The Jersey Surf World Class Drum Corps is pleased to announce its extraordinarily creative team of arrangers, designers and coordinators charged with the responsibility of producing the corps 2014 competitive program for next summer’s Drum Corps International tour throughout the United States.
Joining the organization for his first season as Brass Arranger, DR. ANDREW YOZVIAK is the Director of Bands at West Chester University. Dr. Yozviak’s primary responsibilities include conducting the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Winds, directing the Golden Rams Marching Band, and teaching graduate and undergraduate conducting classes. Prior to this appointment, Yozviak served as Visiting Director of Bands at Susquehanna University and taught thirteen years in the Pennsylvania public schools.
Dr. Yozviak has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Music Degree in Composition from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree in Wind Conducting from Rutgers University where he studied with William Berz.
As a composer, Dr. Yozviak has accepted commissions to compose and arrange music in a variety of genres. He has composed commissioned works for winds, chorus, jazz ensemble, and a variety of chamber ensembles. Dr. Yozviak’s work as an arranger has yielded more than one hundred fifty marching band shows for some forty high schools, eight universities, five drum and bugle corps and work for NFL Films. His original compositions for marching band, which include Africa, a-MAZE-ing, The Art of War, Artificial Intelligence, Balance, The Bells, Four Suits, Night Visions, Koto, Water, and Winter Sketches are published by Marching Show Concepts’ Center X Productions.
Dr. Yozviak is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, the National Band Association, the Music Educators National Conference, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, the Pennsylvania Bandmasters Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Beta Mu and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Returning for his second season on his current tour of duty as the Surf’s percussion arranger is ROB THATCHER. Rob started his drum corps career in 1993 with DCAs Bushwackers as a quad player, with the good fortune to learn from some of the best quad players “in the business.” Coupled with exposure to fantastic percussion arranging by Robbie Robinson and Mark Thurston, Rob was inspired to start arranging for percussion ensembles of his own.
Rob was a performing member of the Bushwackers Drum Corps from 1993-1995, and again from 2005-2008, and a performing member of the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps in 1996. From 1999-2001, he held the position of Percussion Caption Head and Arranger for the New York Skyliners. Rob also worked with the Jersey Surf Drum & Bugle Corps as a technician in 2002, assuming the lead role as Percussion Caption Head in 2003. Most recently, Rob served as the Percussion Supervisor for the Bushwackers, and currently continues as Batterie Percussion Arranger.
He returned to the Jersey Surf in 2013 as Batterie Percussion Arranger, and is again ready to “share the percussive love” with the team in 2014.
New Jersey’s Old Bridge High School is Rob’s “other home team,” where he has been writing with Surf front ensemble arranger Colin Bell for the last 8 years. The program has grown substantially over this time period, and has achieved many successes in USBands, TIA, MAPS, and WGI. Rob has also written for a number of high school and college programs throughout the region.
Also returning for his second season is front ensemble arranger COLIN BELL. Colin is a composer, musician, and educator from Old Bridge, NJ. He has his BA in Music Education from Kean University where he studied percussion performance under the tutelage of NJ/NY area percussionist James Musto III. During his time at Kean, Colin was a snare drummer with the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps from 2001-2003.
Colin is an active educator in New Jersey as an elementary school instrumental music teacher in Old Bridge, private percussion teacher, and front ensemble arranger/specialist for Old Bridge High School. Along with battery arranger Rob Thatcher, the two have had success regionally with Old Bridge’s marching band where they were the 2012 USBands Group 3 State and National Champion with the award for Best Percussion. The Old Bridge indoor percussion program has experienced success as a new comer to the national scene. They finished their first year at the WGI World Championship as a 4th place PSA class finalist, moved up to a PSO class finalist in their second and won the bronze medal in PSO in their third year. This season will mark the fourth year of the New Jersey program’s appearance at the WGI World Championship.
