Los Angeles County music students:If you are attending a Los Angeles County High School, you are eligible for a sponsored (free) 4-pack of lessons, courtesy of a grant provided by the American Century Investments Foundation. Email Mark Kveton at mkveton@pacific-crest.org to register. Sponsored lessons available until all are claimed.
Lessons
(See instructor bios below):
Brass: Trumpet, Mellophone, French Horn, Trombone, Baritone, Euphonium, Tuba
Woodwinds: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone
Percussion: Snare, Tenor, Bass, Mallets, Drum Set
Colorguard
Field Conducting
ANDREW FRESQUEZ spent his drum corps career at Pacific Crest, playing baritone from 2014-2016, and moving on to take the role of assistant drum major in 2017 and served as the Head Drum Major during his age-out season in 2018. He also served as a Drum Major for the 2019 Pacific Crest Rose Parade Ensemble.
Andrew is currently studying Music Performance on Bass Trombone at California State University, Fullerton. After, he plans to pursue his teaching credential. He also holds an A.A in Music and Social & Behavioral Studies from Riverside City College.
He currently works with Etiwanda High School as a music instructor, and Rancho Cucamonga High School as a visual instructor.
Andrew resides in Fullerton, California.
Bobby Bonslater
Trumpet
BOBBY BONSLATER is an educator, designer, and performer residing in Chicago, IL, offering specialized school performing arts academies to expose young inner-city students to instrumental, choral, technology, and general music to better prepare them to be productive members of high school and college programs as well as their community ensembles.
Bobby has had the pleasure of performing with and teaching many DCI and DCA drum and bugle corps, including Racine Scouts, Americanos, East Coast Jazz, Madison Scouts, Kilties, Chops, and Govenaires. His WGI experience includes Americanos Indoor, Pioneer Indoor, Chops Indoor Percussion, Eagan High School, and Phoenix Drumline.
He is an active performing member of the Chicago Bears Drumline and is the Founder of Bonslater Creative Designs and Founder of the Chicago Youth Arts Organization. He has recently been awarded the Superior Ratings and top honors for WGI’s 2020 and 2021 Solo and Ensemble for both Trumpet and Clarinet in the 19+ category.
Joelle Varner
Tuba
JOELLE VARNER is currently a full-time graduate student pursuing a Master of Music in Music Education at Texas State University, where she works as a graduate assistant with the Bobcat Marching Band, Bobcat Basketball Band, and Concert Band. At Texas State, she studies tuba with Raul Rodriguez and conducting with Dr. Caroline Beatty.
Joelle was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and she received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Delaware in 2013 with a tuba concentration and a voice minor. While at UD, she studied tuba with Brian Brown and marched for four years with the UD Marching Band. Joelle has taught elementary band and orchestra in Harford County, Maryland, as well as middle school band, chorus, general music, and musical theatre in Long Hill, New Jersey.
Joelle marched tuba with the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps in 2012 and conducted the corps in 2013. She also marched cymbals in WGI with United Percussion in 2014. After aging out, Joelle served as a brass and visual instructor for the Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps (DCI) and Windsor Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps (DCA), in addition to working with several high school marching programs in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Texas.
Matt Miller
Baritone, Euphonium
MATT MILLER holds a Master of Music degree in film scoring from the University of Southern California as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in music composition from California State University, Long Beach.
Matt marched five years with the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps (2015-2019) as a euphonium soloist and section leader, receiving the Brass Member of the Year award during his age-out summer. He also performed with Dark Sky Percussion in 2016 as a member of the cymbal line.
Since 2016, Matt has taught as a music and visual instructor at Gahr High School in Cerritos, CA. In addition to teaching, he is an active arranger and composer for ensembles throughout Southern California. Matt joined the Pacific Crest brass team in 2022.
Michael Ma
French Horn
MICHAEL MA is a native of Camarillo, CA and currently resides in Orange County while attending Chapman University. He is an alumni of Pacific Crest, where he marched from 2014-2016 and was mellophone section leader in 2016. As a performer, he has played in many college football and NFL stadiums across the country.
After marching with Pacific Crest, he became interested in pursuing a career in music performance, and later fell in love with teaching. He graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor of Music degree in French horn performance and music education, and will soon begin his master’s and credential in education at Chapman University.
In addition to the French horn, Michael has played several other instruments, including the flute and alto sax. He has performed in two choir tours in Europe, which landed him in prestigious venues such as the Vatican in Rome. Fun fact: Michael was a competitive bowler for 14 years before his music career.
Star Wasson
French Horn, Mellophone
STAR WASSON is a French horn player based out of Redlands, CA, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in Music Performance at the University of Redlands. She began her performance career in Austin, TX and continued performing on the field with Music City Drum Corps (2015-2016) and The Bluecoats (2017).
Although her degree is in performance, Star takes pride in her work as an educator. She puts great emphasis on ensuring that her students see growth in themselves throughout their seasons, regardless of their individual starting abilities. Star is currently the Visual and Brass Caption Head at Jurupa Hills HS and A.B. Miller HS, and is on the visual staff at Rancho Cucamonga HS.
