Peter Connell - Corps Director
Peter is an active performer, composer, and clinician throughout the United States. He has written music for over 50 high school and university bands spanning 10 states. In addition, he composes music for the Disneyland Resort, Sea World, and Epic Games: Fortnite.
Some of his early performing hallmarks (before entering the LA Music industry) included: The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, Disney Collegiate All-Star Band, and the production BLAST II: Shockwave. Currently he is the leader of the world famous Disneyland Band, a position that he has held since 2015.
Peter is honored to hold the position of Corps Director for Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps, a role he has been in since 2022.
Peter is an active performer, composer, and clinician throughout the United States. He has written music for over 50 high school and university bands spanning 10 states. In addition, he composes music for the Disneyland Resort, Sea World, and Epic Games: Fortnite.
Some of his early performing hallmarks (before entering the LA Music industry) included: The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, Disney Collegiate All-Star Band, and the production BLAST II: Shockwave. Currently he is the leader of the world famous Disneyland Band, a position that he has held since 2015.
Peter is honored to hold the position of Corps Director for Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps, a role he has been in since 2022.
Joshua Williams - Assistant Corps Director
Joshua is an educator based in Southern California. He has performed with various groups such as the USC Trojan Marching Band, Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Band, to name a few. Joshua is currently the Band Director for St. Paul High School and a head instructor for Bassett High School's Marching Band. He specializes in brass and visual performance. His career spans 30 years with a focus on tuba, trombone, and electric bass guitar. Joshua credits his mentors and colleagues for making him the educator he is today. |
Scott Suyama - Assistant Corps Director
Scott Suyama is the band director at Gardena High School (2007–present). Scott has been on staff with the USC Drumline (2003–2013), Impulse DBC (admin, FE Caption Head 2022–present), and OCI (admin 2023–present). He has performed at Disneyland parades (snare 1999, 2000) and the All American College Band (jazz perc, quads 2002). He has marched with Scarlet Regiment TAYB (quads, snare 1993-1995), Velvet Knights DBC (alto horn 1996, quads 1997), Impulse DBC (mellophone 1999), and Kingsmen Indoor Drumline (quads 1999). Scott Suyama has a Bachelors of Music in Concert Percussion and Music Education from the University of Southern California. |
Sarah Connell grew up in Iowa City, Iowa studying cello, piano, and voice from several music teachers, including those at the Preucil School of Music, City High School, The University of Iowa, and others. She has had the opportunity to perform at The Midwest Clinic, tour and perform throughout Europe, and be a part of winning a Grammy Award.
Sarah studied under Anthony Arnone and Amos Yang (Associate Principal Cellist of the San Francisco Symphony). She also had the privilege of studying chamber music with The Maia String Quartet. Sarah ultimately graduated with honors and distinction from the University of Iowa, with degrees in Cello Performance, Music Education--String Emphasis, and a minor in Spanish after also studying at The University of Seville in Spain. She was also awarded membership into The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest and most prestigious honor society in the United States. She also earned her Masters of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of Oklahoma.
Sarah has been teaching for over 20 years at Valley Christian Schools (VCS) where she teaches 5th to 12th-grade orchestras, individual lessons, and chamber string ensembles. She challenges her students with concerts all over SoCal along with taking her students to hear and work with world-class professionals, including John Williams at The Hollywood Bowl, The Long Beach Symphony, The Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, The Orchid Quartet, The San Francisco Symphony and more. Her orchestras have toured and performed in Europe.
She and her husband Peter have three children, all in the orchestra program at VCS. Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and church family at Bethany Christian Reformed Church where she serves on the worship team and as a deacon. Sarah is grateful for and excited about the continued growth and flourishing of the orchestra program at Valley Christian Schools. Sarah is excited for her role as Tour director for the 2025 Impulse DBC season
Sarah studied under Anthony Arnone and Amos Yang (Associate Principal Cellist of the San Francisco Symphony). She also had the privilege of studying chamber music with The Maia String Quartet. Sarah ultimately graduated with honors and distinction from the University of Iowa, with degrees in Cello Performance, Music Education--String Emphasis, and a minor in Spanish after also studying at The University of Seville in Spain. She was also awarded membership into The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest and most prestigious honor society in the United States. She also earned her Masters of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of Oklahoma.
