JOHN MAPES

Program Coordinator, Battery and Visual Designer

This is John’s 17th year on the design team and staff with Pulse. John is a full-time percussion educator, arranger, visual designer, program coordinator, clinician and adjudicator based out of Southern California. He received his Bachelor of Arts in percussion from California State University Long Beach in the spring of 2000. He currently has 15 years of drum corps teaching/design experience and 25 years of indoor percussion teaching/design experience with an unprecedented 43 WGI medals since 2005. He also wrote and produced a routine for America's Got Talent with Pulse Percussion in 2023.

He has been the Percussion Director at Chino Hills HS since 2005 and was director of percussion at Pacifica HS from 2000-2011. John designed for the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps as the battery arranger from 2013-2016, the Blue Devils B Corps as the percussion arranger from 2007-2012 and was the Battery Arranger/ Percussion Caption Head for the Esperanza Drum & Bugle Corps from San Diego, CA from 2002-2006.

John is a Vic Firth Signature artist, a Yamaha artist, a Remo artist, a Zildjian artist and a WGI Percussion Steering Committee/Advisory Board member. He is also a co-founder of Box-Six.com, a website compiling original indoor percussion and marching band shows with fellow composer Ian Grom.

IAN GROM

Front Ensemble Arranger

This is Ian’s 17th year on staff with Pulse. He is a composer and educator based out of Southern California. Ian received his Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from California State University Long Beach, where he specialized in drum set, marimba and composition.

He currently teaches, designs, and composes for the Chino Hills HS percussion ensemble and has been there since 2010. He also instructed Pacifica HS from 2006-2011 and Los Alamitos HS from 2005 – 2011. In the summer of 2009, Ian was brought on as the electronics consultant/arranger with the world famous Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps and worked there from 2009 to 2012. Ian joined the design team for the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps as the front ensemble and Co-Brass arranger from 2013-2016. He also composes original marching band shows for several HS programs around the country.

Ian is a Signature Vic Firth artist, a Yamaha artist, a Remo artist, a Zildjian artist and a WGI Percussion Advisory Board member. In the summer of 2008, he launched Box-Six.com, a website compiling original indoor percussion and marching band shows with fellow composer John Mapes.

noe gomez

Visual Design Team

This is Noe's 3rd year on staff with Pulse and 6th year with Organization. He is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, California and prolific educator and designer within the marching arts. He has over seven years of performance experience, including Impulse, Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets, and half of a decade with the Santa Clara Vanguard, where he served as drum major from 2012 to 2015. 

Noe is immersed in the upper echelons of the marching arts, as he is a full time visual designer, judge, and clinician for both high school bands and independent programs. Noe served on the visual and drum major education team of the Santa Clara Vanguard, worked with the Phantom Regiment in 2023 and is currently the Drill designer for the Blue Knights Drum Corps. He is on the design team at POW Percussion, Arcadia HS and several other quality programs around the country. Noe also serves as an advisor to the Color Guard Alliance of the Philippines and Impulso Marching Latino America.

Learn more at:  noegomezproductions.com and on Instagram: @noegomez.productions

ROCHELLE MAPES

Choreographer

This is Rochelle’s 14th year on Pulse staff as a Choreographer where she brings a fresh perspective to the indoor percussion activity with her dance background. Rochelle earned her Master of Arts in Dance from California State University, Long Beach and also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from CSULB. She is the Director of Dance at Mater Dei High School and is on faculty at the American Ballet Theater Gillespie School. Formerly, she was the Commercial Dance Conservatory Facilitator at the Orange County School of the Arts. Rochelle choreographs extensively for nationally ranked dance teams throughout the US and teaches master classes for organizations including the United Spirit Association, the Dizzy Feet Foundation’s National Dance Day, Dance aTAK convention, and virtual classes for dancers in the US, Brazil, Australia, South Africa and the UK. She judges nationally and internationally for UDA College Nationals, USA Dance and the IASF/USASF Dance Worlds. Performance credits include: BARE Dance Company, RhetOracle Dance Company, the TV show Nip/Tuck, and Gladys Knight. In addition, Rochelle is the operations manager for Box-Six.com.

You can find more information about Rochelle by visiting rochellemapes.com

Steven Estudillo

Design Consultant

This is Stevens 12th year on the design team for Pulse! He has been a Visual Designer, Educator, Creative Director and Adjudicator since 2006. His designs have been represented by ensembles within Bands of America, Winter Guard International and Drum Corps International circuits.

