Annabelle Robinson, Director of Bands

Mrs. Robinson is in her twentieth year of teaching and her tenth year as the Director of Bands at Palmetto Ridge High School. Mrs. Robinson directs the Marching Pride, Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Symphonic Winds, Percussion, and Jazz Band 1. She also advises the Palmetto Ridge High School Auxiliary Team. 

Mrs. Robinson is from Orland Park, Illinois. She completed her Master’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis in conducting from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois where she assisted in the direction of the Northwestern Wildcat Basketball Band. Mrs. Robinson earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she served as one of the Drum Majors of the Marching Illini and Student Director of the Orange and Blues Band.

Prior to her appointment at Palmetto Ridge High School, Mrs. Robinson served as the Associate Band Director at her alma mater Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, Illinois. Previous to that, Mrs. Robinson taught at Morton High School in Morton, Illinois, where she was the Assistant Director for the Band and Orchestra. Mrs. Robinson currently resides in Naples, Florida with her husband Brett Robinson, who is the Director of Bands at Barron Collier High School. 

---

Anthony Claro, Assistant Band Director

​Mr. Claro is in his third year as the Assistant Band Director at Palmetto Ridge High School and his seventh year working with the Marching Pride. Mr. Claro assists in directing the Marching Pride, Jazz Band 2, Wind Symphony, and Auxiliary Team. In addition to his band responsibilities at Palmetto Ridge High School, Mr. Claro also teaches Piano Keyboarding. 

Mr. Claro was a member of the trumpet section in the Marching Pride for four years and graduated from Palmetto Ridge in 2015. He attended the University of South Florida for two years and marched in the Herd of Thunder where he served as one of the section leaders. 

​Mr. Claro is a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. He had many opportunities to perform and teach music in both Lee and Collier County, which provided memorable learning experiences. Mr. Claro joined the music service fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi in Spring 2016 at USF and continued at FGCU where he was president for the 2018-2019 academic year, finishing his active membership in 2021. His current hobbies are traveling, cooking, playing trumpet, and hanging out with friends. 

---

Annamarie Magdaleno, Head Auxiliary Instructor

Mrs. Magdaleno is in her eleventh year as the Head Auxiliary Instructor for the Palmetto Ridge Marching Pride Auxiliary. Mrs. Magdaleno choreographs and directs the Palmetto Ridge Auxiliary during both outdoor band season and indoor dance season. During indoor season, Mrs. Magdaleno travels to several dance competitions with her competitive and non-competitive teams.

Mrs. Magdaleno has been dancing for over 25 years and is trained in several dance backgrounds including Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical and Contemporary. She is an alum of Palmetto Ridge High School and a former member of the Marching Pride Dance Team. She graduated from Palmetto Ridge in 2009 and earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Florida Gulf Coast University in May of 2014. Aside from her coaching position with the Marching Pride, Mrs. Magdaleno teaches dance at Angelic Academy of Dance working with a variety of ages and levels in the dance styles of Modern/Contemporary, Lyrical, and Jazz. She is also an Auxiliary Adjudicator for Florida Bandmasters Association.

---

Mario Mistretta, Marching Band Instructor

Mr. Mistretta is entering his thirteenth year on staff with the Marching Pride. 

He has over fifteen years experience working and performing in the pageantry arts. His marching experience includes five years as a member of the UCF Marching Knights and two years as a member of Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps all on mellophone. After aging out in 2010 he stayed with the Boston Crusaders as a member of their administrative and tour operations staff. He served as Tour Director for the corps in 2013 and 2014 and as Membership Coordinator from 2015-2017.
​
Mr. Mistretta enjoys spending time with his wife and children, watching sports, volunteering at church, and acting as the Voice of the Bears and Marching Pride of Palmetto Ridge.

---

Shelby Blocker, Percussion Instructor

Ms. Blocker is in her third year working with the Marching Pride as a Percussion Instructor. 

Ms. Blocker is in her fourth year as an undergraduate student at Florida Gulf Coast University, where she will graduate with a Bachelors in Music Education. During her time at FGCU, she has taught students grades K-12 in Lee and Collier County and will continue to do so. She has also been a member of the FGCU Flute Studio and has performed standard repertoire with the Symphonic Band, Wind Orchestra and Flute Choir. Last year, Ms. Blocker served on the board for FGCU’s chapter of the National Association for Music Education. The chapter was selected to receive the 2023 NAfME Collegiate Chapter of Excellence award for the Professional Development category.

Ms. Blocker was a member of the flute section in the Marching Pride for four years, and graduated from PRHS in 2020. Her current hobbies include baking and spending time with her family and friends.