Kayla Smith:
Director of Choirs, Department Chairperson, Secondary Regional Performing Arts Specialist
Kayla Smith is the co-director of The Lawrence Central Choirs and the Department Chair for Performing Arts. Before coming to LC, she began her career at Greenwood Community High School where she was the head choral director for 3 years. She then was the head director at Belzer Middle School for 5 years. In addition to teaching, Kayla also serves in Lawrence Township as the Secondary Performing Arts Regional Specialist for the district and the department chair for performing arts at Lawrence Central. Ms. Smith completed her Bachelor’s of Music Education at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and she earned her Master’s of Music from Ball State University in 2014. Her thesis, Middle School and High School Teachers’ Perspectives on the Information and Skills Necessary for Success in the Ninth-Grade Choral Classroom: A Survey, has driven her teaching and administrative work as she is passionate about aligning music curriculum and driving students to reach their potential. She presented her research in a poster session at the ACDA National Conference in 2018 in Kansas City. Kayla is hoping to expand her work with music into the leadership field. She is currently working toward a second Master’s degree in education in the School Leadership Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Kayla is originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, but she has lived in Indianapolis for over 10 years. She enjoys spending time with family and riding her bike. Kayla is also the mom to a wonderful toddler named Benjamin.
Milo Ellis:
Director of Choral Activities, Coordinator of Performing Arts
Milo Ellis, a native of Geneva, Illinois, has been conducting choirs at LC since 2012. In addition to co-directing the choral department, he currently serves as the Coordinator of Performing Arts for LC. He holds a bachelor's degree from The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and a Master's degree from The Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. His passions lie in creative musicianship for all students and culturally responsive pedagogy. Milo’s focus on mindfulness in the classroom has led to a growing interest in teaching students self-regulation techniques and coping mechanisms. In addition to these approaches, he enjoys musical theatre and teaching students performance skills. While at Northwestern University, Milo spent time researching for the Music Education program, and teaching undergraduate student voice lessons.He has presented at the IMEA state convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and hopes to continue as a clinician within the field of Music Education.
Ensembles under his direction have performed in National Competitions, Disney World, and many community events. A highlight in his career was performing with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir for their event “Festival of Carols”.
Mr. Ellis has 8 nieces and nephews and a dog named Louis. He enjoys spending as much time with them as possible. When he is not in front of an ensemble, he is probably drinking coffee, reading, or traveling. Travel is one of Milo's favorite passions, and he loves to tell stories of his adventures.
DiaShamar Marshall:
Director of Bands
Mr. Marshall was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with his Bachelor's of Music in Music Education. He completed his master's degree in Education Administration in May of 2021. Mr. Marshall is in his Fifth year of teaching. Prior to coming to Lawrence Central, he spent three years at the Lynhurst 7th and 8th Grade Center in Wayne Township. Mr. Marshall looks forward to working with the students and families of Lawrence Township.
Sarah Taubert:
Director of Orchestras
Sarah Taubert is our Director of Orchestras. She recently graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. She found her love and passion for music as well as teaching through her past educators from her hometown of Avon, Indiana.
Sarah is very excited to be a part of the Performing Arts Department at LCHS and to get to know her students. It is her goal to see her students achieve excellence through music making.
Alex Bowman:
Director of Theatre
Steve Yoder:
Director of Percussion
Steve Yoder is the Percussion Director at Lawrence Central High School, Indianapolis, IN and President of High Octane Entertainment which is an entertainment provider to the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever (WNBA), Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the National Hot Rod Association. The grandson of a percussionist, Steve comes by his teaching and performance skills naturally. His studies have put him with many of the finest and most recognized music educators in the country including: Jim Campbell (University of Kentucky), Dr. Doug Walter (University of Colorado), Dr. Allen McMurry (University of Colorado), Dr. Tom Caneva (Ball St. University), Mark Dorn (Colorado Christian University), Bret Kuhn (Cavaliers D&B Corps), and DCI Hall of Fame member Fred Sanford. This teaching pedigree has allowed Steve’s performance experience to become extremely diverse. As a marching percussionist, Steve was a member of The Cavaliers D&B Corps where he also earned two Multi-Tenor Individual Championships. Following his age out, he was Caption Head for the Emerald Knights D&B Corps which captured back-to-back DCI A-Class High Percussion Awards. As a drum set artist, Steve has been heard touring nationally with many groups including the “Par 3 Jazz Project”, and the “Killin’ Floor Blues Band”. To date, Steve has recorded more than 16 commercials and 5 albums to his credit, and he holds both a Gold and Platinum Record Sales Award from Geffen Records. In 2018 and 2019, Steve was responsible for writing and coordinating music for The Indianapolis 500 Driver Introductions which was seen and heard on worldwide television and all social media. These various musical experiences show up in his music writing and many of his groups have achieved top honors using his arrangements. His approaches to teaching and performance have helped many groups achieve high awards, including 14 State Marching Band Championships and 2 BOA Grand National Championships. It is this wealth of experience that Steve enjoys sharing with students, and he has been recognized by the Indianapolis Star for his teaching excellence. To date Steve has served at the highest levels of percussion adjudication in the country, including the Rocky Mountain Percussion Association, South Florida Percussion Association, the Gulf Coast Percussion Circuit, CWEA, the Southern CA Percussion Association, Indiana Percussion Association, the Percussive Arts Society, as well as Winter Guard International. For his efforts, Steve enjoys endorsements from XL Specialty Percussion Products, Innovative Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, Meinl Percussion Products, and the TAMA Drum Company.
