Band Faculty

Ian LaBreck

Director of Bands

Ian LaBreck is currently Director of Bands at St. Pius X Catholic High School. Before serving as director of bands, he was the assistant band director at St. Pius from 2015-2019.

A native of St. Marys, GA, he graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in music education from the University of Georgia in 2015 where he studied trumpet with Dr. Brandon Craswell. While at UGA, he served as a Section Leader and Band Captain in the Redcoat Marching Band. Mr. LaBreck also served as the president of the Epsilon Lambda chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Men’s Music Fraternity. As an educator, Mr. LaBreck works with the Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Wind Ensemble and serves actively as a clinician and adjudicator around the state of Georgia.  His professional affiliations include Georgia Music Educators’ Association and the National Association for Music Education.

José Carmona-Almonte

Percussion Director

José Carmona-Almonte was born in Brooklyn, NY, but raised in Powder Springs, Ga. Jose is the Percussion Director at St. Pius X Catholic High School. He studied music at Columbus State University, earning a Bachelor of the Arts in Percussion Performance and a minor in Audio Technology. While at Columbus State, Jose was a member of the Wind Ensemble, the Philharmonic, the Contemporary Ensemble, the Percussion Ensemble, and the recording studio. Jose was also the principal percussionist of the St. Luke Orchestra and a section member of the Lagrange symphony orchestra. As an educator, Jose has served as a percussion technician for Harris County HS and McEachern HS. He also taught as percussion director at the Randy McCuller School of the Arts, and the Cobb Middle school

Sami Volk

Color Guard Instructor

Samantha Volk is currently studying at Georgia State University, majoring in Nursing with plans to go to Dental School. Samantha is an alumni of the St. Pius Marching Golden Lions color guard and winterguard. Outside of St. Pius she marched with Lakeside Independent’s winterguard, and is currently a member of the Georgia State Color Guard.

Eyoel Endashaw

Percussion Instructor

Eyoel Endashaw is in his third year as drumline instructor at St Pius. He is currently studying at Georgia State University, majoring in Philosophy with plans to go to Law School and become an Attorney. Eyoel is a proud alumni of the St Pius Marching Golden Lions drumline, where he was an energetic leader and a crucial part of the band’s success. Outside of St. Pius he marched with Q2, an Independent Open Indoor Drumline that was a WGI Finalist group at the WGI Indoor Drumline World Championships in Dayton, Ohio.