Derek Gipson has been on the brass staff of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps since 2012, as co-caption head, caption head, and caption supervisor. He is a proud member of the Bluecoats Hall of Fame. Before Bluecoats, he worked with the Santa Clara Vanguard, Blue Knights, the Cadets, and Carolina Crown. Derek currently lives with his wife (who he met at Bluecoats) and children in the UK. He is a sought after clinician, designer, and color guard effect judge throughout Europe. He has a private wind lesson studio online as well. Before moving to the UK, Derek was a middle school band director in Mississippi and Tennessee.