Charles Manning: Keyboard Artist
Keyboard Artist Charles Manning earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Mr. Manning is in his Seventh year as Choir Accompanist at Lawrence Central High School.
As both pianist and organist, Mr. Manning has appeared as soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony, the Missouri Symphony, the Indiana Wind Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphonic Band, the Bloomington Pops Orchestra, the Butler University Orchestra, and the St. Luke’s Orchestra. He is also Organist at Beth-El Zedeck synagogue in Indianapolis. He serves as a collaborating artist for recitals, master classes, and auditions, and is frequently employed by area recording studios. Mr. Manning plays in the orchestra for numerous national Broadway touring productions when they come to Indianapolis, as well as other cities around the Midwest.
Mr. Manning has recorded a solo organ CD, For All the Saints, which consists of his own arrangements of well-known hymn tunes. He can also be heard as soloist on several Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra recordings. Other memorable musical moments include having once served as the rehearsal accompanist for the late renowned opera star Luciano Pavarotti, and having appeared in a nationally broadcast television commercial for Wheaton Worldwide Moving Systems and the Steinway Piano Company. Mr. Manning also has a Youtube Channel “Piano Pizzazz”. When not playing music, Mr. Manning enjoys world travel, and studying astronomy, cosmology, and philosophy. He and his wife, clarinetist Zoë Manning, have two adult sons, Jonathan and Christopher.
Chelsa’ Lee-Samuels:
Director of Dance
Chelsa’ Lee-Samuels brings over a decade of dance experience to Lawrence Central High School, specializing in Musical Theater, Tap, Hip Hop, Jazz, and Show Choir. A graduate of Anderson University, she combines her expertise in dance with a strong academic background, holding both a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and an MBA.
As a dedicated educator, Chelsa’ has been teaching at Lawrence Central since 2016, guiding students to high achievements in competitions. Her freelance work as a Dance/Visual Show Choir Judge further underscores her commitment to the arts.
Chelsa’ is passionate about fostering inclusive and engaging environments for her students, making her a valuable member of the Lawrence Central community.
Julie Reid:
Director of Color Guard
Julie Reid is currently in her eleventh year in Lawrence Township and is the Director of Color Guard for Lawrence Township. During her time in Lawrence, Julie has been a part of teaching and design teams for the Lawrence Central World Class Finalists at Winter Guard International Championships, Bands of America National Championships Finalists Spirit of Central and Marching Pride of Lawrence Township, LC’s two time IHSCGA World Class Silver Medalists and IHSCGA Class A Bronze Medalist as well as ISSMA State Marching Band Finalists, IHSCGA State Finalists and IPA State Champion and WGI Finalist Lawrence Township Winter Percussion. Julie was lucky to be a part of the staff that took the Marching Pride of Lawrence Township to perform in the Tournament of Roses Parade.
Prior to coming to Julie taught at many schools around the state. Julie was fortunate enough to have her groups recognized as BOA Finalists, BOA Class Champion, several IHSCGA and IPA State Championships, WGI Finalists, ISSMA State Finalists and back to back State Championships.
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Julie attended Ben Davis High School and went on to Indiana University where she studied Apparel Merchandising and Retail Management. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading and spending time outdoors.
Stacey Clauson: Performing Arts Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Clauson was born and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana. She graduated from the University of Indianapolis with her Bachelor of Science in Social Work. Throughout her career, she has worked with Indianapolis youth at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis, Indianapolis Public Schools and Castleton United Methodist Nursery School. She is excited to be a part of Lawrence Central Performing Arts to support the students, families, and staff. Mrs. Clauson is a proud mother to Quinn, a sophomore at Lawrence North, and Cooper, an eighth grader at Fall Creek Valley Middle School. In her spare time, Mrs. Clauson likes to spend time with her family, travel, and garden.