Wardell King
battery Caption Head
Mr. King is currently in his 29th year as an independent music educator, arranger, consultant and performer with a specialization in marching percussion. Mr. King is currently the percussion caption head/arranger for Desert Ridge, Red Mountain, Campo Verde and Mountain View High School in Arizona. Mr. King has previously served as caption head/arranger/clinician for various other high schools in the state of Arizona.
Mr. King also has served as the marching percussion specialist at Northern Arizona University and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps .
As the owner of King Percussion LLC, “Championship Concepts For Percussion,” Mr. King has worked with groups in Arizona, California, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Kentucky in both the marching and indoor percussion arenas. In his twenty seven years as an adjudicator and percussion designer/instructor, he has worked with more than 25 different percussion programs at the high school, college and drum corp levels. As a creative percussion arranger, Wardell’s percussion writing is designed to closely integrate concert and marching percussion techniques to enhance all components of the musical score. Wardell has a strong teaching philosophy guided to offer life lessons through music and dedicated practice.
Excelling educationally and competitively in both the local and national circuit, Mr. King is in high demand as an educator and clinician. He provides both rudimental and drum set lessons to students of all ages and educational backgrounds.
With extensive studies in the jazz arts, Mr. King is part of the W Quartet, who continue to play for audiences around the Phoenix Area.
Wardell proudly endorses Vic Firth Sticks, Zildjian Cymbals, Pearl Drums, Remo Drumheads and Presonus Audio.
Chris Canby
Battery Coordinator/Snares
Chris Canby is percussion instructor and arranger currently living in Mesa, AZ. He is an active educator and clinician currently serving as battery Caption Head for Sandra Day O'Connor High School and Desert Mountain High School, as well as snare technician with Vision Percussion. He has previously served as instructional staff for the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band, Percussion Caption Head for Phenom Drum and Bugle Corps, and as Battery Coordinator for Breakthrough Indoor Percussion. He has previously been a part of the percussion/design staff with Dobson HS, Mesquite HS, Mountain View (Mesa) HS, and Higley HS.
Chris received his BA in Music from Arizona State University where he studied with Dr. J.B. Smith, Dr. Mark Sunkett, Simone Mancuso, and Dom Moio. He was a member of various large and small ensembles including Wind Ensemble, Lyric Opera Theater, Percussion Ensemble, and the Sun Devil Marching Band. As a marching member Chris has performed as a snare drummer with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, Mosaic Indoor Percussion, and Dark Sky Percussion.
Outside of his role as an educator, Chris has been an active performer with BOOM! Percussion Entertainment, Arizona Cardinals Big Red Thunder Drumline, Desert Echoes Flute Choir, and Samba de Cavalo. He is currently drumming with Bad Cactus Brass Band, Benja Bloom, and other local valley artists.
Anthony Vargas
Snares
Anthony has been an active performer, educator and arranger in Arizona for over 15 years.
He served as percussion caption head and battery arranger with Deer Valley HS for 5 years. Other programs include Thunderbird HS, Casa Grande Indoor Percussion and Horizon Indoor Percussion.
Outside of education, Anthony have been a performer with BOOM! Percussion Entertainment, Firebrass Village and is a current member of the AZ Cardinals Drumline.
He is currently teaching his 2nd season with Highland HS and Corona del Sol HS.
Matthew Isquierdo
Tenors
Matthew Isquierdo is a percussion educator in the Arizona marching arts community. He has five years of teaching experience in the Mesa area, at Red Mountain and Desert Ridge High school. He recently completed his final marching season in WGI with Flux Indoor percussion. Previously he completed four seasons with Vision Indoor Percussion earning the title of Tenor Section Leader for 3 of those years.
Outside of music and work, Matthew is a dedicated foodie and enjoys staying active through weightlifting.
Hailey Mills
Tenors
Hailey gained her marching experience with Flux Indoor Percussion and Casa Grande Union High School. She also studied percussion performance for two years at Brigham Young University. Outside of drums, she enjoys hiking, running, and producing music.
Rob Davis
Basses
Rob is a percussion educator from Arizona. He currently works with various schools around the valley as a bass drum and marching technician.
Over his 27 years of teaching, he has worked with top rated drumline programs all over the valley; Including, Trevor G. Browne, Desert Edge (2008 WGAZ Champions) and Marcos De Niza.
He has studied with Steve Hemphill at Northern Arizona University and worked alongside some of the top names from DCI and WGI, including Ralph Hardimon and Tom Float.
Giselle Coll
Basses
Giselle Coll is an Arizona-based percussion educator and performer. She currently serves as the bass drum instructor at Campo Verde High School, where she is dedicated to developing strong musicianship, technique, and confidence in her students.
