JOHN MAPES

Program Coordinator, Battery and Visual Design

This is John’s 19th 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 19th 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 5th 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 16th 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

Nicklous Chau

Visual Ensemble Coordinator

Nick Chau is a visual coach & choreographer based in the Inland Empire. Since 2018, he has taught various high schools & independent programs within SoCal and currently teaches at Rancho Cucamonga HS, & Pulse Percussion. His performance experience includes Gold Drum & Bugle Corps (‘17), Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps (‘18), & Pulse Percussion (‘19-‘22).

Nick is also an avid student for dance; practicing through freestyle/improv & choreography in styles of hip-hop, house, krump & contemporary fusion. He is currently on the Voyage’s Training Division: Oasis, based in Orange and also trains at various studios such as LMNL Space, Movement Lifestyle, and RuTs. Through the artform, he has had the pleasure to learn from and exchange with many dancers & artists through out the community worldwide.

Nick is also one of the founders for SoCal MVT, which is a dance/movement-intensive workshop to help bring training & connection to the marching arts community.

Steven Estudillo

Design Consultant

This is Stevens 14th 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.

CONNOR YASUDA

Ensemble & Staff Coordinator

This is Connor’s 10th year on staff with Pulse. Connor previously marched with Pulse Percussion, POW percussion, Mandarins, Blue Stars, and the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. His teaching experience includes Blue Stars from 2016-2018, Bluecoats from 2019-2024, and has recently served as Percussion Caption Head for the Mandarins in 2025. 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 2nd 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

Co Front Ensemble Coordinator

This is Trent’s 6th year on staff with Pulse and 4th year arranging for POW. Trent is a full-time percussion arranger and educator from Southern California, currently studying Music Composition for Film, TV, and Video Games at Berklee College of Music. He serves as Front Ensemble Caption Head at Pulse Percussion and Chino Hills High School. Trent is also the Front Ensemble Arranger/Sound Designer for POW Percussion, Thesis Indoor, and Civitas Independent.

Since 2016, Trent has assisted with front ensemble arranging for music publisher Box Six. In 2020, he began writing and publishing shows with John Mapes. From 2017–2024, he ran and designed for the percussion program at Gahr High School. His previous front ensemble arranging and sound design credits include Mandarins (2025), Pacific Crest (2023–2024), and Gold Drum and Bugle Corps (2021–2022).

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

jesse myers

Co Front Ensemble Coordinator

This is Jesse’s 3rd 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.

Justin Samuels

Visual Caption Head

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

Zach wilson

Snare Tech

This is Zach’s 5th 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 2nd 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.

Sebastian Martinez

Snare Tech

Sebastian is an active performer, educator, and arranger for many programs around the country. Originally from Petal, Mississippi, he now resides in Southern California, and is currently a battery instructor at Gahr HS, Cypress HS, and the Mandarins.

Sebastian's performing experience includes the Bluecoats (2019-2023), Pulse Percussion (2022, 2024), and Monarch Independent (2020). He also received his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from Mississippi State University, and he is also a proud endorser of Vic Firth and Zildjian.

Gabriel Michels

Tenor Tech

Gabriel is a musician and composer living in Fullerton CA. Having received his degree in music by studying composition at UCSD, he currently writes and teaches percussion for various high schools while also pursuing his own independent musical projects. Gabriel performed with multiple groups including Pacific Crest, The Blue Devils, POW Percussion, and Pulse Percussion. He also has experience teaching with independent ensembles including Élan Percussion and Dark Sky Percussion for the 2024 indoor percussion season, and Blue Devils B for the 2024 drum corps season.

Kris Eastmead

Tenor Tech

This is Kris’s 2nd year on staff with Pulse. He 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).

As an educator, Kris has worked with several high school programs across Southern California. Most recently, he served as the Battery Coordinator at Alta Loma High School and as a Quad Technician at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. He has also worked with both Pacific Crest and The Blue Devils B Drum Corps. He has also worked with schools in both California and Arizona as a visual designer for indoor percussion high school programs.

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

Sean Knuth

Tenor Tech

Bio info coming soon

Jacob Wetzel

Bass Drum Tech

This is Jacobs 4th 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 4th 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 5th 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 2nd 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 6th 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 3rd 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.

Tiwalade Ademorijimi

Front Ensemble Staff

This is Tiwalade’s 3rd 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 2nd 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 2nd 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.

Trevor Stojanovich

Visual Staff

This is Trevor’s first year on staff with Pulse. Trevor is a full time visual designer and choreographer born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prior to his design career, Trevor was a band director at Silverado HS in Las Vegas, Nevada as well as Manor HS in Manor, Texas. Trevor earned his Bachelor's in Music Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

As a performer, Trevor has performed with Gold, The Academy, Vegas Vanguard, The Blue Devils, and Vessel Indoor Percussion. As a visual educator, Trevor has been on staff with Foothill HS (NV), Sacramento Mandarins, Gold, sage V Percussion, Pacific Crest, Rhythmic Force Percussion, Vandegrift HS, and POW Percussion. Trevor is currently the Visual Caption Head at the Blue Knights and has served in that role since the 2024 DCI season. As a designer, Trevor has had the honor to design for the Far Eastern University Drumline (Manila, PH), the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps, and the 2026 DCI All Age Silver Medalists and Fan Favorite award winning Hawthorne Caballeros.

TBA

Visual Staff

Bio info coming soon

Allison Cautin

Vis Ensemble Staff

This is Allison’s first year on staff with Pulse. She is a passionate choreographer and visual educator from Hacienda Heights, CA. She officially began her independent marching career in 2022 and has since been a part of programs such as Meraki, Vessel DBC, Dark Sky, and RCC Indoor Percussion. While pursuing her marching career, she remained an accomplished dancer, performing at world-renowned dance festivals and competitions like World of Dance and International Dance League. Her repertoire includes styles such as contemporary, jazz, hip hop, Latin ballroom, and more.

In 2025, Allison earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from the University of California, Irvine. She has taught at multiple band programs across Southern California, including Ayala High School, Cypress High School, Glen A. Wilson High School, Gold Drum & Bugle Corps, Meraki Percussion, and Pulse Percussion. Alongside her teaching work, she remains an active performer, dancing with various contemporary and hip hop companies throughout Southern California.

Allison is one of the cofounders of SoCal MVT. She is honored to share her passion for movement and community with the Marching Arts.