As a musician, Colin records and tours nationally with reggae band Echo Movement. He performs numerous musicals as a pit percussionist and drum set player. As a Scottish snare drummer, he performs with other Scottish musicians for numerous events; most notably opening for Rod Stewart for several years in New Jersey and New York City.
Digital Sound Designer JOE COSTABLE is an Audio Engineer and Surf alumnus from Milford PA. His career spans just about every area of the audio production and recording industry, from major record labels to foreign films. Joe possesses multiple gold and platinum albums for his work and is also a voting member of The Recording Academy. The 2014 season will be his third season bringing his talents to the Jersey Surf design team.
Visual Coordinator TODD MARCOCCI returns to the Surf for his fourth season on the creative team, and is the President of the Emmy® Award-Winning, Under the Sun Productions Inc., a production company serving the special events, marching band, and color guard industries.
Throughout his distinguished career, Todd has served as producer, designer, choreographer, coordinator, and director for a remarkable number of events and groups, including: Atlantic City, NJ Miss America Parade; Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show; Philadelphia World Series Celebration Parade; The 6 ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade, and July 4th Parade; Washington D.C. – National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, National Memorial Day Parade, and National Independence Day Parade; Chicago Festival of Lights; the parade scene in the film, Lord of War, starring Nicholas Cage; Halftime shows for the Champs Sports Bowl, Tangerine Bowl, and Citrus Bowl; NBA All-Star Team-up Friday, and a commercial for Snapple Beverages directed by Spike Lee.
Todd’s marching band, drum corps, and color guard talents have also been on display around the world in over 800 choreographed performances, including: the Field of View Color Guard; Jersey Surf, Bluecoats, Crossmen, Troopers and Reading Buccaneers Drum & Bugle Corps, as well as countless marching bands around the nation including one of the Nation’s premiere University Marching Bands – The Incomparable West Chester University Golden Rams Marching Band.
Todd is also a choreographer for Marching Show Concepts, which markets his choreography and technique instructional videos around the world.
BOBBY JONES returns to the corps in the role of Visual Designer. In addition to his work with the Surf, Bobby has produced award-winning visual programs for DCAs Reading Bucaneers and is a sought-after designer and consultant for numerous marching bands, drum corps, indoor guards and indoor drumlins throughout the country. He is also an adjudicator for USBands and The Mid-Atlantic Indoor Network. In addition to his roles at Surf and the Buccaneers, Bobby’s drum corps resume includes design work for the Crossmen and Hawthorne Caballeros, among others. Bobby resides in Westminster, MD with his wife Amy and puppy Myron.
MIKE “MERK” MERCADANTE returns to the corps for his third season as a member of the creative team. Beginning his drum corps career as a marching member of the legendary Hawthorne Muchachos from which he eventually aged-out as Drum Major, Merk’s more than five decades of experience in the activity includes serving on the instructional and design staffs for corps including the Anaheim Kingsmen, Bluecoats and Velvet Knights, in addition to serving as the color guard caption head of the Bayonne Bridgemen under the mentorship of Hall of Fame Corps Director and creative visionary Bobby Hoffman. Merk has also served as an instructor and consultant to a number of high school bands and winter color guard programs throughout the country and has adjudicated in New Jersey and Southern California.
With a marching music resume spanning five decades and reaching to every corner of the drum corps universe, the Jersey Surf is very pleased to welcome CARL RUOCCO back to the team in the role of Staff Coordinator. Carl was originally a part of the Surf team from 1995-98, and was instrumental in helping to establish the organization’s educational program. A resident of Mt. Laurel, NJ with his wife Barbara, Carl has been a teacher, administrator and judge for corps around the world, with a remarkable resume including modern-day drum corps engagement with Star of Indiana, Crossmen, Spirit of Atlanta and the Santa Clara Vanguard. Most recently, Carl enjoyed a storied tenure with DCAs Reading Buccaners, where he helped to lead the instructional team to an unequaled eight undefeated seasons and DCA world championships over the last nine years.