Our staff

Lincoln Band Directors

Dan Carlson

Mr. Daniel Carlson received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota, and completed his Master of Music Education Degree from the American Band College of Southern Oregon University in 2004.

Mr. Carlson is an active drill writer and clinician for drum majors around the region. He began his teaching career at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1999 and has performed with his bands on seven separate occasions at the South Dakota Bandmaster’s Conference.

During his time at Lincoln, the LHS Patriot Marching Band has performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 2000, 2008 and 2024, and in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California in 2005 and 2013.

In 2015, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025, the Lincoln Band was a finalist at the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional, placing 13th overall in finals competition in 2015 and 2017, 11th overall in 2021, had an astounding 4th place finish in 2022, 9th in 2024, and 13th in 2025. The band also placed 12th in finals in the 2023 BOA Indianapolis Super Regional. The Lincoln Band also became the first South Dakota band to win a Bands of America Regional when they received Grand Champion honors at the BOA Iowa Regional in Waukee, IA, in 2022. The band continues to be recognized as one of the top programs in the upper Midwest in all facets. Outside of this, the jazz program has grown to receive national recognition, winning the Basically Basie Jazz Festival in Kansas City in 2024 and 2026, and was recently named as one of three high school jazz ensembles in the world to perform at the 2026 Midwest Clinic Band and Orchestra Convention in Chicago, Illinois.

Mr. Carlson is a member of Phi Beta Mu and the South Dakota Bandmasters Association and was twice featured in School Band and Orchestra Magazine’s article “50 Directors Who Make a Difference.” In 2016, Mr. Carlson received the “Outstanding Bandmaster” Award from Phi Beta Mu, an award granted to one South Dakota Band Director each year. During the summer of 2019, Mr. Carlson also co-directed a band on a seven-country tour of Europe with the South Dakota Ambassadors of Music, and will be again touring with them as a conductor in 2027.

Mr. Carlson is in his 28th year as a director at Lincoln. He directs the Symphonic and Varsity Bands, as well as the Marching band, Pep Band, and Jazz 3. Daniel and his wife, Anne, have four daughters, Isabel, Serena, Trayanna, and Adrienne.

Contact Mr. Carlson at daniel.carlson@k12.sd.us.

Drew Balta

Co-Director of Bands • Clinician • Music Educator

Drew Balta is a music educator, clinician, and program builder whose work focuses on creating high-achieving music programs where every student has an opportunity to belong, contribute, and grow. He is in his thirteenth year of teaching and currently serves as Co-Director of Bands at Sioux Falls Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Balta is passionate about building programs where excellence, opportunity, and belonging go hand in hand, while developing students as musicians, leaders, and young adults.

At Lincoln, Balta co-directs the Patriot Marching Band and Pep Band and directs Jazz I (Jazz Collective), Jazz II (Jazz Ensemble), Concert Band, and Freshman Band. During his tenure, alongside his tremendous colleagues at both the feeder middle schools and the high school, the Lincoln band program has experienced remarkable growth while achieving recognition at the state, regional, and national levels. The Patriot Marching Band has grown from 164 members in 2022 to 249 members in 2026, representing more than 50% growth in four years. The concert band program has grown from 200 students to nearly 300 and the jazz program has nearly doubled in size during the same period, expanding to four jazz ensembles for the first time in school history.

Lincoln's ensembles have experienced significant competitive and performance success during Balta's tenure. The Patriot Marching Band earned the program's first Bands of America Regional Championship in 2022, finished fourth at the 2022 BOA St. Louis Super Regional—the highest Super Regional finish by a South Dakota band—and became the first Lincoln marching band to advance to finals at the BOA Indianapolis Super Regional in 2023 - the band has made a Super Regional Finals in each of the last five years. The band also represented Lincoln High School in the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Jazz Collective (Lincoln’s top jazz ensemble) has earned numerous awards including 1st place finishes at The Eau Claire Jazz Festival (WI), The Morningside Jazz Festival (IA), The Augustana Jazz Festival (SD), the Coe College Jazz Summit (IA), the Optimist Jazz Festival (SD), the Blue Note Jazz Festival (IA), and the Coyote Jazz Festival (SD). In addition, the ensemble was crowned the 2024 and 2026 Basically Basie Champions and 2025 Basically Basie Runner-ups in Kansas City (MO). At the 2026 event, senior Henry Oppenheimer earned the top soloist award and performed with the Count Basie Orchestra. The ensemble performed at the 2024 South Dakota Bandmasters Conference in Brookings, South Dakota alongside guest artist Marques Carroll.

