Jersey Surf Announces 2013 Percussion Instructional Team

Rob Thatcher (Percussion Arranger & Instructor) started his drum corps career in 1993 with the Bushwackers Drum Corps as a quad player and had 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, he was inspired to start arranging for percussion ensembles of his own.

Old Bridge (NJ) High School is Rob’s “home team,” where he has been writing with Colin Bell for the last 7 years. The program has grown substantially over this time period, and has achieved many successes in USBands, TIA, MAPS, and WGI. Rob’s and Colin’s most recent success with Old Bridge is the successful completion of the 2012 competitive season, capturing US Bands Group 3 Open State and National Marching Band Championships, and capturing the same State and National Champion honors for the percussion caption as well.

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, then took the lead role as Percussion Caption Head in 2003. Most recently, Rob served as the Percussion Supervisor for the Bushwackers, and continues as Batterie Arranger today.

He returns to the Jersey Surf in 2013 as Batterie Arranger, ready to share the percussive love with the team. Rob’s arranging and instructional credits include: Old Bridge High School (NJ), Bushwackers Drum Corps (DCA), New York Skyliners (DCA), Linden High School (NJ), Liberty High School (MD), Pittston Area High School (PA), Rutgers University Marching Band (NJ), Union High School (NJ), Chatham High School (NJ)

Colin Bell (Percussion Arranger & Instructor) 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.

He is an active educator in New Jersey as an elementary school instrumental music teacher, 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 in the eastern circuit, USBands. 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, and moved up to PSO class finalist in their second. This season will mark the third year of the New Jersey program’s appearance at the WGI World Championship in Open Class.

As a musician, Colin records and tours nationally with alternative/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 a professional audio engineer and a jersey Surf alumnus residing in Milford PA. His career already includes a wide span of the music and recording industries and his resume includes work for clients ranging from major record labels to foreign films. Joe’s impressive and growing credits include winning gold and multiple platinum albums for his work with music artists across different genres such as Good Charlotte, The Killers, and Neon Trees.The 2013 season will be his second season bringing his unique and varied talents and perspective to the Jersey Surf design team.

Michael Caruso began his drum corps career as a bass drummer with the 1998 and 1999 editions of the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps, then hailing from Newark, DE. There, he was fortunate enough to be under the tutelage of Colin McNutt and DCI Hall of Fame member, Thom Hannum. After his years with the Crossmen, Michael was a member of the instructional staff at the Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps from Reading, PA during the 2001, 2002 and 2003 seasons.

Mike is a graduate of the State University of New York College at Potsdam’s Crane School of Music. There, he completed his undergraduate work in Music Education and his graduate work in Percussion Performance. During that time, he studied under Mr. James Petercsak and Dr. Robert Bridge. Other teachers that Mr. Caruso has studied with include Mr. Mark Edwards, Mr. John Oddo and Mr. Michael Osrowitz. He is excited to be returning to the Surf staff for his third season.

In addition to his role on the Jersey Surf percussion staff, Geoff Summers is currently the assistant director and co-program coordinator with the Morris Knolls High School marching band in Rockaway, NJ. He is also on staff with George Mason University’s indoor percussion program, on the faculty at the Calderone School of Music in East Hanover, NJ, and plays drums for the Brooklyn-based band Batillus. Previously, he has toured Europe and the US with New York’s A Storm of Light and he has been an instructor with many notable marching programs including East Coast Jazz in 2005 and 2006, where he had the pleasure of working with the great Charley Poole, as well as Carmel High School (Carmel, IN), Old Bridge High School (Old Bridge, NJ), King Philip High School (Wrentham, MA), and Raiders (Wayne, NJ).

In 2003 and 2004, he was a member of the Boston Crusaders tenor line, where he learned under Omar Carmenates, Lee Hansen, and Rich Viano, among others. At Berklee College of Music, from which he received a bachelor’s degree in Music Business in 2005, he studied under Rod Morgenstein, Mike Mangini, and other drumming greats. During his high school years, he studied with Mike McIntosh and Richard Saucedo.

