Shell Lake Arts Center Marching Percussion Symposium Faculty Bios

Jeff Moore ​ |​ ​Professor of Percussion, Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities “​Transfer Value of Marching Percussion”

Adam Norris | P​ ercussion Specialist “Tier of Skills: - A Foundation Built to Last” Adam Norris is a percussion specialist in the Louisville, Kentucky area, working full time as a private educator and arranger, and recently served as Assistant Battery Caption Head for the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps. Prior to the Blue Stars, Adam spent three seasons as the Quad Tech for the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps (2011-2013). Previously, he was the Percussion Director at Centerville HS, and is currently a member of the battery staff at (2013-present).

Adam has performed in many programs, including the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps, and Rhythm X. He studied music at Eastern Kentucky University as well as Miami University, where he performed in a variety of ensembles, including the Symphony Orchestra and Steel Band. He has performed, judged, and taught in multiple countries around the world, including India, Thailand, and Holland. Currently, Adam lives in Louisville, KY.

Travis Peterman | Percussion Specialist ”The DCI/WGI Audition Process: FAQs and Insight” Born and raised in Newark, Delaware, Travis began his performing career with the All-State Junior and Senior Bands. Quickly finding a passion for the marching arts, he went on to perform with the Reading Buccaneers, United Percussion, the Blue Stars, and Rhythm X.

He began his drum corps teaching career with the Cadets2 as the snare technician and battery choreographer, remaining with the corps for three years. Travis previously held the position of the director, program coordinator, and battery arranger for Cadets Winter Percussion during “it’s three year tenure. He served as the battery arranger and director of percussion for the Bushwackers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2016 through the 2019 season. Currently, Travis is the percussion caption supervisor and battery co-arranger at Carolina Crown and the program director of the Indoor Drumline, where he is also a battery and visual designer. Travis joined the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps for the 2019 summer, serving as the battery designer and consultant. He is an accomplished adjudicator with circuits such as SCPA, KIDA, and AIA.

Travis is honored to have studied under educators such as Thom Hannum, Tom Aungst, Tim Jackson, Jim Ancona, Joel Hilbert, Tim Fairbanks, Darick Kelly, Rich Hammond, and Chris Feist. He is a proud member of the Vic Firth, Pearl/Adams, and Remo education teams. Outside of the percussion world, Travis holds an A.A. in Criminal Justice from Delaware Tech, a B.S. in Behavioral Science from Wilmington University, and a M.Ed. in School Counseling (also from WilmU).

Roger Carter | Percussion Director, Bluecoats “​Developing the Chops Required for a Modern Marching Drummer” Roger Carter began his journey into the world of marching percussion as a student at Mission Viejo High School. Afterward, he furthered his passion for drumming with several drum corps including the Velvet Knights and the Blue Devils. He later continued as an instructor with BD, and has worked with many nationally recognized ensembles.

Roger is now the percussion caption head for the Bluecoats, and has been the snare instructor at Broken City since its inception. In addition, he leads the percussion programs at Mission Viejo High School, Dana Hills High School, and works with Woodbridge High School and other percussion programs in Southern California.

As an in-demand percussion clinician, Roger proudly uses Vic Firth Sticks/Mallets, Tama Drums, Evans Drumheads, and Zildjian Cymbals.

Ben Pyles | ​Designer, Monarch Independent and Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps “​Design with a Purpose! How to Create a Memorable Battery Score” Benjamin Pyles is an active percussion designer and educator based out of San Antonio, TX where he serves as the Athletic Percussion Director at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Ben is also the current percussion caption head and designer for the Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps (Sacramento, CA) and a music designer Monarch Independent. (Houston, TX)

Benjamin has well over a decade worth of World Class performing, instructional, and design experience, including the Bluecoats from Canton, OH; The Crossmen from San Antonio, TX; Glassmen from Toledo, OH; Spirit of Atlanta, from Atlanta GA; and the Colts from Dubuque, IA.

Along with teaching and designing, Benjamin is also a proud endorser of Innovative Percussion Inc, Pearl and Adams Percussion, and Sabian Cymbals.

Kyle Tsuchiya | Performer & Educator “Social Media for Drummers” Kyle Tsuchiya is a well-known performer/educator based in Minneapolis, MN.

As the child of former Taiko drummers, Kyle has been around drumming for his entire life. This passion for music has brought him many incredible opportunities, including winning world championships with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps (2016) and Broken City Percussion (2019).

Kyle continues to perform regularly, playing snare drum for the Minnesota Vikings ‘Skol Line’ and the Minnesota Wild. He also gigs locally as a drum set player, and he enjoys pushing his creativity by making videos for social media. He’s been fortunate enough to perform with several internationally acclaimed musicians, including Sheila E., Jordan Davis, and Justin Timberlake.

After graduating with a strategic communications degree from the University of Minnesota in 2018, Kyle entered the professional world of advertising. He currently works at Superhuman, a growing marketing agency in Minneapolis, where he offers his unique background and creative thinking to help brands be meaningfully different. When not working or drumming, you can find Kyle playing shortstop for his slowpitch softball team or enjoying the company of his friends and family.