Outside of teaching and performing, Star enjoys rock climbing, yoga, knitting, and spending time with her cat Minerva.
Zach Sheller
Baritone, Euphonium, Trombone, Tuba
ZACH SHELLER is currently studying music education with a minor in business management at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is principal euphonium for the UTA Wind Symphony and was a drum major in the Maverick Marching Band in 2017 before serving as an undergraduate assistant in 2018. Zach started marching with the Madison Scouts in 2012 as a baritone and euphonium player before serving as a drum major from 2015 through 2017.
Zach was raised in the greater Austin area and currently lives in Arlington, TX. He has been a private lesson teacher and marching tech in both the greater Austin and Dallas Fort Worth areas, serving as a visual instructor for Vista Ridge High School, Birdville High School, Coppell High School, and currently with Centennial High School in Burleson, Texas. Along with teaching, he spent the summer of 2018 with the Seattle Cascades as an administrative assistant and leadership consultant.
Bobby Bonslater
Clarinet
BOBBY BONSLATER is an educator, designer, and performer residing in Chicago, IL, offering specialized school performing arts academies to expose young inner-city students to instrumental, choral, technology, and general music to better prepare them to be productive members of high school and college programs as well as their community ensembles.
Bobby has had the pleasure of performing with and teaching many DCI and DCA drum and bugle corps, including Racine Scouts, Americanos, East Coast Jazz, Madison Scouts, Kilties, Chops, and Govenaires. His WGI experience includes Americanos Indoor, Pioneer Indoor, Chops Indoor Percussion, Eagan High School, and Phoenix Drumline.
He is an active performing member of the Chicago Bears Drumline and is the Founder of Bonslater Creative Designs and Founder of the Chicago Youth Arts Organization. He has recently been awarded the Superior Ratings and top honors for WGI’s 2020 and 2021 Solo and Ensemble for both Trumpet and Clarinet in the 19+ category.
Michael Ma
Flute, Saxophone
MICHAEL MA is a native of Camarillo, CA and currently resides in Orange County while attending Chapman University. He is an alumni of Pacific Crest, where he marched from 2014-2016 and was mellophone section leader in 2016. As a performer, he has played in many college football and NFL stadiums across the country.
After marching with Pacific Crest, he became interested in pursuing a career in music performance, and later fell in love with teaching. He graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor of Music degree in French horn performance and music education, and will soon begin his master’s and credential in education at Chapman University.
In addition to the French horn, Michael has played several other instruments, including the flute and alto sax. He has performed in two choir tours in Europe, which landed him in prestigious venues such as the Vatican in Rome. Fun fact: Michael was a competitive bowler for 14 years before his music career.
Christian Brown
Mallets
CHRISTIAN BROWN is a Music Education major at the University of Texas at El Paso based in El Paso, TX under the direction of Dr. Andy P. Smith. He has extensive drum corps experience that started in 2016 as a performer with Horizon DBC, Oregon Crusaders, Crossmen and the 2022 DCI silver medalist, the Boston Crusaders. His performance continues in WGI with Sun City Indoor (2019) and Monarch Independent Percussion (2022, 2023). Christian has performed in the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) as both a chamber ensemble performer, and as a solo marimba performer for several years.
Currently, he serves as the Front Ensemble Coordinator for Pebble Hills HS in El Paso, TX, under percussion director, Dan Hunt. He is also a front ensemble consultant in the El Paso area for various high schools, most recently giving his “Coast To Coast Front Ensemble Approach” clinic presentation at the University of Texas at El Paso. He arranges small chamber percussion ensembles for various organizations which are performed by himself and fellow colleagues.
He is currently a member of Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and a member of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), where he will be participating in the college chamber ensemble performance group. Christian has studied under Dr. Andy P. Smith, Dr. Ian Moyer, Dr. Lane Summerlin, Andy Filipiak and Art Avila Jr.
Dominick Villaverde
Bass
DOMINICK VILLAVERDE has been involved with marching percussion since 2014. Graduating from Diamond Bar High School in 2017, he went on to obtain a degree in Pure Mathematics from Cal Poly Pomona in the Spring of 2021 with a specification in Secondary Teaching, along with continuing his involvement in the marching arts. From there, he marched with DCI groups Pacific Crest (2016-2017), Mandarins (2019), Blue Devils (2020), as well as WGI groups POW Percussion (2018) and Broken City (2019-2022).
Since graduating in 2017, Dominick has taught a handful of groups throughout the Southern California area, including North Torrance HS, El Modena HS, Diamond Bar HS, Claremont HS, Nogales HS, Etiwanda HS, and currently La Quinta HS, El Dorado HS, and Vista Murrieta HS. He has also gone on to teach DCI groups Gold and Blue Devils B, as well as helping design visual aesthetics for both Meraki Percussion and Glendora HS.
Eric Shriver
Snare, Tenors, Bass
ERIC SHRIVER is a Percussion Educator and Designer based in Southern California. He performed with the Bluecoats, Pulse Percussion, Black Knights, Pacific Crest, and RCC Marching Band. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Industry Studies) from California Polytechnic University (Pomona, CA).
