Brad McCann
Brad McCann is the Director of Bands at James Martin High School. An Arizona native, Mr. McCann holds a Master of Music (Instrumental Conducting) and a Bachelor of Music Education, both from Northern Arizona University. He is currently in his 11th year of teaching at Martin. This is his seventh year as Director of Bands, and he previously spent three years as an Assistant Director and one year as a low brass private lesson teacher. Mr. McCann directs the Wind Ensemble, and the award-winning James Martin Warrior Marching Band. Mr. McCann co-conducts the Symphony Orchestra with Jamie Ovalle. Ensembles under his direction have earned consistent UIL Sweepstakes ratings and finalist placements at Bands of America regional and Super Regional championships.
Outside of music, Brad races cars on free weekends. He has won numerous SCCA national tour and ProSolo events in Texas, California, Arizona, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Arkansas. He lives with his pulchritudinous wife Jessica in Mansfield where they enjoy their couch time in the grey cloud.
Katrina Benecasa
Assistant Band Director Katrina Benecasa conducts the Wind Symphony/Concert Band and works with the woodwinds of the Warrior Marching Band. A native of DFW, Mrs. Benecasa’s love of music began when she was young, participating in an honor choir in elementary school, then joining band in junior high and high school. She served as a drum major in the LD Bell High School Blue Raider Band when they took the Eagle home from the Bands of America Grand National Championships in 2007, one of only four Texas bands to be named Grand National Champions since the event’s conception.
Before to coming to Martin, Mrs. Benecasa taught for three years in Wichita Falls ISD as an Assistant Band Director. Under her direction, the Freshman Band at Rider HS received its first ever sweepstakes. Prior to this, she taught in Springfield, MO, as an Assistant Band Director at Glendale High School, served as a marching tech at Kickapoo High School, and was an adjunct faculty member at Evangel University. Mrs. Benecasa received her Master of Music in Wind Band Conducting from Missouri State University, where she served as principal flautist in the Wind Ensemble and was inducted as an honorary member into Kappa Kappa Psi. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from Evangel University.
When not doing band, Mrs. Benecasa enjoys spending time with her ridiculously good-looking and talented husband Jimmy, snuggling her doggos Buzz and Hobbes, repeatedly tearing down and rebuilding her Animal Crossing island, and being better than her students at Super Smash Bros.
Kenneth Ragland
Kenneth Ragland, a native of Alabama, was both an all-state and jazz all-state trumpet player in high school. He graduated from the University of North Alabama with a degree in Music Performance and received his Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He was also a lead soprano/soloist for the 1998 Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps of Canton Ohio.
Before coming to Martin, Mr. Ragland taught for 9 years at West Mesquite High School. While there, his jazz ensembles won multiple grand championships throughout the state of Texas and is the only 4A jazz ensemble to ever win grand champion at the UTA Jazz Festival. He also taught percussion at Royse City High School and his indoor drumline was awarded grand champion of the NTCA standstill percussion division in 2012. In 2013-2021, Mr. Ragland taught at Naaman Forest High School. While there, the marching band won 7 marching contests in the DFW area. His non-varsity bands consistently earned superior ratings in both concert and sight-reading and the jazz ensemble also won several grand champion awards throughout Texas.
In his spare time, Mr. Ragland enjoys performing with his jazz group “Time & Space” at different restaurants and hotels as well as working out and playing in flag football leagues.