As a performer, Steven was a member of Pacific Crest Drum and The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Steven worked with Pacific Crest as a visual instructor in 2009, then later served as the Visual Designer from 2010 – 2012. After a two-year hiatus from the ensemble, he returned as the Visual Designer and Creative Director from 2015 – 2021. Simultaneously, he was a visual instructor for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2009-2015, serving as the Visual Caption Head starting in 2011. Recently he started working at Phantom regiment as the visual designer starting in the summer of 2022.

During the winter seasons, Steven served as a Visual Designer for several other award-winning indoor percussion ensembles throughout the country, most notably including Chino Hills HS and Meraki Percussion.

Ryan Anderson

Ensemble Coordinator

This is Ryan’s 15th year on staff with Pulse. His teaching experience includes Carolina Crown, Blue Devils B, Madison Scouts from 2013-2016 and most recently with the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps from 2017-2019. He also worked with Chino Hills HS, Etiwanda HS, Los Alamitos HS and Pacifica HS.

Ryan’s performance experience includes Esperanza Drum and Bugle Corps, RCC Marching Band, Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps (section leader 07) and RCC Winter Percussion. Ryan was also a charter member of Pulse in 2005! He is a member of the Vic Firth educational team

MATT HARTWELL

Staff Coordinator & Visual Caption Head

This is Matt's 8th year on staff with Pulse. Matt has marched with Capital Regiment, The Cavaliers, and Aimachi Marching Band. Matt is a full time drill designer and teacher. He taught The Santa Clara Vanguard from 2010-2020, both Blue Devils and Bluecoats in 2021 and has been working with Phantom Regiment since 2022.

In 2010, he had the extreme honor of designing a production for His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said’s Royal Guard of Oman Marching Band. Matt spends his month of May working as the Show Director for a Drum Corps style stage show called "Mix It Up" at Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg, VA. Matt is a full-time visual designer and instructor based out of Anaheim, CA.

Zach wilson

Snare Tech

This is Zach’s 3rd year on staff with Pulse. He began his marching career with Chino Hills HS from 2014-2017. He also marched the Blue Stars 2017, Pulse Percussion 2018-2022, and Bluecoats 2018-2021. Zach is running the Townsend Jr. HS drumline program as well the as battery manager at Chino Hills HS and Gahr HS. 

Zach joined the Bluecoats Battery staff in 2022. His responsibilities at Pulse will include some snare arranging, visual detailing and teaching.

Cameron Ayers

Snare Tech

This is Cameron’s 3rd year on staff with Pulse after working with POW for two years. Cameron is a composer and educator from Ventura, CA. This is his 2nd year on staff with Pulse after working with POW for two years. He has performed with multiple WGI and DCI ensembles across California, including the Sacramento Mandarins, POW Percussion, Golden Empire Drum Corps, and Pulse Percussion. 

Cameron works with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps Battery, and writes and teaches ensembles across Southern California. He composed the program for Marching Vlogs’ “MV All Star Drumline,” which brought together members from Broken City Percussion, RCC, and Pulse Percussion to raise money for a food bank in La Puente, CA. Cameron studied music composition for media at Cal State Northridge.

Kyle Smit

Tenor Tech

This is Kyle's 4th year on staff with Pulse. Kyle graduated from Rancho Cucamonga High School in 2013 and graduated from University of La Verne in 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration. He has a Master's in Education in Inspired Teaching and Learning and Single-Subject Teaching Credential in Mathematics at National University. He is currently a high school math teacher in Hacienda Heights.

He marched the Mandarins in 2013, Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps from 2014-2016, POW 2014 and Pulse Percussion from 2015-2018. Kyle was a quad tech at POW 2019-2020, Pacific Crest 2019-2021, Blue Stars 2018, 2023-2024 and has taught multiple high schools across Southern California.

Elijah Jones

Tenor Tech

This Elijah’s 3rd year on staff with Pulse. He marched at Pacific Crest 2015, Blue Devils B 2016, Blue Stars 2017, Pulse Percussion 2018-22, & Blue Devils 2018-21. Elijah went to UCLA where he got his Bachelor of the Arts in Percussion Performance.

Elijah joined the Blue Devils Battery staff in 2022. His responsibilities at Pulse will include some tenor arranging, visual detailing and teaching.

Chris luther

Tenor Tech

This is Chris’s 2nd year on staff with Pulse. Chris previously marched with Pulse Percussion, POW Percussion, the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps. He also taught POW Percussion, as well as numerous other high schools. Chris attended California State University of Long Beach and received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Communications . 

