JOHN MAPES

Program Coordinator, Battery and Visual Designer

This is John’s 18th 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 45 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 joined the design team at The Mandarins in the summer of 2025 as the battery arranger. His previous drum corps experience includes the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps 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 18th 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 4th year on staff with Pulse and 7th 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 15th 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 13th 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.

MATT HARTWELL

Staff Coordinator & Visual Caption Head

This is Matt's 9th 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.

CONNOR YASUDA

Ensemble Coordinator

This is Connor’s 9th year on staff with Pulse. Connor previously marched with Pulse Percussion, POW percussion, Mandarins, Blue Stars, and the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. He has also been on staff at the Bluecoats as the snare tech since 2019. Connor attended California State University of Long Beach and received his Bachelor’s degree in Film & Electronic Arts. He currently works as a Freelance Videographer and Digital Artist based out of Cypress, CA.

Nathan Carroll

Ensemble Coordinator

This is Nate’s 1st year on staff with Pulse. He graduated from Chino Hills HS in 2014 and began his teaching career straight out of high school. He was a member of Pulse Percussion from 2015 to 2018, leading the group in 2017 and 2018. He has taught multiple award-winning WGI Scholastic and Junior Class ensembles across Southern California, including Townsend JHS, and Chino Hills HS. Currently, Nate runs the percussion program at Walnut HS.

Nate continues to develop his teaching experience and philosophy across all experience levels and has grown a passion for youth education since aging out of the activity in 2018.

Nate has served as a consultant for WGI World Class Finalist, POW Percussion, serving as Battery Coordinator in 2019. After taking a hiatus, he took on the roles of Ensemble Coordinator and eventually Program Coordinator for Élan Percussion from 2023-2025. Nate also served as Percussion Co-Caption Head at Pacific Crest in 2019. Other DCI teaching experience includes Gold Drum & Bugle Corps in 2018; Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps in 2017, and 2024; Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps in 2024. Nate is a member of the Vic Firth Educational team and lives in Chino Hills, CA.

Trent Gronewold

Front Ensemble Coordinator

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.

Zach wilson

Snare Tech

This is Zach’s 4th 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 include some snare arranging, visual detailing and teaching.

Lucas Bollenbecker

Snare Tech

This is Lucas’s 1st year on staff with Pulse. He is a percussion performer and educator based in Southern California. He has been involved in the marching arts since 2018, performing and teaching with several independent groups.

Lucas’s performance experience in DCI includes Gold, Pacific Crest, and Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. In WGI, his performance experience includes Gold Indoor and Pulse Percussion. Throughout his time performing, he has accumulated 3 WGI Gold Medals, 2 DCI Silver Medals, and a Fred Sanford Award. As an instructor, Lucas worked at Palisades Charter High School as a Battery Coordinator from 2023-2024, and was a snare technician at Music City Drum and Bugle Corps in 2024. Currently, he is the percussion caption head at Alta Loma High School and a snare technician at the Mandarins.

Lucas attended the University of California, Los Angeles, and received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a concentration in Percussion Performance.

Kyle Smit

Tenor Tech

This is Kyle's 5th 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.

Kris Eastmead

Tenor Tech

This is Kris’s 1st year on staff with Pulse. A graduate of Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego, CA, Kris relocated to Orange County to pursue a career in music education. He is currently a performer and educator based in Chino Hills, CA.

Kris spent the majority of his marching career with Pulse Percussion from 2022 to 2025, earning three WGI Gold Medals. His other performance experience includes Gold Drum & Bugle Corps (2019), POW Percussion (2020), and The Blue Devils (2024), where he earned a DCI Bronze Medal.

As an educator, Kris has worked with several high school programs across Southern California. Most recently, he serves as the Battery Coordinator at Alta Loma High School and as a Quad Technician at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. In the 2025 DCI season, he was also a Quad Technician for Pacific Crest and Blue Devils B.

Kris is proud to be a member of the Vic Firth Educational Team, where he continues to share his passion for percussion education.

Jacob Wetzel

Bass Drum Tech

This is Jacobs 3rd 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 include arranging, visual detailing and teaching for the bass drum section.

Timmy Moriarty

Bass Drum Tech

This is Timmy’s 3rd 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.

Joseph Martinez

Bass Drum Dad

Alfredo Scott

Cymbal Tech

This is Alfredo’s 4th 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.

Albert Avelar Jr.

Cymbal Tech

This is Albert’s 1st year on Pulse after 4 years teaching POW. His marching experience began at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, CA where he played tenors. His cymbal career did not begin until his sophomore year of college, when he marched with POW Percussion in 2015. Albert then returned as section leader of the POW cymbal line in 2016 and marched his first year of drum corps at Impulse. He went on to perform with Pulse Percussion in 2017, then continued his drum corps career at the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets. In 2018 Albert was asked to be the section leader of the Pulse cymbal line, where he aged out.

Throughout his instructional career, Albert has served as clinician and instructor for many groups in Southern California. He has worked with the music programs at Crescenta Valley HS, San Marino HS, El Rancho HS, Gahr HS, Gold Indoor Percussion, Gold Drum & Bugle Corps, Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps, and The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps. His background of indoor and outdoor percussion make Albert the ideal instructor for any group. Albert’s unique insight into the cymbal community is something he enjoys being able to share with POW Percussion.

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 2nd 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 2nd 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 2nd year on staff with Pulse. Primarily a mallet percussionist, Tiwa has music performance experience with Etiwanda HS, the Sacramento Mandarins (2x), Vessel Indoor Percussion, the Boston Crusaders, and Broken City Percussion (2x). Tiwa is currently Front Ensemble Manager & Tech at Upland and Arlington HS, located in the Inland Empire. This is his first and third year at these institutions, respectively. Additional experience in music instruction includes the Sacramento Mandarins 2025 season of DCI.

Following the completion of his B.A. in English at the University of California, Irvine, Tiwa maintains his passion for teaching the percussive arts and involvement in multiple creative endeavors beyond music performance.

Matt Tashima

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Matt’s first year on staff with Pulse. Matt is a freelance percussion performer and educator based in the Inland Empire. He graduated from the University of Redlands in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in percussion performance, and plans to pursue higher education in the same field. Matt performed with Pulse Percussion in 2024 and 2025. Also in 2025, he performed at the international marimba solo competition, Marimbafest Australia, and won 1st prize. Matt currently teaches percussion at Eleanor Roosevelt High School and Chino Hills High School.

Dante Hernandez

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Dante’s 1st year on staff with Pulse. Dante is a marching percussion arranger and educator based in San Diego, CA. Dante has performed with many ensembles based in Southern California including Incognito Winter Drumline (2019), Gold Drum & Bugle Corps (2019), Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps (2020-2022), and Pulse Percussion (2022-2024). He has teaching experience at both Pacific Crest and Gold Drum & Bugle Corps as well as a variety of schools in the Southern California area and served as the front ensemble caption head at Gahr High School from 2024-2025.

SAMANTHA DOBSON

Visual Staff

This is Sammie’s 8th 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 5th 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.

Chris Cowling

Visual Staff

Bio info coming soon