Under the leadership of Colin McNutt, the 2017 battery educators are:

Battery:

Alex Beltran is a writer, educator, and performer based in New England. He is currently finishing his Masters Degree in music history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he received an undergraduate degree in percussion performance. While at UMass Alex has worked as teaching assistant to Thom Hannum, studied under Ayano Kataoka, and currently teaches the UMass Minuteman Marching Band.

As a performer, Alex’s interests cover a wide spectrum from contemporary percussion repertoire to pop and funk. He actively performs in multiple settings in the northeast and works with a variety groups across the country.

Alex’s marching career began with the Connecticut Hurricanes from 2008-2010 before marching in the quad line at The Cadets from 2011-2014 under Colin McNutt. During his time at The Cadets, the group won the 2011 DCI Championship and the 2013 Fred Sanford high percussion award. Alex has continued to work with top drum corps, teaching The Cadets battery during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. After teaching for two years at The Cadets, Alex is ecstatic to instruct the battery at Boston Crusaders with this incredibly talented and experienced team.

Alex also currently works with WGI Independent World finalist United Percussion and is a Vic Firth endorsed educator.

Andrew Ricketts is delighted to be joining Colin McNutt and the 2017 Boston Crusaders percussion staff. His experience in drum corps spans 9 years as a performer and educator. He marched with The Raiders from 2008-2009 and The Cadets from 2011 to his age out in 2012. Andrew then joined the percussion staff with Colin as a bass drum & battery instructor for The Cadets from 2013 to 2016. During his 6 years at The Cadets the corps’ successes included the 2011 DCI World Championship and the 2013 Fred Sanford Award for High Percussion. His previous educational experience includes Jersey Surf Drum & Bugle Corps, Bridgewater-Raritan HS, West Windsor Plainsboro South HS, among other collegiate groups, high school ensembles, and clinics.

Ricketts holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UMass Amherst where he played for 4 years in the UMass Drumline under the instruction of Thom Hannum. He has since returned to UMass and currently acts as a teaching assistant for the Minuteman Band percussion section while pursuing a Masters in Music Performance.

Andrew remains an active drum set performer. In over 10 years of playing he has studied with many great players and educators. While at UMass he’s performed regularly with Jazz Ensemble 1, Marimba Band 1, and various other groups. Through the years he has worked as a professional freelance musician in the New York City and Boston areas.

Moises Urena Jr. joins the Boston Crusaders percussion staff as the snare technician. Moises began his marching career in 2009 with the Vanguard Cadets and continued on to the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2010. Later marching The Academy in 2011. He eventually made the move to The Cadets where he marched in 2012 & 2013 earning the Fred Sanford Award for Best Percussion Performance under the direction of Colin McNutt. Moises also marched 4 years with Pulse Percussion (2011-2013 & 2015) competing in WGI.

Moises’ teaching career started in 2014 where he taught the Bakersfield College Drumline as well as the Golden Empire Drum & Bugle Corps. He spent the 2016 summer with The Cadets as one of the snare technicians.

Currently, Moises lives in Bakersfield, Ca. where he spends his time teaching and enjoying life.

Brian Perez is currently the Percussion Director for Dekaney High School in Houston, TX. Brian has been an active educator in the Houston area for the last 16 years, including The Woodlands HS, The Woodlands College Park HS, Clear Brook HS, Pearland HS and Klein HS. He has also served as the Assistant Director of Bands / Marching Band Director of the Nimitz HS band (2010-2012). Brian received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Houston.

Brian has been on the percussion staff at several top drum corps. The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps (2012-16), Santa Clara Vanguard (2005), Cavaliers (2006-09) and Madison Scouts (2010-11). He has also taught WGI indoor groups such as Clear Brook High School, working alongside Christopher Retschulte. He was an integral part of Clear Brook’s program, as well as a large influence on their success and victory as champions of the 2005 Winter Guard International Open Class Competition.

Perez was a member of the Santa Clara Vanguard tenor line from 2000-2004 under the instruction of the legendary Ralph Hardimon, Glen Crosby, Jim Casella, and Murray Gusseck. There he served as the section leader for all five years and was a member of the instructional staff in 2005. Perez was a member of the 2001 Texas All-State Band, performed in Superbowl XXXVIII in 2004 with artists such as Jessica Simpson and also received the honor of the first place tenor individual award at Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 1999.

Brian currently resides in The Woodlands, TX, with his wife Joni and three cats, Buddy, Ditto, and Gizmo. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Texas Music Educators Association, and Percussive Arts Society.

Derek Fields is an alumnus of Fort Walton Beach High School in Fort Walton Beach, FL. He received a Bachelors of Music Ed. Degree with emphasis in percussion under Dr. Thomas Fraschillo and Dr. John Wooten at The University of Southern Mississippi between 2005-2010.

