The Directors

Director of Bands

Kenneth Ruff is the director of university bands at North Carolina A&T State University. His band duties include directing the Marching Band, the Symphonic bands, the Concert, and Pep bands. He creates the drill designs for the marching band and is responsible for organizing and planning the band program.

Ruff holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision from North Carolina A&T. He also holds a master’s degree in music education, a specialist degree in education, and a doctorate in education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Prior to becoming the director of university bands at North Carolina A&T, Ruff served as an assistant principal at Eastern Guilford High School in the Guilford County School System. He also served as an assistant director of bands for North Carolina A&T on a part-time basis. Ruff served as director of bands at Eastern Guilford High School and McLeansville Middle School and an associate director of bands at John Motley Morehead High School and Holmes Middle School in Eden, North Carolina.

Ruff is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Professional Fraternity of Music, Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority.

Assistant Director of Bands/Music Lecturer

Thomas G. Warner, Jr. serves as Assistant Director of Bands at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. His primary duties include facilitating aspects of the band related to wind band pedagogy, lecturing, and teaching courses in the Music Department as part of the College of Humanities Arts and Sciences. In addition, Mr. Warner assists The Director of Bands with all aspects of the university band program which include reporting within the Division of Student Affairs, Visual and Performing Arts, and The Music Program. Mr. Warner’s other duties include composing, arranging, teaching music, and conducting/facilitating music rehearsals for The University Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Trumpet Choir, Brass Choir, and Pep Band. Mr. Warner also assists with student recruitment, consistent communication, and implementation of band logistics and national music education standards.

Mr. Warner is a native of Atlanta, GA, and a product of Atlanta Public Schools. Mr. Warner is a graduate of Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in Music Education. Mr. Warner is a graduate of The Florida State University, College of Music in Tallahassee, Florida, where he studied under Dr. Clifford Madsen, Dr. Steven Kelly, and Scotty Barnhart, earning a Master’s degree in Music Education. Mr. Warner is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he is all but dissertation. In addition, he has co-authored a book on music education entitled “The Future of the Wind Band: Philosopher and Practitioner in Dialog.” Mr. Warner was classically trained on trumpet by Phil Elkins, former trumpeter for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, now Co-Principal Trumpeter for the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Warner also studied jazz trumpet at The Florida State University College of Music under Scotty Barnhart of The Count Basie Jazz Orchestra.

As part of the Conn-Selmer Division of Education Mr. Warner currently servs as one of their clinicians. He is a sought-after clinician adjudicator, and musical arranger for Metro Atlanta Schools, the state of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and the United States Virgin Islands. Mr. Warner has served as a music educator, director of bands and orchestra in metro Atlanta and surrounding school districts. Mr. Warner served as an Assistant Band Director at South Carolina State University. He also served as Assistant Director of University Bands, Interim Director of Bands, and Director of Bands at Clark Atlanta University.

Mr. Warner’s professional affiliations include The Historically Black Colleges and Universities National Band Directors' Consortium where he is the Immediate Past President. Mr. Warner has also served as one of the convention coordinators, facilitators, and adjudicator, and Director of the Trumpet Choir. He has also been guest conductor of the All-Star Concert Band in 2015. Mr. Warner is a member of The College Music Society, The College Band Directors National Association, The Minority Band Directors National Association, The International Trumpet Guild, National Association for Music Educators and has served as a member of Georgia Music Educators Association and The Metro Atlanta Community Band. Other professional memberships include Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity Inc., Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America Inc., Prince Hall Masonry Derwin Brown Lodge #599, John L. Martin Consistory 367A, and Al-Karim Temple #242 of The Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.

Assistant Director of Bands/Chief Arranger

Aaron J. Campbell is an Assistant Director of Bands and Chief Arranger for North Carolina A&T State University. His duties include arranging, composing, teaching, and conducting music for the Blue & Gold Marching Machine. He is also the director of the Wind Ensemble and the Saxophone Choir. Mr. Campbell is a graduate of North Carolina A&T, having earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Electronic Music. He also earned his master’s degree in music education from East Carolina University. 

Mr. Campbell has written music for North Carolina A&T over the past 20 years. During this time, he has served as the director of bands at Neal Middle School in Durham, NC, and Oak Ridge Military Academy in Oak Ridge, NC. He has also served as a music adjudicator for band competitions throughout the state and provided music for high schools throughout North Carolina and nationwide. Mr. Campbell is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, and Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority.