Mr. Jonathan Ruth, Director of Bands

Jonathan Ruth is the Director of Bands at the Blossburg Schools.  He began his musical career studying under percussionists John San Fillipo, Gene Lazowicki, and Scott Wolfinger in suburban Philadelphia, where he grew up.  After attending attending Souderton Area High School where he participated in all available performance ensembles including Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Marching Band, he did his undergraduate study at Indiana University of Pennsylvania with Dr. Gary Olmstead, graduating with a B.S. in Music Education, majoring in percussion with a minor in piano.  He then taught for four years at Sabin Middle School in Colorado Springs, CO where he doubled the size of the instrumental music department, adding to the concert band jazz bands and small chamber ensembles, as well as developing vocal music and theatre departments.  In the summer of 2005, he returned to his native state of Pennsylvania to begin teaching in Blossburg.  He and his wife Carolyn have a two-year-old daughter, Naomi, and in his spare time Jonathan enjoys spending time with them, skiing, and spending time outdoors.  He is an avid Philadelphia sports fan, and also teaches private percussion lessons, composes and arranges for percussion sections and ensembles, plays in the praise band of his local church, performs with the recording artist "Short For Robert", and is active as a musical adjudicator through the National Judges Association and Tournament of Bands.

Mrs. Deb Moyer, Color Guard Director

Deb Moyer is the Colorguard Director for the North Penn High School and the Southern Tioga Football Colorguard. She was born in New Hampshire and grew up in Lebanon County, PA where she started to play piano and flute by the age of seven. Deb started twirling at the age of twelve and was hooked on it for life. By high school, she was a member of the Northen Lebanon High School Marching Band. She also belonged to a Drum and Bugle Corp. She is trained in flags, rifles, swing flags, and batons. Deb attended college at Mansfield University, majoring in Elementary and Early Childhood Education. She transferred and graduated with high honors from Kutztown University in 1988. Upon returning to Tioga County, Deb started up a bandfront program at Liberty High School. In 2006, she was hired by the Southern Tioga School District to lead the district wide Football Colorguard, the North Penn Competitive Colorguard, and the North Penn Bandfront program. In her spare time she teaches group baton and colorguard lessons for the Wellsboro Parks and Recs Program, trains students to compete at Twirling Unlimited Competitions, volunteers with the baton group, Laurelettes, and is working with other school districts in the area to start up more colorguard programs. Deb and her husband Mark have two daughters that attend school at Liberty, Katie and Jenny. For her "full time job", Deb is an elementary teacher at New Covenant Academy in Mansfield. Deb is very active in her church group and community. She is a 4-H leader, Sunday School teacher, field editor for Taste of Home magazine, has participated in Hamilton Gibson Productions, and is a published writer.