Derek was a member of the Madison Scouts(Snare: 05’-06’), and The Cadets (Snare: 07’-08’), under the instruction of Colin McNutt. After his performing opportunities, Derek was able to teach World Class percussion programs all across the drumcorps/indoor activity, and high school bands across the country. (Troopers Perc. Staff: 09’-12’; Madison Scouts Perc. Staff: 13’-14’; The Cadets Perc. Staff: 15’-16’; iNov8 Winter Percussion: Program Consultant-17’)

Derek currently resides in Fort Walton Beach, FL, where he is the Assistant Director of Bands including Marching, Concert, Symphonic, and Jazz Ensembles at Fort Walton Beach HS, as well as the Director of Percussion, including concert performing ensembles and a competitive WGI program.

Derek is grateful for the opportunity to work closely with such a great team of people. “I’m very humbled, and excited to be a part of the BAC Percussion Team, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for this organization!”

Chris Lanzarone joins the team for first year on staff with the Boston Crusaders. His marching career started when he was attending Old Bridge High School and participated in both the indoor and outdoor programs from 2009 to 2013. After high school, Chris went on to march the Jersey Surf World Class Drum and Bugle Corps on snare drum in 2013 and 2014 where he was section leader for the drumline in 2014. He then continued to march the World Class Indoor Percussion Ensemble, Cadets Winter Percussion (CWP). He marched CWP for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. In 2015, the ensemble placed 6th overall in their second year in existence and their first year in World Class competition. Preceding this, Chris then marched in the Cadets for the summers of 2015 and 2016 on snare drum where he was one of the recipients for the ‘Rookie of the Year Award’ in 2015 and the ‘Distinguished Service Award’ in 2016. Chris is also a battery instructor for Old Bridge High School where they compete in Scholastic Open for WGI, USBANDS, and MAPS.

Chris has his Associates Degree in Social Science and is pursuing his Bachelors in Human Resource Management at Rutgers University in New Jersey where he currently resides.

Tim Miller joins Inspire Arts & Music as part of the percussion staff for the Boston Crusaders with a focus on the bass drum program. Tim is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he earned a degree in Natural Resource Studies. During his time there, he spent four years with the University of Massachusetts Marching Band under the direction of Thom Hannum and Colin McNutt, and served as a section leader for the percussion program. Tim marched with the Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps in 2011 when the group won their 10th DCI World Championship. After 2011, Tim was on the percussion staff with the 7th Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps from 2012-2016.

Currently, Tim lives in Connecticut working as a Business Development Manager for an environmental services firm. He is presently in school working towards a graduate degree as a Master of Business Administration from Ohio University.

Adam Swan started his drum corps career with the Madison Scouts in 2010 where he marched for two years before joining The Cadets in 2012 for his age out. Following his age out with The Cadets, Adam went on to march Rhythm X 2013. After WGI 2013, Adam joined the percussion team at The Cadets where he was a member of the teaching staff for the next four years. Outside of drum corps, Adam studied music education at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and he currently lives in Lake Jackson, Texas where he is the Percussion Director at Brazoswood High School and one of their feeder schools, Lake Jackson Intermediate.

Also joining the battery team as specialists and consultants:

Chris Vale

Efren Gutierrez

Andy MacLeay

Neal Flum

Front Ensemble:

Under the supervision of Dr. Iain Moyer, we are thrilled to announce the 2017 front ensemble educators:

Taylor Yozwiak- Taylor received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Massachusetts in 2013. While at UMass, Taylor had the privilege of studying with professors Ayano Kataoka and Thomas Hannum. Through his studies and experience at UMass, Taylor began to develop his own unique perspective on percussion, striving to combine his marching and rudimental background with his passion for solo, classical, and chamber percussion music.

Throughout his percussion career, Taylor has won numerous awards for outstanding musicianship. These awards include the 2012 Vic Firth Scholarship, the Chancellor’s talent in the Arts Scholarship from the University of Massachusetts, and the “Semper Fidelis” award for Musical Excellence presented by the Marine Corps League. During his two years as the Timpanist for the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, Taylor won a World Championship with the Corps in 2011 and was awarded the Cadets Distinguished Service Award in 2012. Most recently, Taylor was a prize winning soloist in the 2015 Atlanta Modern Snare Drum Competition and was honored to be featured as a Vic Firth artist and educator.

Over the past several years, Taylor has led and arranged for programs at the high school and collegiate level in Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Florida. These programs include the University of New Haven Chargers Marching Band, Mount Holyoke College, and The University of Miami. Taylor also spent four years as a percussion staff member with the Cadets Drum and Bugle corps. During Taylor’s first year as a Cadet Staff member, the Cadets Percussion section won the Fred Sanford trophy for high percussion performance.

