Technology I and II, AP Music Theory, assisted with the marching band, and advised the Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter. He also spent time working for Apple, training music industry professionals in Logic Pro, and working with hundreds of business and educational clients as a consulting IT engineer.
As a horn player, most recently Mr. Dessaigne has performed with two Sudler Silver Scroll-winning community bands (the South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble and Montgomery County Concert Band), has been a community volunteer with the Drexel University Symphony Orchestra, and actively freelances with pit orchestras and other local ensembles. These and other performances have taken him to the United States, Canada, Austria, France, and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Dessaigne is a 1997 alumnus of Williamstown High School, and earned his Bachelor of Music from The College of New Jersey. He is happy to be back at his alma mater teaching music, and will also help you with your Mac or iPad if you ask nicely.
Ryan Mathis
Marching Braves, Percussion Director
Indoor Percussion, Director
Ryan is currently studying Music Education at Rowan University with a CUG in Jazz Vibraphone studies. He began working as a volunteer for the Williamstown Indoor Percussion Ensemble in January 2024 and is currently the Percussion Caption Head for Marching Band/Indoor Percussion.
Ryan began his percussion journey in 2007 taking private lessons for drum set and a few years later he joined the Kingsway middle school Jazz Ensemble. Through the course of moving in high school he had the privilege of performing on drum set for the Triton Regional High School Marching Band/Indoor, as well as the Clearview Regional High School Marching Band. In College Ryan has taken part in the Rowan Percussion groups, Wind Ensemble, and Orchestra.
Before pursuing Music Education, Ryan earned his Associates degree in Automotive Mechanics at Camden County College and worked in the automotive field. Outside of music he is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys camping, hiking, archery, and golf.
Alan Kinsey
Marching Braves, Percussion Instructor
Indoor Percussion, Assistant Director
Alan Kinsey has established himself as a teacher/educator of all styles of percussion, and is demand as a clinician, teacher, and adjudicator. He has an in-depth and varied career in Jazz performance as demonstrated by his engagements with Bob Brookmeyer, Gene Bertocini, Phil Woods, Lee Konitz, Gary Foster, and Frank Mantooth. Alan has also worked in concert with Tori Amos, Joel Grey, Maureen McGovern, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett, and Harry Connick Jr, to name a few. He has also performed with road productions of 42nd St, Chicago, and Cats. His other performance experience includes, the Atlantic Brass Band, the South Jersey Wind Ensemble, the Atlantic Pops and the New York Brass ensemble.
Mr Kinsey has directed many ensemble appearances and has presented clinics at Music Educator’s Conventions in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Ohio, and Kansas. Jazz ensembles (both high school and college/university groups) under his direction, have performed at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival, the Wichita Jazz Festival, University of the Arts College Festival, North Texas Jazz Festival, and the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Festival. He was also the director of the Great Plains Jazz Camp for 6 years, at Emporia State University, in Kansas.
A native of Souderton PA, Alan completed Undergraduate, and Master’s Degree, both in Percussion Performance (a double degree program, based in Classical and Jazz) at Temple University, in Philadelphia PA. Mr Kinsey holds a DA in Percussion Performance, and Jazz Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. He also holds a K-12 Music teaching certification in New Jersey. Although semi retired from education, he has taught elementary instrumental music in the Gloucester Township (NJ) and is a faculty music advisor to several school districts for concert percussion, marching percussion, and Jazz ensembles, in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Kansas, Colorado, and Maryland.
Alan is active, as an adjudicator, for the Cavalcade of Bands, WGI, BOA, USSBA, and the Music in the Parks associations. He is also active in the Percussive Arts Society, Jazz Educator’s Network, New Jersey Music Educator’s Association, and the Technology Institute for Music Edcuator’s.
Kymora Scott
Marching Braves, Percussion Instructor
Indoor Percussion, Instructor
Kymora has been a member of the Marching Braves and Indoor Percussion staff since 2023. She is a 2021 alumnus of Williamstown High School and is happy to be teaching the same ensemble which she was apart of for 5 years as a student. Kymora is currently pursuing a bachelor of Exercise Science degree at Rowan University and also a minor in music playing the bassoon.
As a percussionist, Kymora has performed with the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle corp, Imperial Dynasty, and the inaugural season of the Rowan University Marching Band. As a bassoonist, Kymora has performed with the Greater Princeton Area Symphony Orchestra, been on tour with American Music Abroad, and performs with the Rowan University Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and wind quintet.
Gia Baratta
Marching Braves, Color Guard Director
Indoor Color Guard, Director
Gia has worked on staff with the Williamstown Marching Braves since 2020, taking on the position of Colorguard Director in 2023. In the winter of 2022, she restarted the Indoor Colorguard program at Williamstown High School and continues to be the Director of the program.
Gia started her Colorguard career at Deptford High School, marching for five years in the Marching band and Indoor Colorguard. After high school, she marched with the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps, the Hawthorne Caballeros Drum and Bugle Corps, and AMP Winterguard.
Gia completed multiple degrees from Rowan College at Gloucester County, Stockton University, and Thomas Jefferson University. She holds an Associate in Education, Bachelors in Health Science with a minor in childhood studies, and a Bachelors in Nursing. In 2021, she became a registered nurse and currently works at Nemours Children’s Health as an operating room nurse. Gia also spends time training and certifying individuals in CPR through the American Red Cross outside of her nursing role. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with those close in her life.