Artists
Mark Reilly
Mark Reilly, a student of Mr. Nick Attanasio, is a three-time Northeastern States Drum Corps Association snare drum champion. While earning his bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Northwestern State University he studied percussion under Mr. Ken Green and Mrs. Cherissa Legendre Vitter. Upon graduation in 2002 Mark joined “The Old Guard” Fife and Drum Corps where he became the corps’ percussion arranger and currently serves as the snare drum section leader.In 2004 he forged a relationship with Mr. Erik Julliard, producer of the Basel Tattoo and director of the Top Secret Drum Corps of Basel Switzerland. As a performing member of the Top Secret Drum Corps Mark was part of the cast of the 2005 Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s Salute to Australia. Mark then served as the percussion arranger for Top Secret from 2005-2010. Other notable performances on Mark’s resume include the 2005 and 2007 Virginia International Tattoo, the 2009 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, the 2010 Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Sydney Australia, the Inauguration of Barack Obama and the full honor arrivals for Chinese President Hu Jin Tao, Australian Prime Minister John Howard, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.Mark has had the privilege of performing along side rudimental great, Dominick Cuccia, of Dreaded Drummer Productions, as a member of the Not-so-Traditional Players during the 2008 Massachusetts PAS day of Percussion and at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) held in Austin, TX. Mark has presented clinics on Swiss and American rudimental drumming across the United States including the University of Iowa, Marshall University, SUNY Fredonia, the University of Kentucky, the University of Southern Mississippi, Northwestern State University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and the Armed Forces School of Music. Additionally he has presented at various PAS clinics over the last 15 years to include the Louisiana PAS Day of Percussion in 1998, the Virginia/ DC PAS Day of Percussion in 2010 as well as PASIC in 2007 and 2010.
He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Music Education through Boston University and is an avid educator in the Washington DC metropolitan area. He teaches privately and serves as a member of the PASIC Marching Percussion Committee, the Executive Committee of the Company of Fifers and Drummers, an honorary member of the National Association of Rudimental Drummers (NARD), and the United Stated Association of Rudimental Drummers (USARD). Mark is also a consultant to the Top Secret Drum Corps, is endorsed by Offworld Percussion, Loyal Drums, Büchler Trommelbau, and is an Innovative Percussion Performing Artist.
Dr. John Wooton
Dr. John Wooton is the director of percussion studies at The University of Southern Mississippi. A native of Lafayette, La., he has received degrees from the University of Iowa, the University of North Texas and the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
As an instructor and performer, Dr. Wooton has been associated with five P.A.S.I.C. Marching Percussion Forum champions. He marched snare drum for four years with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps of Rockford, Ill. (1981-84). During those years, Dr. Wooton held the Drum Corps Midwest Individual Snare Drum title, the Percussive Arts Society Snare Drum Individual title. From 1987 to 1989, he served as the percussion caption head for the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. In 1990, Dr. Wooton was their percussion consultant. He has also instructed and arranged for several other drum corps in the midwest and south including “Nite Express,” “The Bleu Raeders,” and “The Stardusters.”
Since joining the faculty at Southern Miss, Dr. Wooton, along with establishing a strong percussion studio, has introduced the USM Steel Band, Pop Percussion Ensemble, Samba Band and Salsa Band. He has served as the president of the Percussion Arts Society, Mississippi Chapter, and has been a member of the Percussive Arts Society Marching Committee since 1990. Dr. Wooton is a clinician for Pearl Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, Remo Drum Heads, and Row Loff Publications. He is member of the Vic Firth Education Team and is featured demonstrating all 40 snare drum rudiments on the Vic Firth web site (www.vicfirth.com). Recently John has performed clinics and concerts in England, Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Within the United States Dr. Wooton has given clinics, recitals and concerts in all but two states. Dr. Wooton also plays vibraphone and drum set for the USM Jazz Quintet and leads his professional steel band “Kaiso!” playing steel pans.
Dr. Wooton has authored two books and numerous rudimental snare drum solos and marching percussion ensemble pieces. Most recently, his book “Dr. Throwdown’s Rudimental Remedies” consists of a two hour DVD, 951 play along tracks and 25 lessons. The “The Drummer’s Rudimental Reference Book” is a staple amongst universities throughout the U.S. and abroad. About Dr. Wooton’s Rudimental Reference Book, Thomas L. Davis said “Perhaps the most definitive rudimental technique book of our time.”
