Jabin (Jay) Baxter, hailing from Lancaster, PA, has been a marching percussion educator and writer for the greater part of 18 years. He has worked with many local high school and college groups since 2000.Jabin began marching in high school as a member of the Reading High School Red Knights Marching Band from 1997-2001. He began performing in DCA with The Westshoremen in 2000. In 2001, he marched in DCI with a first-year competing corps, The Lehigh Valley Knights and in 2012 with The Windsor Regiment (DCA).
Jabin has spent time on road touring the US and Germany playing drum-set for local and national acts. Along with touring, Jabin has recorded on a number of projects ranging in styles from country to metal and still gigs out (when available).
Jabin spent a large part of his teaching career at Hempfield High School from 2008- 2015. While, there he also had the opportunity to compose and arrange percussion parts for Dr. Andrew Yozviak and the Center X production crew. Jabin is currently the Percussion Director at Penn Manor Marching Unit, arranger since 2017, and established their first indoor percussion program in 2018. He is also the battery caption head of the Millersville University Marching Band since 2016. Front Ensemble tech for United Percussion 2 under Colin Bell for the 20/21 virtual season and came back to United Percussion 2 as the front ensemble tech for the season of 2022 with a promotion to open mid season.
Jabin spent the drum corps season of 2022 with the Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps as a front ensemble tech and is now the Battery Caption head.
Jabin is looking forward to growing the Surf percussion program.
Wesley Maloney, Snare Instructor
Wesley is a percussion educator based out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He began his career in the marching arts at Great Valley High School, and continued it at Millersville University. He first joined the drum corps world as a snare drummer at the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019, and was named a Rookie of the Year for that season. He then performed with United Percussion 2 in 2020. He returned to UP2 for the 2022 season as section leader, performing with the ensemble at their debut appearance in Open Class at the WGI World Championships. After aging out he joined the Hawthorne Caballeros for the 2023 season, in which they were given the High Percussion award.
Wesley has been an instructor at many high schools in his area. Currently, he is on the education team for the Penn Manor Marching Unit in Millersville, PA. He is also the director and battery arranger for Penn Manor Indoor Percussion, who made their debut at MAPS Championships in the 2023 season.
Outside of the marching activity, Wesley holds a degree in secondary education from Millersville University and works as a high school science teacher at La Academia Partnership Charter School.
Chris Gerlin, Quad Instructor
Chris Gerlin is excited to join The Jersey Surf as both percussion visual instructor and tenor instructor for the 2023 season! Based in Connecticut, Chris is an active percussion educator, designer, and consultant, where he is currently the Percussion Director and Arranger at Hamden High School (CT).
Chris grew up in Pennsylvania, where his marching experience began in seventh grade at Lake-Lehman High School (PA) as a member of the marching band and indoor percussion program. During his time at Lake-Lehman, the programs captured Atlantic Coast Championships in TOB Group I during the fall and TIA Novice Percussion during the winter in 2007. Chris began his drum corps career while a sophomore at Lake-Lehman, joining Fusion ‘Core’ Drum and Bugle Corps (NJ) in 2010, winning the DCA Class A World Championship. Chris would continue to march with Fusion ‘Core’ for five more years, becoming the tenorline section leader in 2013 and 2014 and in 2014 the entire battery was honored with the “Vince Bruni Showmanship Award” at DCA Championships.
During his high school marching years, Chris began his teaching career with the Lake-Lehman Elementary Indoor Percussion program — a concert indoor percussion group made up of fifth and sixth grade students — as a sophomore in 2010. Chris would go on to become the group’s director and music arranger as a senior for his graduation project in 2012. The program would go on to become Atlantic Coast Champions in TIA Scholastic Elementary Percussion in all three years. After graduating from Lake-Lehman in 2012, Chris immediately joined the staff and helped lead the Indoor Percussion program to becoming Atlantic Coast Championship in TIA Intermediate ‘A’ in 2013. Shortly thereafter, Chris would be promoted to Percussion Caption Head and Arranger, Assistant Band Director, and Indoor Percussion Director in 2014. In addition to teaching with his home team at Lake-Lehman, Chris has worked with various other programs along the east coast, including: Pequannock Township High School (NJ), Morris Knolls High School (NJ), Easton High School (PA), and his current role with Hamden High School (CT).
Outside of his involvement in the marching arts, Chris holds an Associate’s Degree in Secondary Education from Luzerne County Community College (PA) and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Misericordia University (PA). Chris is an avid automotive enthusiast and currently works as a mobile electronics installation technician.
THOMAS WILSON is a freelance percussionist, arranger, composer, and educator based in Western Massachusetts. Currently, he is the Marching Band Director and Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Anna Maria College and the front ensemble director of the Jersey Surf. Thomas graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Master’s Degree in Percussion Performance in May 2018 and he also received a Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion Performance and Composition in 2011.
As an educator, Thomas has been working with many high schools and colleges throughout Massachusetts and beyond for over a decade. He has years of experience working as a band director and music teacher in the public school system. He worked extensively with Shepherd Hill Regional High School where he served as Winter Percussion Director, Show Choir Pit Band Director, Concert Percussion Director, and the Assistant Director of the Marching Band for five years, leading all of these groups to championships in their respective fields during his tenure. He has also served as a clinician for ensembles at WPI, UMass Amherst, Boston University, and New Haven University. Very in demand as a front ensemble specialist, Thomas consistently works with many local college and high school marching bands, several of which he also writes music for.
His marching career began with the Spartans in 2006 and championship year 2007; in 2008 he studied with virtuoso marimbist Leigh Howard Stevens; and in 2009-10 he marched with the Holy Name Cadets. In addition, he marched for four years in the UMass Drumline under the tutelage of Thom Hannum and George Parks. He has served as section leader of every ensemble he’s participated in.
Thomas is also an active performer with the Amherst College Symphony Orchestra, the Valley Winds, the Windham Symphony Orchestra, the Smith Symphony Orchestra, the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra, the Claflin Hill Summer Winds, and many more local orchestras and wind ensembles. His Master’s Recital in April 2018, entitled “Water”, included challenging contemporary chamber music with musicians from all around the country, and it also featured a commission for percussion, flute and clarinet. During his undergraduate years, Thomas received the Vic Firth Scholarship award from UMass Amherst and the Most Valuable Rookie and Distinguished Service Awards from the Holy Name Cadets.
Matt Randell, Percussion Instructor
Matthew is a music educator and percussionist who currently lives in the Phoenix area. He started his career in marching percussion in 2010 with his high school’s marching band and has since grown to perform with groups such as 7th Regiment, the UMass Amherst Minuteman Marching Band, and Gallant Entertainment Inc. During his time in the marching arts, he has been fortunate to study under prominent musicians in the community such as Thom Hannum, Ian Hale, Colin McNutt, Alex Beltran, and Alex King. He has a diverse background in contemporary classical percussion through his studies with Ayano Kataoka as well as the members of Sandbox Percussion and draws from these diverse experiences to give his students a well-rounded percussion experience.
Matthew is excited to work with the students at The Jersey Surf this season and plans on synthesizing all he has learned thus far in his career as a performer and educator to give the members an
unforgettable marching experience.