Sarah has been teaching for over 20 years at Valley Christian Schools (VCS) where she teaches 5th to 12th-grade orchestras, individual lessons, and chamber string ensembles. She challenges her students with concerts all over SoCal along with taking her students to hear and work with world-class professionals, including John Williams at The Hollywood Bowl, The Long Beach Symphony, The Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, The Orchid Quartet, The San Francisco Symphony and more. Her orchestras have toured and performed in Europe.
She and her husband Peter have three children, all in the orchestra program at VCS. Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and church family at Bethany Christian Reformed Church where she serves on the worship team and as a deacon. Sarah is grateful for and excited about the continued growth and flourishing of the orchestra program at Valley Christian Schools. Sarah is excited for her role as Tour director for the 2025 Impulse DBC season
IMPULSE Staff
The IMPULSE staff is dedicated to the education and growth of each member. The staff is made up of educators and professionals who provide the foundation for the success of the corps. Consisting of credentialed teachers, professional musicians, arrangers, designers, choreographers, and consultants, the staff delivers the knowledge necessary to facilitate the member’s success. They understand the Drum and Bugle Corps activity as most of the staff have had very successful careers as performers and instructors. With a number of DCI World Champions and Finalists from some of the most prestigious drum corps in America on staff, they bring their vast experience to the corps. It is this diversity that allows for the staff to collaborate and produce the overall education program and growth of the members.
2025 Battery Staff
Timothy Lee is a percussion artist, educator, and designer based in Glendale, California. Timothy's marching experience includes Impulse DBC (2015-2016), Oregon Crusaders DBC (2018), Vessel Percussion (2016-2018), and Broken City Percussion (2019). He is also a proud recipient of the SCPA Battery Composition Scholarship (2019).
Timothy serves as the Battery Co-Caption Head and Battery Arranger for Impulse DBC. He also serves as a Tenor Technician for OCI Percussion. Other schools and programs he has worked at include John Burroughs HS, Etiwanda HS, Arcadia HS, Valley Christian HS, Instinct Percussion, Vessel Percussion, and Impulse Indoor Percussion.
A new addition to the Impulse battery staff, Matthew Uhrich will be instructing the 2025 snareline. Matt's goal is to inspire the next generation of performers to achieve excellence with their skills.
Succeeding his time at the Blue Devils and RCC Indoor, he has dedicated himself to upholding and innovating on the culture of the snare medium.
Succeeding his time at the Blue Devils and RCC Indoor, he has dedicated himself to upholding and innovating on the culture of the snare medium.
Sean Kohler is a snare drummer from Southern California. He has marched in several different independent groups such as Impulse, Blue Stars, and POW Percussion. Sean has been teaching snare drum at various groups since 2019.
His goal is to help provide as positive an experience for the members as his own educators provided for him when he marched Impulse.
You can find Demetri McLean teaching percussion at Pasadena City College. He has been instructing Impulse since 2022 and also can be found teaching numerous high schools across Southern California.
Demetri will continue to spread the love and passion for the arts and hopes to inspire the next generation of talented musicians.
Tiffany Tran:
Tiffany is a bass instructor from Orange County, CA. Her marching experience includes Golden Empire DBC (2018), POW Percussion (2019-2020), Pacific Crest (2020), RCC (2022), and aged out at Carolina Crown (2022). During her marching career, Tiffany also taught at Pacifica HS from 2018-2021. She is currently a bass technician at Elan Percussion.
Outside of the marching activity, Tiffany has her Bachelor’s in Computer Science with a concentration on data science and big data from California State University of Fullerton. She is currently a SQL developer and is also an actress focusing on musical theatre.
Sam Figueroa is an educator based mid town Los Angeles. Sam's past roles as an instructor has been with Los Angeles High School, South Pasadena High School and Paloma Valley High School. He is currently working with South Torrance High School and Élan percussion.
His marching experience includes Gold indoor (2019), Gold Drum Corps (2019), Meraki percussion (2020), and Dark Sky (2022).
Victor Pereira is a technician for the Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps 2025 Quadline. Born and raised in Brazil, Victor moved to the United States at a young age where he discovered his passion for the marching arts.
His extensive experience includes performing with Impulse Indoor '23, Impulse DBC '23, Dark Sky '24, and Dark Sky '25. After years of performing, Victor is excited to transition into teaching and sharing his knowledge with the next generation of performers.