Murray Gusseck | Writer & Technician “Wrist Flexibility and Finger Dexterity” Murray Gusseck is considered an innovator in the world of marching percussion. He marched as a tenor player in the Santa Clara Vanguard from 1988–1992 and went on to instruct the group for many years afterward in a variety of capacities. In the eighteen years he was a part of the SCV organization, he received many accolades as a player, teacher, and composer.

Known for a unique compositional style and a propensity for achieving a smooth, drumset-oriented approach to the marching percussion genre, he also helped start a trend of drum line “parking lot” shows in the early 90s by writing showcase etudes for the battery ensemble to play during their pre-show warm-up routines.

In 1998, Gusseck teamed up with Jim Casella to co-found Tapspace Publications, a percussion sheet music publisher. With humble beginnings, the company went from being a marching percussion side project based on the marching compositions of its two founders to a real force in the world of percussion music.

Gusseck proudly endorses Remo drumheads, Brooks Drums, and is a signature artist for Vic Firth. He has presented clinics across America as well as in Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest where he co-manages Tapspace and plays drums in Portland-based bands such as Mars Retrieval Unit, Garcia Birthday Band, Life During Wartime, Fresh Track, and others.

Glen Crosby | Percussion Director, Pacific Crest “Foundational Approach to a Strong Sound” Glen is an independent music educator, arranger, consultant and performer with a specialization in marching percussion. Glen currently runs the marching percussion program at UCLA, works with Arcadia High School and consults with a few Drum and Bugle corps.

Glen began his marching percussion career in 1981 as a performer with the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps and aged out in 1984. He went on to work with the Garfield Cadets, Santa Clara Vanguard, Velvet Knights, Capital Regiment, Glassmen, Freelancers, Blue Knights, Academy, and Carolina Crown achieving five DCI World Championships (Cadets (1985), Santa Clara Vanguard (1989, 1999), Carolina Crown (2013) and five High Percussion Awards in his various roles as a consultant, battery technician, assistant caption head, and technique manager for the Santa Clara Vanguard (1988, 1989, 1998, 2004) and the Cadets (2003). Glen is a member of the Vic Firth Educational team, a Remo artist, a Zildjian artist, and lives in Long Beach, CA.

Pete Sapadin ​ | Marching Percussion Specialist “Flams, Fingers, & The Force”

Joe Pfau | Percussion Specialist “​Maximizing Muscle Memory and Motion Accuracy” Joe is a freelance percussion instructor originally from Bloomington, Minnesota. Joe’s passion for percussion has been strong ever since he first pickup a pair of stick in the year 2000. He has performed with the Minnesota Brass Drum and Bugle Corps (2009-2010), the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps (2011-2013), the Minnesota Brass Indoor Drumline (2012, 2014), and RCC Indoor Percussion (2015). During his marching career he earned four Individual and Ensemble Competition medals, including three first place finishes, made six World Class DCI/WGI finals appearances, and earned a Gold Medal with RCC Indoor Percussion.

Joe has been a private instructor for the past ten years, working with students of varying ages from all across the country. Additionally, he has spent two years as the quad instructor for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (2015-2016), four years as batterie coordinator for the Minnesota Brass Indoor Drumline (2016-2019), and for 2020 he join the staff at Monarch Independent as a quad instructor. He currently resides in the College Station, Texas area.

Jeff Lee​ | Percussion Specialist/Music Industry “ I​ t's a Big World, Don't Box Yourself In”

Thom Hannum ​ | Percussion Director, Carolina Crown “​From The Ground Up”

Ryan Ellis | Percussion Director, Madison Scouts “Get the Most Out of Our Ensemble: How to Create a Culture That Lasts” Ryan is a designer, arranger, and consultant creating both battery music and visual programs for marching bands, indoor drumlines, and drum corps.

He is currently the percussion caption head at the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps and serves on the design team of both Connexus Independent and Redline Percussion. He served as the percussion director for Lebanon High School from 2017-2020 and has designed for high school ensembles throughout the country.

Ryan started The Marching Arts Society in 2017 to help reach underserved musicians throughout the world. This platform offers educational materials through www.marchingartssociety.com

Ryan currently resides in South Lebanon, Ohio with his fiancé Kayla.

Dave Glyde​ | Music Director, Concord Blue Devils “​Percussion Arranging in a Show Design Context”

Colin McNutt | Percussion Director, Boston Crusaders “​Developing Doubles and Multiple Bounce Flexibility”

Colin McNutt has instructed and arranged for the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps, and the popular stage production, Blast! He has also written for and instructed the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Magic of Orlando, the Madison Scouts, and the Cadets. Colin served on the faculty of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he is an alumnus and received degrees in Classics and Music Education. Currently, he is the Percussion Director/arranger for the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps. Colin is a clinician for Yamaha, REMO, Zildjian, and is a Vic Firth Signature Artist.