He attended ATP Flight School and obtained his Commercial Multi-Engine and Single Engine Certificates as well as his Certified Flight Instructor Multi-Engine, Single Engine, Instrument Instructor, Gold Seal, Advanced, and Instrument Ground Instructor Certificates. He worked at SkyWest Airlines, obtaining his ATP Certificate flying The CRJ 200/700/900 and flying to Aspen and Eagle, CO. Chris then went on to work for JetBlue Airlines, flying the Airbus A-320/321/321LR to London-Heathrow, London-Gatwick, Paris, and Amsterdam.

Chris currently works at Delta Air Lines and lives in Long Beach, CA with his beautiful wife Alexis.

Jacob Wetzel

Bass Drum TechThis is Jacobs 2nd year on staff with Pulse. He marched with Impulse in 2017, Odyssey Indoor in 2018, Vanguard Cadets in 2018, the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2022, and performed in Pulse from 2019 to 2023. Jacob received his Bachelor’s in Music Education from Cal State Fullerton. He currently teaches at Chino Hills HS and Townsend MS, and is also a bass technician for the Phantom Regiment, going into his third summer with that ensemble. Jacob also arranges wind, front ensemble and battery music for a variety of schools in Southern California.

His responsibilities at Pulse will include arranging, visual detailing and teaching for the bass drum section.

Timmy Moriarty

Bass Drum Tech

This is Timmy’s 2nd year teaching Pulse after 3 years working with POW. He graduated from Chino Hills high in 2015. His marching experience includes POW Percussion 2016 & 2017, Mandarins 2017 & 2018, and Pulse Percussion 2018 & 2019. His teaching experience includes Chino Hills High School from 2017 - present.

Alfredo Scott

Cymbal Tech

This is Alfredo’s 3rd year on staff with Pulse. Alfredo’s performance experience includes Vanguard Cadets 2018, Dark Sky Percussion 2019, and Pulse Percussion 2020-2022. He has been around the Pulse Organization since 2016 and is looking forward to becoming part of the staff. 

He is currently finishing his Bachelors Degree in Kinesiology at Cal Poly Pomona. He plans to further his education afterwards and obtain certifications in Personal Training and Strength and Conditioning.

Christian Ogata

Cymbal Tech

This is Christians 2nd year on staff with Pulse. He started playing cymbals during his senior year at Chino Hills HS in 2016 before marching POW 17/18, and Pulse in 2019. He would’ve aged out in 2021 but stopped marching to pursue his current career 👮🏻‍♂️

Throughout the years, he’s held clinics at various DCI/WGI ensembles and has taught multiple high schools in the area that include: Alta Loma, Colony, Etiwanda and Chino Hills HS.

He currently teaches Chino Hills HS and lives with his girlfriend (Pulse alumni)- Savannah. They have a cat named Juice.

Trent Gronewold

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Trent’s 4th year on staff with Pulse and 3rd year arranging for POW. He is a full time percussion arranger and educator from Southern California. He is currently studying Music Composition for Film and TV at Berklee College of Music. He is the Front Ensemble Arranger for POW Percussion, and Front Ensemble Caption Head at Chino Hills High School. Trent ran and designed for the percussion program at Gahr High School from 2017-2024. He has also been on staff at Pulse Percussion since 2022. Previously, he was the Front Ensemble Arranger for Pacific Crest (2023-2024), and Gold Drum and Bugle Corps (2021-2022). 

Since 2016, Trent has been working behind the scenes for music publishing company Box Six, assisting with front ensemble arranging. In 2020, he began writing and publishing indoor percussion shows with John Mapes. He also has his music published on Front2Back music and Standing O Marching.

His marching experience includes the Santa Clara Vanguard (2018), Pulse Percussion (2016-2020), and Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps (2015-2016). Trent is also a member of the Vic Firth and Zildjian Educational Team.

Frankie Rice

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Frankie’s 4th year on staff with Pulse. He is a music educator and designer based out of Rancho Cucamonga, California. His performance experience in the marching activity includes The Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps, The Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps, POW Percussion, and Pulse Percussion from 2017-2020.