This will be Eric Smith‘s second year on the Jersey Surf percussion staff. Eric is a former member of Jersey Surf, having marched snare from 2008 to 2009. He began his marching experience in West Chester Henderson and Bayard Rustin High School’s marching band. From there, Eric marched drum corps in the snareline for the Jersey Surf (2008-2009), Crossmen (2010), and Blue Stars (2011). He also marched in the WGI World Independent group United Percussion from 2009 to 2012. Eric is now on staff at United Percussion for the upcoming indoor season. Eric is finishing out his undergraduate degree from Temple University this fall and helps lead the percussion program for Bayard Rustin High School in West Chester, PA. He also helps teach the percussion section of Mechanicsburg High School and Morris Knolls High School. Eric proudly serves on the Vic Firth Education Team.

Brad Schoener is a former member of the Jersey Surf, having marched in 2008 and 2009. He began his marching experience in West Chester East and Bayard Rustin High School’s marching band and continued on in college performing for three years between 2009 and 2011 (two of these as section leader/center snare) with the Incomparable Golden Rams Marching Band of West Chester University. Brad was also a member of the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2010 followed by two years as a member of the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps in 2011 and 2012. Brad is a senior at West Chester University pursuing bachelors degrees in Music Education and Percussion Performance. Besides being a full-time student Brad currently helps lead the percussion program for Bayard Rustion High School in West Chester, PA. Brad has also the opportunity to work with the Springford High School Front Ensemble as pit techinician, and Downingtown West High School Indoor Drumline as snare technician.

Alana Iannucci returns to the Surf for her third season as cymbal instructor. A graduate of the University of Delaware, Alana was a former performer with the Fightin’ Blue Hens Marching Band, which she continues to instruct as a member of the percussion staff. She was a former marching member of the Reading Buccaneers Sr. Drum Corps and has served as a percussion instructor for Cab Callaway High School for the Arts (Wilmington, DE) and William Penn HS (Newark, DE).

Rich Klimowicz, graduate of the Norristown Area High School Music Programs, began his Drum Corps experience in 2006 with the Reading Buccaneers Senior Drum and Bugle Corps, Reading PA (2006, 2009 & 2010). Rich completed his Drum Corps experience aging out of DCI with the 2010 Cadets as a member of the CPIT front ensemble. He is finishing his final year at Millersville University as a B.A. in Music Performance with a concentration in percussion. Rich currently acts as the Coatesville Area (PA) High School Percussion Caption Head (2008-2012), and the Millersville University (PA) Front Ensemble Instructor (2009-2012). In additional to working with numerous students in the marching art activity Rich also teaches one on one private percussion instruction. As an active musician he performs regularly in the Lancaster Area with his newly formed percussion trio Portal Percussion. Rich served as the 2012 Jersey Surf Front Ensemble Instructor and will be returning again for the 2013 summer season. Rich Proudly serves on the Vic Firth Education Team.

Sara Haase is excited to be returning for her third year with the Jersey Surf Percussion Staff as one of the Front Ensemble techs. She started her marching career in the Morris Knolls High School Marching Band. In 2005 she the Spirit of Newark Drum Corps as Drum Major. For the 2006 and 2007 drum corps seasons, she marched in the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps as center Marimba and Front Ensemble section leader. Sara earned a spot with with the Boston Crusaders in 2008, aging out there in 2009, where she played Vibraphone and was co-section leader. In 2010, she graduated from Temple University with her Degree in Music Education and Percussion. She is currently the Band Director at the Haledon Public School and Manchester Regional High School in Haledon, NJ. She has instructed many front ensembles over the past several seasons, spanning from the Philadelphia area to Southern and Northern Jersey. She is currently the Front Ensemble tech at Morris Knolls High School.