Most recently, Taylor completed his Masters in Music from the Frost School of Music. During this time, Taylor studied with world-renowned percussionist Svet Stoyanov, directed the Miami “Frost Band of the Hour” Drumline, and performed throughout the rich musical scene in Miami. While maintaining an active performance schedule throughout central and southern Florida, Taylor recently accepted a position as the Assistant Band Director and Director of Percussion Studies at William R. Boone High School in Orlando.

Andy Filipiak- Andy has several years of experience as a consultant, clinician, arranger, and instructor for percussion ensembles throughout the United States, Japan and the Netherlands. He currently resides in the Denton area where he maintains a percussion studio in Denton and McKinney ISD. In addition to his percussion studio responsibilities, he has worked with the front ensemble at the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps since 2012. Andy will also be entering his second season as an instructor at Monarch Independent and his first season as Front Ensemble Coordinator.

Andy’s competitive percussion performance experience started when he was just 13 years old. He spent nine seasons competing in Winter Guard International percussion ensembles including; L.e.a.P, Matrix, and Rhythm X. Andy was also a performing member of the Glassmen and later The Cavaliers. As a member of the Cavaliers front ensemble in 2011 he shared in the Fred Sanford Trophy for the best percussion performance in DCI.

As an instructor and arranger, Andy has worked with scholastic and independent ensembles both in the United States and Europe. He was a performer and clinician with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2010 during their Japan tour. In 2015 Andy was on staff with European X, winning the CGN Championship.

Ian Hale- Ian received degrees in percussion performance from the University of Calgary and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where his teachers included Dr. Glenn Price, Eduardo Leandro and DCI Hall of Fame member Thom Hannum. He was a member of the music faculty at UMass from 2007-2008 and served as the Assistant Director of Bands for the Calgary Stampede Showband from 2009-2011. He is currently the Percussion Director and Arranger for Spirit of America from Orleans, Massachusetts.

Ian has worked with and arranged for many fine ensembles including the Calgary Stampede Showband, Spirit of America, Thomas Jefferson High School Band, Dartmouth Indoor Percussion, United Percussion, Boston University and the U.S. Army All-American Marching Band. He was a member of the percussion staff for the Glassmen, the Magic of Orlando, the Madison Scouts, Carolina Crown and the Cadets.

Ian is endorsed by Vic Firth Inc., Remo Inc. and Zildjian Corporation.

Alex King- Alex King, a Boston native, is currently a music teacher for grades K-12 in the Worcester Public School system in Worcester, MA. Prior to his current position, he attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education while studying percussion.

In addition to working with several local high school band programs, he has taught both the University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of New Haven percussion sections. In the WGI circuit, Alex has been teaching Spirit Winter Percussion since 2010.

Alex’s drum corps experience began at age 16 when he joined the snare line of the East Coast Jazz Drum & Bugle Corps in 2005 & 2006. After his two years with them, and a year away from the activity, he moved on to join the Cadets snare line for the 2008 & 2009 seasons. After completing his performing career, he has remained active in drum corps community, teaching the Madison Scouts, Carolina Crown, and 7th Regiment. Alex is excited for the opportunity to work with the Boston Crusaders and their fantastic staff.

Jason Ihnat- Jason Ihnat is an active teacher, performer, composer and arranger. He is a part-time lecturer of music theory at Eastern Michigan University, as well as the percussion arranger and instructor for the EMU Marching Band. Mr. Ihnat performs frequently with the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Philharmonic and Macomb Symphony Orchestra. His compositions and arrangements have been performed at universities and high schools in Michigan and across the country. He also serves as the director and performer with the NFL’s Detroit Lions Drumline at Ford Field for every Lions home game as well as other events held at Ford Field throughout the year.

Jason served on the percussion staff with The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps from 2004-2016. He was a member of The Cadets in 1998 and 1999, winning a DCI World Championship in 1998, and receiving a Distinguished Service Award when he aged out in 1999. In 2012, he received a Cadets Lifetime Achievement Award for his excellent work, commitment and positive attitude. Prior to his work with The Cadets, Jason taught with the Americanos and Kiwanis Kavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps.

Jason’s education includes a Bachelor of Music Education from Wayne State University, where he studied percussion under Keith Claeys, and a Master of Music in Composition from Eastern Michigan University, where he studied with renowned composer, Dr. Anthony Iannaccone and percussion with professor John Dorsey.

Cameron Moulton: Sound Engineer

Cameron Moulton will be returning as an audio engineer for the Boston Crusaders 2017. This will be Cameron’s second year with the corps after starting in 2016. Cameron attends Columbia College-Chicago and is completing degree in Audio Design and Production. He currently lives in Chicago working with live sound and recording music.

Also joining the front ensemble team as specialists and consultants:

Bobby Scott