Frankie graduated with a degree in Percussion Performance at Cal State University Long Beach and is a member of the Vic Firth education team. He works works with multiple high school programs and was the Front Ensemble Coordinator for the Gold Drum & Bugle Corps from 2021-2022 and the Arranger from 2023-2024.

zack whittier

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Zach’s 1st year on staff with Pulse. Zack is the lead audio engineer at The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps and Flux Indoor Percussion. Previously, he served as the front ensemble caption head at Breakthrough Indoor Percussion, percussion and visual staff at Northern Arizona University, and held a myriad of teaching and directorial roles at several Arizona high schools. As a performer, Zack is proud to have been a member of the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, University of Arizona “Pride of Arizona” marching band, and Pulse Indoor Percussion.

jesse myers

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Jesse’s 1st year on staff with Pulse. Jesse is a Los Angeles-based composer, sound designer, and recording drum set artist providing wide-ranging audio services for video games and related digital media. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music Degrees in Jazz Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of North Texas.

While at UMass, Jesse was a snare drummer from 2010-2013 in the UMass Marching Band under the guidance of Thom Hannum and Colin McNutt. In 2013, Jesse further continued his marching career as a snare drummer for Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps.

While at UNT, Jesse continued to serve as an educator through the DFW area, including private lessons for Burleson Centennial High School in 2016 and Frisco ISD from 2017-2019. He also served as an instructor and counselor for UNT’s Marching Percussion Camp in the summer of 2018.

Currently, Jesse resides in Culver City providing audio direction and composition for a slate of upcoming indie game titles and providing remote services in collaboration with other artists.

Tiwalade Ademorijimi

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Tiwalade’s 1st year on staff with Pulse. Primarily a mallet percussionist, Tiwa has music performance experience with the Sacramento Mandarins (2x), Vessel Indoor Percussion, the Boston Crusaders, and Broken City Percussion (2x). Tiwalade is currently a Front Ensemble instructor at Temescal Canyon HS in Lake Elsinore and Arlington HS in Riverside. He is in his fourth and second year at these institutions, respectively.

While striving towards his Bachelor's in English at the University of California, Irvine, Tiwa maintains his passion for teaching the percussive arts.

hallie park

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Hallie’s 1st year on staff with Pulse. Hallie was a synth player with Pulse from 2022-2024, a member of the the Pacific Crest audio team on 2024 and has taught at Woodbridge High School since 2022. Apart from her musical career, Hallie is a recent graduate from the University of California, Irvine, obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering with a specialization in Biomolecular Engineering.

SAMANTHA DOBSON

Visual Staff

This is Sammie’s 7th year on staff with Pulse. She currently resides in Long Beach, CA where she is actively pursuing degrees in Dance and Kineseology. She's a full time dance teacher, color guard director, visual instructor and choreographer. 

She has been the Dance and Guard director at Redondo Union High School for 4 years. She also actively designs and choreographs nationally for groups including State Champs Gibson County HS in TN. Previous teaching experience consists of movement designer and visual instruction for the Spirit of Atlanta, Assistant color guard caption head at Pacific Crest, Director of Choctawhatchee World Guard, and choreographer/technician for O2 Independent World.

Sammie's WGI performance experience consists of five years with the O foundation in Dayton, OH. She began in 2010 with Open Class Champions O2 and then spent '11-'14 with Onyx World to earn two World Championship titles. Sammie spent the five summers of '08-'12 performing with the Teal Sound Drum & Bugle Corps where she served as color guard captain for her final three years. Sammie aged out in '12 with the Colts Drum & Bugle Corps.

In her free time she enjoys spending time with her cats Stella and Mr. Moo.

Noah Weule

Visual Staff

This is Noah’s 4th year on staff with Pulse. He has been teaching in Southern California since 2018 and runs the Visual Programs at Chino Hills and Arcadia High Schools. He is currently a full time designer and consultant for many groups across California. Noah spent 4 years performing with the Santa Clara Vanguard and marched in the Visual ensemble for Pulse Percussion in 2019. He has also spent the last two summers teaching visual at The Phantom Regiment.

Justin Samuels

Visual Staff

This is Justin’s 3rd year on staff with Pulse. Justin is a full time visual designer and educator. He has worked with The Bluecoats since 2022. Justin also worked with The Cadets in 2021.

During the fall Justin currently works with Marcus High School TX, Wakeland High School TX, Braswell High School TX, and Keller Central High School TX, as well as having taught, and consulted for others nationally.

Justin has had the pleasure to have created productions for award-winning programs in the WGI winds activity such as STRYKE Wynds, and Flanagan Winds. In March 2017 Justin had the honor to stage and choreograph a winds and drumline 360 stage performance for the Veuve Clicquot Carnaval in Miami FL.

He currently splits the year between Frisco Texas and Long Beach California