Elias Villalobos is a bass drum technician at Impulse Drum and Bugle corps and has been since 2022. Elias has teaching experience with various middle schools and high schools in the Southern California area.
His marching experience includes Vessel percussion, Vessel Drum and Bugle Corps, Elan Percussion, and the RCC Marching Tigers. He is currently performing with Sidle Entertainment.
Kaleb Roney is a Percussion designer, composer, and educator from Temecula, CA. He graduated from Chaparral High School in 2018 and began his marching career.
His marching experience includes: Vessel DBC 2018, Élan Percussion 2019, RCC Fall 2019-2022, POW Percussion 2020, Dark Sky 2021, RCC 2022-2023.
Kaleb spends his time nowadays writing music as well as teaching high school, middle school, and independent Drumlines. He also performs with the LA Chargers, LA Kings, and many more professional drumming endeavors with Sidle Entertainment.
2025 Visual Staff
Gerardo "Tito" Estrada - Visual Caption Head
Gerardo Estrada, better known as "Tito", is a Mexican-American visual instructor, drill designer, and announcer based in Phoenix, AZ. Born and raised in Las Vegas, he found his passion in marching band, learning tuba to audition for The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps. From 2015 to 2018, he marched with The Academy, helping the corps make history with their first-ever DCI Finals appearance in 2016. He later joined NAU’s Lumberjack Marching Band, serving as Drum Major in 2018, where he played a key role in shaping the visual program.
Since 2015, Tito has dedicated himself to developing performers, working with schools around Las Vegas before serving as Visual Caption Head at Silverado High School in 2019. He was also part of the inaugural seasons of Sage V Indoor Percussion and Phenom Drum & Bugle Corps in 2020 before the pandemic cut their seasons short. After relocating to Phoenix in 2022, Tito expanded into drill writing while continuing to teach. While he’s worked with schools like Sandra Day O’Connor and Corona Del Sol, his heart is with Tempe High, where he pours his energy into designing, coordinating staff, and inspiring students—proving that passion and perseverance matter more than financial barriers.
Tito has also worked with independent ensembles such as Breakthrough Indoor Percussion (2023) and The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps (2022 - 2025). Currently, he serves as The Visual Caption Head for Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps (2024–2025). Passionate about shaping the next generation of performers, he is excited to bring his experience and energy to Impulse and build on the success from the 2024 season! Beyond his work as an instructor and designer, Tito is also an announcer and T&P judge for the WGASC and WGAZ competition circuits in Southern California and Arizona.
Gerardo Estrada, better known as "Tito", is a Mexican-American visual instructor, drill designer, and announcer based in Phoenix, AZ. Born and raised in Las Vegas, he found his passion in marching band, learning tuba to audition for The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps. From 2015 to 2018, he marched with The Academy, helping the corps make history with their first-ever DCI Finals appearance in 2016. He later joined NAU’s Lumberjack Marching Band, serving as Drum Major in 2018, where he played a key role in shaping the visual program.
Since 2015, Tito has dedicated himself to developing performers, working with schools around Las Vegas before serving as Visual Caption Head at Silverado High School in 2019. He was also part of the inaugural seasons of Sage V Indoor Percussion and Phenom Drum & Bugle Corps in 2020 before the pandemic cut their seasons short. After relocating to Phoenix in 2022, Tito expanded into drill writing while continuing to teach. While he’s worked with schools like Sandra Day O’Connor and Corona Del Sol, his heart is with Tempe High, where he pours his energy into designing, coordinating staff, and inspiring students—proving that passion and perseverance matter more than financial barriers.
Tito has also worked with independent ensembles such as Breakthrough Indoor Percussion (2023) and The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps (2022 - 2025). Currently, he serves as The Visual Caption Head for Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps (2024–2025). Passionate about shaping the next generation of performers, he is excited to bring his experience and energy to Impulse and build on the success from the 2024 season! Beyond his work as an instructor and designer, Tito is also an announcer and T&P judge for the WGASC and WGAZ competition circuits in Southern California and Arizona.
Houston Morgan is a dedicated visual educator with a strong background in the marching arts. A former member of The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2015 to 2019, he has since worked with numerous ensembles as a technician, choreographer, and movement specialist. His experience includes teaching with Flux Indoor Drumline as well as various high school programs across Arizona and California. With a deep understanding of ballet and dance pedagogy, Houston brings a unique perspective to visual performance, emphasizing not only precision and technique but also artistry and expression.
