Creative Consultant

Chad Heiny is a multifaceted freelance musician and educator residing in the Greater Pittsburgh area. He holds positions as Program Coordinator and Ensemble Coordinator for the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps, Music Editor with Tapspace Publications, and Music Design Coordinator for the Hebron High School Marching Band from Carrollton, TX. He is also an adjudicator for both Winter Guard International and Bands of America.

As an avid, versatile, and regularly commissioned composer, Chad has created music for an eclectic collection of ensembles and performers across the country. His published works for percussion are available from both Tapspace Publications and C. Alan Publications, while his ever-growing catalog of self-published compositions are available here at www.chadheiny.com.

Chad has been a passionate contributor to the pageantry arts since 2003 and prior to his current role at the Blue Knights, he arranged, coordinated, and consulted for several DCI World Championship Finalists including The Cadets, Spirit of Atlanta, Boston Crusaders, and Glassmen. He is a program coordinator, percussion arranger, wind arranger, and sound designer for high school and collegiate marching bands across the country. He can also be seen walking across Acrisure Stadium on game days as a Creative Consultant for the Pittsburgh Steeline.

From 2006 until 2018, Chad was the Percussion Specialist and Assistant Director of Bands at Kiski Area High School in Vandergrift, PA. Under his leadership, the percussion program at Kiski Area grew exponentially in all areas and in 2017 were a featured ensemble at the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, sponsored by Music for All. In the WGI arena, Kiski Percussion won three Regional Championships in both Concert Open and Concert World from 2013-2015, and was the bronze medal winning ensemble in Concert Open Class at the 2014 WGI World Championships. During his tenure, the Kiski Area Marching Band was a BOA Regional Grand Champion seven times and won the Class AA silver medal at BOA Grand Nationals three times.

Chad earned a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Louisiana State University and Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Education and Music Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is a member of both the Percussive Arts Society and ASCAP, and is a proud endorser of Majestic Percussion, Innovative Percussion, and Remo Drumheads.