Currently, he serves as the the Percussion Director and Battery Designer at a number of local high schools, including Etiwanda, Rancho Cucamonga, South Torrance, and West Torrance — as well as at Gold Indoor Percussion.
His work with drum corps is extensive: he has served as snare tech at Bluecoats and Cavaliers, Percussion Caption Head and Battery Arranger at Blue Stars, and recently was the Percussion Caption Head and Battery Arranger at Gold. Some of his WGI teaching experiences include Snare Tech/Ensemble Coordinator at Pulse Percussion and Battery Arranger for Élan Percussion.
Eric serves on the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA) Classification Committee. He is a co-owner and designer at Front2Back Music (front2backmusic.com), a company that creates shows for marching bands and indoor ensembles. He is also the Owner/Creator of the “The Build-Up Method,” which is a set of rudimental percussion practice methods using logical skill building exercises and audio tracks.
Eric lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California, with his wife Amanda, daughter Charlotte, dog Sammy, and cat Luna.
Steven Vonderohe
Mallets, Drum Set
STEVEN VONDEROHE is a musician, educator, and composer in the southwest suburbs of Chicago who is devoted to sharing and advancing the art of music and the percussive arts.
Since receiving his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music, he has actively taught in a variety of settings, from public high schools and middle schools to lesson studios and independent ensembles. As an educator in the Illinois marching community, Steven works at Romeoville HS as Front Ensemble Instructor and Arranger, and also serves as Ensemble Director and Arranger at Pi Percussion, an independent WGI ensemble.
As a performer, Steven has played with orchestras, chamber ensembles, jazz combos, pop/rock bands, drum lines, choirs, and musical productions, and is able to approach each situation with a high level of professionalism and passion. He is also a seasoned performer in the Drum Corps activity, where he spent five seasons playing marimba with the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps.
Currently, Steven performs on tenors with the Bulls’ Stampede Drum Line, plays drum set with his band AM/FM in the greater Chicago area, and writes/produces his own music as a solo pianist and percussionist.
Terrell Mister-Wilson
Tenors
Bio coming soon
Chadd Hartman
Colorguard
CHADD HARTMAN was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, where he attended Las Vegas High School and the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Hartman began his pageantry career with the Crossmen, where he was a performer with a variety of roles from 2009-2012. He then went on to perform with the Independent World group Fantasia Winterguard in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017.
In his teaching career, Hartman has worked with a plethora of scholastic groups in the Southern California area as a director, designer, choreographer, and graphic artist. He worked as a technician and choreographer for The Academy from 2015-2017, and spent his 2018 summer with Carolina Crown. In 2019, he joined the Pacific Crest family as a choreographer on the design team and on the color guard technical staff.
He is currently the Director of Color Guards at Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, CA and has been with the program since 2018, while also serving as the Director of Color Guard at Gahr High School in Cerritos, CA since 2021.
Bianca Dulong
Field Conducting
BIANCA DULONG is an alumna of Pacific Crest, having spent two years as a mellophone player from 2017-2018 and three years on the Drum Major team from 2019-2021. She also participated in the 2019 Rose Parade Ensemble and was a featured vocal performer in the 2021 DCI season. Outside of Pacific Crest, her performance experience includes the 2022 Pulse Percussion Ensemble.
Bianca is currently attending California Polytechnic University, Pomona studying Kinesiology with plans to pursue an M.D. She is a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, serving as their Vice President of Recruitment and Marketing. Bianca also works as a visual and Drum Major instructor at Baldwin Park High School.
Set your own goals.
Andrew FresquezTrombone
Bobby BonslaterTrumpet
Joelle VarnerTuba
Matt MillerBaritone, Euphonium
Michael MaFrench Horn
Star WassonFrench Horn, Mellophone
Zach ShellerBaritone, Euphonium, Trombone, Tuba
Chadd HartmanColorguard
Bianca DulongField Conducting
JOELLE VARNER is currently a full-time graduate student pursuing a Master of Music in Music Education at Texas State University, where she works as a graduate assistant with the Bobcat Marching Band, Bobcat Basketball Band, and Concert Band. At Texas State, she studies tuba with Raul Rodriguez and conducting with Dr. Caroline Beatty.
MATT MILLER holds a Master of Music degree in film scoring from the University of Southern California as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in music composition from California State University, Long Beach.
STAR WASSON is a French horn player based out of Redlands, CA, where she completed her bachelor’s degree in Music Performance at the University of Redlands. She began her performance career in Austin, TX and continued performing on the field with Music City Drum Corps (2015-2016) and The Bluecoats (2017).
ZACH SHELLER is currently studying music education with a minor in business management at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is principal euphonium for the UTA Wind Symphony and was a drum major in the Maverick Marching Band in 2017 before serving as an undergraduate assistant in 2018. Zach started marching with the Madison Scouts in 2012 as a baritone and euphonium player before serving as a drum major from 2015 through 2017.