Beyond his work in the pageantry arts, Houston is passionate about physical fitness and endurance training. As a marathon runner, he incorporates principles of strength, mobility, and conditioning into his teaching, helping performers build the stamina and confidence needed to excel on the field. He is excited to bring his expertise to Impulse, inspiring performers to achieve their full potential through a balance of athleticism and artistry.
Melvin Parada’s marching career started when playing trombone at Kaiser High School followed by the RCC Marching Tigers in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Melvin marched euphonium for Vessel Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019 and aged out with The Academy in 2022.
His teaching career began in 2021 as a Visual Instructor at Orange Vista High School, where he currently continues to teach. He is currently attending California Baptist University as a music education major with the long term goal of becoming a band director.
This is Melvin’s second year with Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps. He is excited to see the achievements the students make!
His teaching career began in 2021 as a Visual Instructor at Orange Vista High School, where he currently continues to teach. He is currently attending California Baptist University as a music education major with the long term goal of becoming a band director.
This is Melvin’s second year with Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps. He is excited to see the achievements the students make!
2025 brass Staff
Troy Sargent is a Disneyland musician, freelance trumpet player and music educator located in Orange Country, California. As an educator, Troy serves as a Brass Caption-Head at various schools in the Greater Los Angeles Area and maintains an active private lesson studio. Troy especially enjoys teaching students at the High School level and has helped his students nurture a lifelong passion for music. As a performer, Troy currently serves as a member of the Disneyland Band and as the Co-Principal Trumpet of Synesthesia Sinfonietta. He has previously served as the Second Trumpet of the American Youth Symphony.
Troy completed his Masters in Trumpet Performance at the University of Southern California under the instruction of Thomas Hooten and Jennifer Marotta. Prior to this, he completed a Bachelors in Trumpet Performance from California State University, Fullerton where he studied with Barry Perkins and Malcolm McNab. When not playing trumpet Troy enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, solving puzzles, hiking, and writing autobiographical information in the third person.
Troy completed his Masters in Trumpet Performance at the University of Southern California under the instruction of Thomas Hooten and Jennifer Marotta. Prior to this, he completed a Bachelors in Trumpet Performance from California State University, Fullerton where he studied with Barry Perkins and Malcolm McNab. When not playing trumpet Troy enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, solving puzzles, hiking, and writing autobiographical information in the third person.
In addition to being an assistant director for Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps, Josh Williams spends his time teaching St. Paul High school music. As a freelance musician, Josh can be seen behind the tuba performing with various ensembles in the Los Angeles area.
Josh's responsibilities include extensive coordination of the Impulse brass staff to provide both ensemble and individual students' progress in their instrument skills along with musicianship and showmanship.
Justin M. Mitnik is a freelance musician, educator, and arranger with extensive experience in performance and teaching. Originally from Boston, MA, he holds a Bachelor of Music from UMass, a Master of Music in Music Education from Boston University, and an MBA from UMass Global.
Justin has toured internationally as a featured soloist in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production Blast!, as well as Shockwave, CyberJam, and Music in eXtreme: Japan Tour.
He is an active performer with the Disneyland Band, SeaWorld’s Christmastown Horns, the Legoland Band, and has played with the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Wind Symphony, and Salisbury Symphony Orchestra.
His drum corps experience began as a soloist with the Spartans (Nashua, NH) and Crossmen (DCI) before transitioning into a teaching role. Over 15 years, he has held various instructional positions, including Brass Caption Head with the Connecticut Hurricanes (DCA).
Beyond performing, Justin is a dedicated educator, teaching trombone & euphonium at Santa Ana College and working with marching bands, jazz ensembles, and consulting with many different music ensembles of all levels. He is also an accomplished music arranger and drill writer, coaching private students throughout Southern California.
Justin has toured internationally as a featured soloist in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production Blast!, as well as Shockwave, CyberJam, and Music in eXtreme: Japan Tour.
He is an active performer with the Disneyland Band, SeaWorld’s Christmastown Horns, the Legoland Band, and has played with the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Wind Symphony, and Salisbury Symphony Orchestra.
His drum corps experience began as a soloist with the Spartans (Nashua, NH) and Crossmen (DCI) before transitioning into a teaching role. Over 15 years, he has held various instructional positions, including Brass Caption Head with the Connecticut Hurricanes (DCA).