In 2026, Lincoln's Jazz Collective was selected to perform at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, becoming the first jazz ensemble from South Dakota ever selected to perform at the conference.

For Balta, however, program success is measured by more than trophies and performance results. He believes deeply in creating opportunities for every student and in developing ensembles where students learn to take ownership, serve others, lead with purpose, and contribute to something larger than themselves. His approach to student leadership and organizational culture has become a defining component of his work. Balta believes that a strong program should challenge students to pursue excellence while ensuring that every student understands that they have an important place within the organization.

Balta is active as a clinician and presenter, with particular interests in student leadership, band culture, program development, and jazz education. He has presented at the Iowa Bandmasters Conference, South Dakota Bandmasters Symposium, South Dakota All-State Band Festival, and other professional events. He has also served as a leadership consultant to more than ten schools throughout the region and has presented clinics on topics ranging from building successful band cultures to student leadership and beginning jazz improvisation.

Prior to joining Lincoln, Balta spent eight years as Director of Bands at West Lyon Community Schools in Inwood, Iowa. During his tenure, the program experienced significant growth and success, including an Iowa state jazz championship, multiple Iowa Bandmasters Association conference appearances, numerous marching-band championships, and participation levels reaching 37% of the school's 5–12 enrollment.

Originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Balta graduated from William Penn University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Music with an emphasis in trumpet performance and earned a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Florida. He studied trumpet with Dick Redman and began his teaching career through student-teaching experiences at Pella High School and North Mahaska.

Outside of music education, Balta enjoys following Cubs baseball and Hawkeye basketball and football and spending time with his wife, Amanda, and daughters, Wrigley and Lennyn. He has also served as an assistant varsity baseball coach at West Lyon for thirteen years.

Dan Sailer

Dan Sailer is a percussionist, educator, and composer from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He serves as Instructor of Percussion at Augustana University and Assistant Director of the Viking Marching Band. Sailer is Principal Percussionist of the Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra and frequently performs with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and Sioux City Symphony Orchestra.

Nationally, he is the Assistant Percussion Caption Head with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps (Rockford, IL), following a decorated marching career that includes multiple snare drum accolades at Drum Corps International and the Percussive Arts Society solo competitions. His teaching experience spans premier programs across the Midwest—including Lincoln HS (SD), Irondale HS (MN), and Brandon Valley HS (SD)—as well as River City Rhythm, Minnesota Brass, Boston Crusaders, and the Troopers. A sought-after educator and adjudicator, Sailer also teaches globally through the Stryvemind online percussion platform.

Sailer earned his Bachelor of Arts in both Instrumental and Vocal Music from Concordia University, St. Paul and his M.M. in Percussion Performance from the University of North Texas. He previously served as adjunct professor at Dordt University, where he helped produce the album Music With Friends which earned 2nd place in the American Prize for College Wind Bands (2021).

Performance highlights include the 2019 TMEA Showcase Concert with Canadian Brass, recordings with the North Texas Wind Symphony featuring Ryan Anthony, the 125th Anniversary Album of the Augustana University Band with the premiere of A Prairie of Voices by James David, and performances with internationally acclaimed artists Frédéric Macarez, the Barcelona Clarinet Players, Andy Narell, Willow Smith, and Matthew Whitaker.

Marching Band Staff

Show Designer/Color Guard Choreographer: Julie Hadley
Wind Book Arranger: Scott Dupre
Percussion Head: Pete Hansen
Percussion and Front Ensemble: Evan Blackard
Sound Technician: Jason Raether

Section Instructors: Shannon Abels (flutes), Tasondra Walicke (clarinets), Tyler Dormaier (saxophones), Lon Semansky (trumpets), Michael Hoffman (trumpets), Andrea Carlson (mellophones), Robert Conrad (low brass), Rolyn Beaird (low brass), Tim Eckart (low brass), Julia Burns (front ensemble), Brooke Bigge (front ensemble), Spencer Smith (battery), Oscar Hansen (battery), Mason Endsley (battery), Sierra Pattin (color guard), Rose Hoffeldt (color guard), Kiley Sergeant (color guard), Josephine Hultgren (color guard), Kaitlyn Niles (color guard)

Visual and Musical Instructors: Sam Anderson, Sam Helgerson, Derek Eleeson, Kevin Carlson, Joe Waters, Alex Sanchez