As a performer, Giselle has marched with Linea, Breakthrough, and the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band, and is currently a member of the Arizona Cardinals Drumline. She has also served as a percussion clinician on multiple occasions, sharing her passion for the marching arts with students throughout Arizona.
Drawing from her experience as both an educator and performer, Giselle strives to create a positive and challenging environment that inspires students to reach their full potential.
Brandon Lee
Basses
Brandon Lee is an experienced Arizona-based marching arts educator with over a decade of instruction and performance history across both scholastic and independent ensembles. His instructional experience includes teaching at Coolidge, Maricopa, Mountain View, and Desert Mountain High Schools, as well as instructing on staff at Breakthrough Indoor Percussion.
Brandon's performance background spans the collegiate and independent indoor ranks, having marched with the Arizona State University (ASU) Marching Band, Casa Grande Indoor Percussion Ensemble, Flux Indoor Percussion, and Breakthrough Indoor Percussion. Throughout his decade of involvement on and off the field, his core focus remains on building strong fundamental skills, and fostering a positive percussion culture in Arizona.
Orion Choy
Cymbals
Based in Gilbert, AZ, Orion is a graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Computer Science. Orion has performed with esteemed ensembles such as Vision Percussion, Vanguard Cadets, and Santa Clara Vanguard from 2016 to 2019. Leveraging this extensive experience, Orion has transitioned into a respected educator, contributing to programs across the valley including the Academy (2023-present) and Vision Percussion (2020-present). Orion’s commitment to excellence in both academic and extracurricular pursuits illustrates a profound dedication to personal and professional development.
Kristina Haney
Cymbals
Kristina is an Arizona native whose marching career began at Basha High School on the cymbal line.
She has performed with several medal-winning ensembles, including Dark Sky Percussion (2010-2011) and Pulse Percussion (2012). She was a member of Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps (2010) and Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps (2011), and was a member of the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band for two years (2009-2010).
Kristina has taught a variety of ensembles in Arizona and California. She serves on the WGAZ board as Percussion Liasion and helps manage the circuit's social media.
Outside of band, Kristina holds degrees in photography, marketing, and journalism. She enjoys being outdoors, cooking, and seeing live music and performances. She is a senior sales operations associate for a global elevator company.
Kristina proudly endorses Zildjian cymbals.
Nick McInnes
Visual Co-Caption Head
Nick grew up in San Tan Valley, AZ and started music in the 4th grade. He marched The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in 2018, 2019, and 2022, and also served as the section leader of the tuba line. Most recently, Nick was on staff at Williams Field High School in Gilbert, AZ where he taught brass and visual for marching band, leading them to multiple wins and caption awards. He also taught the school’s indoor winds and percussion groups, earning medals for both groups in 2024 and 2025.
Rocco DiMillio
Visual Co-Caption Head/Choreographer
Kaitlyn Misch is a movement and dance-focused educator native to Arizona who has developed a unique approach to the visual package. She has taught the fall and winter seasons at numerous Arizona High Schools over her 8 years teaching.
Over the past few years she was the choreographer at Breakthrough Indoor Percussion, was teaching visual at the Academy Drum and Bugle Corp and is currently the visual caption head at Campo Verde High School.
Marc Chacon
Visual Instructor
Marc Chacon is a visual technician based out of Chandler, AZ. His marching experience includes SDMB ‘15, The Academy DBC ‘16-‘18, and Flux Indoor Percussion ‘19-‘20.
Along with years of marching experience Marc has also taught at The Academy ‘23-‘25, Breakthrough ‘24-‘26, and is currently teaching at Campo Verde High. Marc is also an up and coming drill designer for both winter and fall season.
Steve Lamer
Visual Instructor
Born and raised in Chandler, Arizona, Steve has worked with various schools throughout the state teaching both Visual and Brass techniques to marching bands. His own marching experience includes the NAU Lumberjack Marching Band 18-19, the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps 18-19, and Phenom SoundSport 16-17. During his time at NAU, Steve also taught the Lumberjack Marching Band as their Visual Coordinator.
While his main marching experience comes from drum corps, Steve has also taught with multiple drumlines throughout the state, including Flux Indoor Percussion and Casa Grande Union Percussion. He currently teaches at Higley High School where he is spending his 3rd year as the Visual Caption Head.
Bijan Levinson
Visual Instructor
Bijan Levinson has been involved in a variety of marching ensembles, including the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band and the 2024 Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, where he performed as a mellophone soloist. In 2026, he returned to The Academy as a member of the brass staff, serving as a mellophone technician.