Beyond performing, Justin is a dedicated educator, teaching trombone & euphonium at Santa Ana College and working with marching bands, jazz ensembles, and consulting with many different music ensembles of all levels. He is also an accomplished music arranger and drill writer, coaching private students throughout Southern California.
Preston Shepard is an active free-lance hornist in the Los Angeles area. A student of Joseph Meyer, he studied at Cal State University Northridge and Azusa Pacific University.
Preston has performed with Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Long Beach Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, San Bernardino Symphony, New West Symphony, Redlands Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, Santa Maria Symphony, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, and many others around the Greater Los Angeles area.
If you listen closely, you can hear Preston playing on numerous feature films, television shows and specials such as Avatar 2, Hocus Pocus 2, Aquaman 2, Wish, Encanto : Live at the Hollywood Bowl, The Game Awards, Bocelli Family Christmas 2024, Big City Greens, The Nun, The Boogeyman, Geostorm, Inhumans, The Orville, Blood and Treasure, Homecoming Season 2, Star Trek : Lower Decks, Picard, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Solar Opposites, and Presumed Innocent as well as for video game projects such as Fortnite, Overwatch and League of Legends. He has also recorded on albums for artists such as Avenged Sevenfold and Deadmau5.
Preston marched with the Santa Clara Vanguard, and has coached many of Southern California’s finest marching bands over the past 20 years, teaching both brass techniques and marching. Preston is the professor of horn at Westmont College and The Master's University.
Preston has performed with Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Long Beach Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, San Bernardino Symphony, New West Symphony, Redlands Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, Santa Maria Symphony, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, and many others around the Greater Los Angeles area.
If you listen closely, you can hear Preston playing on numerous feature films, television shows and specials such as Avatar 2, Hocus Pocus 2, Aquaman 2, Wish, Encanto : Live at the Hollywood Bowl, The Game Awards, Bocelli Family Christmas 2024, Big City Greens, The Nun, The Boogeyman, Geostorm, Inhumans, The Orville, Blood and Treasure, Homecoming Season 2, Star Trek : Lower Decks, Picard, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Solar Opposites, and Presumed Innocent as well as for video game projects such as Fortnite, Overwatch and League of Legends. He has also recorded on albums for artists such as Avenged Sevenfold and Deadmau5.
Preston marched with the Santa Clara Vanguard, and has coached many of Southern California’s finest marching bands over the past 20 years, teaching both brass techniques and marching. Preston is the professor of horn at Westmont College and The Master's University.
Joe Harris is a freelance trumpet player and educator based in Anaheim, California. With 35 years of trumpet experience and a foundation in piano, he has built a career performing across diverse musical settings. Specializing in lead trumpet for pop, Latin, and big band music, Joe has performed at Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, and Sea World. His credits include collaborations with Christina Aguilera, LeAnn Rimes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and Wayne Newton.
Joe's marching career includes performances with Pacific Crest and Santa Clara Vanguard, culminating in championship wins with the Concord Blue Devils. He was also featured in The Power of Blast at Disney's California Adventure. Recognized for his musicianship, he earned the best musician award at the Reno Jazz Festival. As an educator, Joe focuses on breathing techniques and fundamentals, shaping the next generation of trumpet players. Beyond music, he enjoys weightlifting and practicing jiu-jitsu.
Joe Harris is a freelance trumpet player and educator based in Anaheim, California. With 35 years of trumpet experience and a foundation in piano, he has built a career performing across diverse musical settings. Specializing in lead trumpet for pop, Latin, and big band music, Joe has performed at Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, and Sea World. His credits include collaborations with Christina Aguilera, LeAnn Rimes, The Four Tops, The Temptations, and Wayne Newton.
Joe's marching career includes performances with Pacific Crest and Santa Clara Vanguard, culminating in championship wins with the Concord Blue Devils. He was also featured in The Power of Blast at Disney's California Adventure. Recognized for his musicianship, he earned the best musician award at the Reno Jazz Festival. As an educator, Joe focuses on breathing techniques and fundamentals, shaping the next generation of trumpet players. Beyond music, he enjoys weightlifting and practicing jiu-jitsu.
Front ensemble staff
In addition to his Assistant Corps Director administrator role, Scott Suyama will lead the Front Ensemble Instructional Staff. Scott has been Front Ensemble Caption Head since 2023.
Taking advantage of his over two decades of music education and professional performance experience, coordinating the front ensemble’s musical, technical, and performance curriculum - is a natural fit. Scott’s educational philosophy is to create an environment of technical and musical knowledge and excellence through the competitive arts experience.
James Catherall:
James is an accomplished designer and educator in the marching arts. He currently works with the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps serving as the sound designer and audio caption head. He has worked with many different ensembles in design and education capacities including Broken City, Pulse, Vessel, Arcadia High School, and Canyon High School.
He is the founder of Catherall Audio, a company dedicated to creating high quality educational content on YouTube and other platforms.
James's WGI performing experience includes time with Pulse Open, Pulse, and RCC. He also marched with Vanguard Cadets, Santa Clara Vanguard, and The Blue Devils.
James is an accomplished designer and educator in the marching arts. He currently works with the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps serving as the sound designer and audio caption head. He has worked with many different ensembles in design and education capacities including Broken City, Pulse, Vessel, Arcadia High School, and Canyon High School.
He is the founder of Catherall Audio, a company dedicated to creating high quality educational content on YouTube and other platforms.
James's WGI performing experience includes time with Pulse Open, Pulse, and RCC. He also marched with Vanguard Cadets, Santa Clara Vanguard, and The Blue Devils.
Adrian Lopez has been an instruction and performer since 2008. His performance history includes Velvet Knights, Full Force Percussion, POW Percussion, and Dark Sky and his past teaching experiences include Whittier High School and La Mirada High School.
He is currently the Percussion Caption Head at Bonita High School and currently the Front Ensemble Caption at Baldwin Park High School. Outside of the arts you can find Adrian hanging out with his dog (Cinnabun) and his partner (Lorenzo) playing some tabletop board games!
Cole Wheeler is a percussionist and educator based in Southern California. Cole is originally from Redondo Beach, CA. And he currently resides in Colton, CA.
Cole holds an Associate of Science degree in Political Science from Riverside City College, where in addition to his studies, he spent three years performing as a percussionist with the Marching Band and Wind Ensemble, as well as a pianist with the Piano Ensemble and Jazz Lab Band. His extensive experience in the marching arts includes performing with Gold Drum and Bugle Corps, Gold Indoor Percussion, Velocity Indoor Percussion, and Vessel Indoor Percussion.
Since 2019, Cole has been an active marching arts educator, working with the programs at Indio High School, San Dimas High School, Temecula Valley High School, Chaparral High School, and several others. Beyond teaching, he has spent the past six years writing and arranging shows for many of these programs, as well as numerous others.
Isabell Liao is an educator based in San Bernardino County. She graduated from CSUF with a B.A. in Music, where percussion was her primary instrument. She also minored in public relations, entrepreneurship, and entertainment & hospitality management.
Isabell performed with Arcadia HS Open & World, Broken City Percussion, Music City Mystique, RCC, Blue Knights DBC, and Santa Clara Vanguard, earning championship titles in 2017 and 2018.
Isabell has been an instructor at several scholastic and independent music programs including Arcadia HS, Sunny Hills HS, SCV Cadets ‘22 Somewhere New, Dark Sky Percussion ‘22, GÅP, Southwind DBC ‘19 Caged, Colony HS, Canyon HS, Alvarado IS, Yamaha Music School, and other educational institutions in southern California and beyond. Her students at SCVC won the open class championship title in 2022.
Isabell’s teaching process emphasizes sustainable technique, musicality, expressive performance energy, and healthy social dynamics within teams. Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing students’ growth from the start to end of a marching season, and fully expressing their full span of emotions and inner minds through music performance.
Isabell performed with Arcadia HS Open & World, Broken City Percussion, Music City Mystique, RCC, Blue Knights DBC, and Santa Clara Vanguard, earning championship titles in 2017 and 2018.
Isabell has been an instructor at several scholastic and independent music programs including Arcadia HS, Sunny Hills HS, SCV Cadets ‘22 Somewhere New, Dark Sky Percussion ‘22, GÅP, Southwind DBC ‘19 Caged, Colony HS, Canyon HS, Alvarado IS, Yamaha Music School, and other educational institutions in southern California and beyond. Her students at SCVC won the open class championship title in 2022.