Bijan earned his degree in Architecture from Arizona State University and is currently pursuing studies in Jazz Guitar at Mesa Community College. He plans to pursue a variety of design fields, including architecture and stage production, with focused interests in brass technique, jazz theory, and visual design. He is passionate about combining performance, education, and design in his future career and is excited to work with the students and instructional staff this season.
Alison Brightwell-Balot
Front Ensemble Coordinator
Alison Brightwell-Balot holds a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from Northern Arizona University and her Master’s in Education from Grand Canyon University. She is Director of Percussion at César Chávez High School in Laveen, Arizona where she teaches piano and serves as their percussion music arranger.
Since her move back down to the valley ten years ago, Alison has taught and arranged for various high schools in the state including Sandra Day O’Connor High School where she served as their caption head and co-percussion arranger for 9 years. She has also had the honor to be on staff for Phenom, Phoenix Union Indoor, and Dark Sky Percussion.
Alison has served as adjudicator and/or guest director for the Greater Phoenix Honor Ensembles, AZ Regionals, Solo & Ensemble, and AZPAS. In 2015, Alison was elected Vice President of the Arizona Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and currently serves as an adjudicator for WGAZ.
Alison is sponsored by Innovative Percussion and is an active member of PAS, the Arizona Music Educators Association, WGAZ, and the National Association for Music Education. In her free time Alison enjoys spending time with her husband who is also a percussionist, his daughter, and their 5 dogs.
Tabi Branson
Front Ensemble Instructor
Tabitha Branson is an active music and percussion educator in Phoenix. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Northern Arizona University, under the direction of Dr. Steven Hemphill, and her Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology from Arizona State University under the direction of Dr. Dave Fossum and Dr. Ted Solis.
Tabitha is entering her fifth year as front ensemble caption head at Sandra Day O’Connor High School, where she co-founded the indoor percussion program, and her her eighth year as marching band assistant at Moon Valley High School. During the day, she works full-time on the Education team at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.
She has performed with a variety of ensembles, including the NAU Lumberjack Marching Band, concert and orchestral ensembles, Percussion Ensemble, and Panorama Steel Pan Ensemble; the ASU Javanese Gamelan Ensemble and Latin Marimba Band; Breakthrough Indoor Percussion; and as a percussionist at The Church of the Red Rocks in Sedona. She started teaching private lessons on concert and marching percussion and drumset in 2015 to middle school, high school, and adult students.
Outside of rehearsal, she enjoys traveling with her partner, cooking, and spending quality time with quality people.
Tyler Haley
Front Ensemble Instructor
Born and raised in Arizona, Tyler is a dedicated music educator focusing on enhancing student experience in the classroom to better prepare them for the future. Tyler carries a wealth of teaching experience in the marching arts, previously working with Sabino High School, Sahuarita High School, Mesa High School, and Chandler High School. Tyler holds a Bachelors in Music with an emphasis in percussion performance and a Masters in education. He is currently working on his doctoral degree in educational leadership, where he is researching how to support music teachers in the valley.
Currently, Tyler is the Director of Instrumental Music at Mountain Trail Middle School in North Phoenix and the front ensemble coordinator and winter drumline director for Chandler High School.
Lee Andres
Front Ensemble Instructor
Lee (Mars) Andres is an Arizona native with a deep passion for music education and a strong commitment to the state's marching arts community. Since 2019, they have served as the front ensemble instructor at Desert Ridge High School and, beginning in 2023, also joined the instructional staff at Mountain View High School in Mesa. In addition to their work with these schools, Lee has supported various indoor percussion programs throughout the Valley.
As a performer, Lee was honored to spend seven seasons (2017–2023) with the front ensemble of Vision Percussion, aging out as section leader. They were also a member of the Sun Devil Marching Band’s front ensemble during their time at Arizona State University, as they pursued a Bachelor’s in Psychology.
Outside of music, Lee recently earned a Master’s in Nursing from Arizona State University and are starting their nursing career as a psychiatric nurse with Banner Health.
J.J. Mixdorf
Sound Engineer
J.J. has been teaching the marching arts since 2001, when he started as a front ensemble writer and instructor. After graduating from Arizona State in 2009, he went on to direct his own high school programs. His most recent success was at Combs High School, where the marching band earned two state championships (ABODA and AZMBA 2017).
J.J. likes to be on the bleeding edge of technology, and tries to find ways to adapt them for any group he is involved with, making sure it enhances the performance of the ensemble.
J.J. is currently a music educator in the Mesa Public Schools system in Arizona. J.J. earned his Bachelors’ degree in Music Education from Arizona State (2009), and a Masters in Conducting from Colorado State (2016).