Isabell’s teaching process emphasizes sustainable technique, musicality, expressive performance energy, and healthy social dynamics within teams. Her favorite thing about teaching is seeing students’ growth from the start to end of a marching season, and fully expressing their full span of emotions and inner minds through music performance.
René Lupercio is an active educator and performer based in Southern California, with a strong foundation in both the marching arts and academic instruction. As a percussionist, his performance experience includes Full Force Percussion, Velvet Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, and Orange County Independent Percussion. He also studied jazz drum set at El Camino College, where he earned his AA in Music Performance.
In addition to performing, he has been a dedicated music educator since 2009, working with programs such as Gardena High School (2009- present), Peary Middle School (2011-2018), Impulse Indoor Percussion (2023) and currently serving on the staff of Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps (2023-present) and OCI (2024-present).
Outside of the marching arts, René holds a degree in Mathematics from CSUDH and a Master’s in Applied Statistics from CSULB. His professional career includes six years as a math teacher, and he now serves as a middle school coordinator, focusing on academic support and administrative responsibilities.
A native of Southern California, Chris Estrada grew up in East Los Angeles. He attended East Los Angeles College (ELAC) and joined the band on the Sousaphone then transferred to Cal State Los Angeles (CSULA) after earning his Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts degree (2003). After graduating from CSULA with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education (2006), he began studies towards the teaching credential (earned in 2013) and Masters degree (earned in 2018).
During this time Chris became a marching/brass instructor for the ELAC Marching Band program as well as started working with the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band (USCTMB). He wrote drill, arranged music, played with, and conducted the band at ELAC for 3 years while working with Band Director Jesus Martinez. From the Spring of 2007 through the Spring of 2021 Chris had many roles within the USCTMB including: Principal Tuba (Concert Band), Squad Leader, Marching Teaching Assistant, Senior Teaching Assistant, and beginning in 2016 Assistant Director. Primarily working with the Sousaphone section, Chris helped to develop the sound of the section into one of the strongest in the band. As an Assistant Director he helped plan the shows, training camps, and taught the reserves section. With the reserves he helped beginner level members to develop their musicianship and marching skills to earn a spot on the field.
Chris has been a Band Director in South Los Angeles at George Washington Preparatory High School (WPHS) in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) since 2013. He teaches beginner instrumental classes, music technology, advanced band, as well as the concert band, marching band, indoor percussion ensemble, and jazz ensemble. Chris previously held the Brass Caption Head position with Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps (2022-2023) and became an Administrator for the corps in 2023. In 2024 Chris became the Audio Caption Head and continues in this role for the 2025 season.
During this time Chris became a marching/brass instructor for the ELAC Marching Band program as well as started working with the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band (USCTMB). He wrote drill, arranged music, played with, and conducted the band at ELAC for 3 years while working with Band Director Jesus Martinez. From the Spring of 2007 through the Spring of 2021 Chris had many roles within the USCTMB including: Principal Tuba (Concert Band), Squad Leader, Marching Teaching Assistant, Senior Teaching Assistant, and beginning in 2016 Assistant Director. Primarily working with the Sousaphone section, Chris helped to develop the sound of the section into one of the strongest in the band. As an Assistant Director he helped plan the shows, training camps, and taught the reserves section. With the reserves he helped beginner level members to develop their musicianship and marching skills to earn a spot on the field.
Chris has been a Band Director in South Los Angeles at George Washington Preparatory High School (WPHS) in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) since 2013. He teaches beginner instrumental classes, music technology, advanced band, as well as the concert band, marching band, indoor percussion ensemble, and jazz ensemble. Chris previously held the Brass Caption Head position with Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps (2022-2023) and became an Administrator for the corps in 2023. In 2024 Chris became the Audio Caption Head and continues in this role for the 2025 season.
2025 guard staff
Tatiana Alcarez:
Tatiana is a color guard technician from Brea, CA with a strong background in the marching arts. Her performance experience includes Incognito Drum and Bugle Corps (2016, 2017, 2019), Impulse DBC (2023), and Élan from 2023-2024. She also served as a color guard tech for Brea Olinda HS from 2023-2024.
Outside of the marching world, Tatiana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Cal Poly Pomona and is currently working towards her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine at Midwestern University. During her summer breaks, Tatiana is thrilled to share her passion for the marching arts with Impulse!!