John R. Beck
John R. Beck has been a member of the faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts since 1998 and Wake Forest University since 2005. He is a performer with the Winston-Salem and Greensboro Symphony orchestras, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the Philidor Percussion Group, and is a former member of the United States Marine Band. For 10 years he performed regularly with the National and Baltimore Symphonies, Washington and Baltimore Operas, and the Theater Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center. Beck has toured the United States as a xylophone soloist with the Jack Daniel's Silver Cornet Band, Brass Band of Battle Creek, and the New Sousa Band. He is a Past President of the Percussive Arts Society and has served on the PAS Education Committee, Board of Directors, NC Chapter President, and has presented clinics at state Days of Percussion, PASIC, Midwest, and MENC events. As an educator Beck has also served on the faculties of the Universities of Utah, Colorado, Nevada - Las Vegas, North Carolina - Greensboro, and Florida State. His CD “Shared Spaces” is on the Equilibrium label, and in 2000 his educational video “Ensemble Techniques and Musicianship for Percussionists” was distributed free to all high schools in North Carolina through a state Arts Council Grant. He is very pleased to wear the Loyal Drum Sling made with the same attention to detail and craftsmanship as the historic drums he enjoys playing and preserving.
Matt Bell
Matthew Bell is a Percussionist known for his versatility and high degree of finesse across a broad range of rudimental and folk traditions. Matt holds a Bachelors of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from DePaul University, where his primary teachers were Ted Atkatz and Michael Green. Matt began his Celtic percussion career in 1993 as a member of the City of Washington Pipe Band under the direction of Jonathan Quigg. After several top-five finishes from 1996 to 1998, the band won the Grade 2 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in August of 1999. The City of Washington Pipe Band’s Drum Corps were also World Champions that day. The Band was immediately upgraded to Grade 1. Presently, The City of Washington is one of only four Grade 1 bands in the United States.In 2006, Matt was admitted to the Adjudicator’s Panel of the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association. He is a frequent drumming judge at pipe band contests throughout the United States.Matt has performed and/or recorded on the bodhrán with with a host of Celtic musicians including Bonnie Rideout, Jerry O’Sullivan, William Jackson, John Doyle, Cathie Ryan, Liz Carroll, Joanie Madden, Mick Maloney, Brendan Dolan, and Billy McComiskey. He is featured on Billy McComiskey’s Grammy- nominated album, Outside the Box, on Compass Records. His new book, The Contemporary Bodhrán, is now available on his website.
Since 2002, Matt has served as a snare drum instrumentalist with the United States Army’s Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. He has performed hundreds of shows with the Corps over the last ten years, including the inaugurations of Presidents Bush and Obama. Matt has also enjoyed serving as a clinician at Shenandoah University, the Ohio University, the Ohio State University, Marshall University, and the University of Kentucky. Matt also performed as part of the Old Guard Drumline at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2007 and 2010.
Please visit Matt’s Website at www.matthewbellmusic.com for audio and video clips and a more detailed bio.
Matt proudly endorses Loyal Drums, OffWorld Percussion Products, Vic Firth Drumsticks and Mallets, and Remo Drumheads and World Percussion Instruments.
For more info on the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, please visit www.fifeanddrum.army.mil (link may be broken)
Andrew Hoinacki
Andrew Hoinacki started drumming in the Scottish style at age six and in just a few years learned tenor, bass and snare. After formative years in a junior band program, he has been competing since age 14 with bands in Grade 1 and Grade 2 including many years as a leading drummer. He competes and performs as a distance member of the Grade 1 Los Angeles Scots Pipe Band which is the premier competitive pipe band of the United States. Outside his primary experience in the Scottish community, Andrew was also heavily active in music during his school years serving principal roles in marching band, concert band, jazz ensemble, and choral programs throughout middle school, high school, and at Monmouth College where he was the very first recipient of a full tuition scholarship for pipe band drumming.
Andrew's solo accolades at the Professional level in the pipe band idiom include United States Champion, MWPBA Champion Supreme, and WUSPBA Champion Supreme. He has served as an adjudicator for Scottish drumming solo, drum corps and band ensemble categories for over a decade, is a current member of the Midwest Pipe Band Association Music Board which oversees regional standards and credentials, and a past member of the Western US Pipe Band Association Music Board while living for several years in Southern California.
Andrew is a native of the Chicago area and is a full-time drumming educator. He operates the AR2 Drumming Studio providing both online and live instruction for individuals and groups from beginner to mastery level. Andrew is currently serving a faculty appointment as Drum Major at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin - where he presently based - and instructs cadets in both Scottish and Regimental styles of drumming . Andrew is also the Dean of the Chicago Academy of Piping and Drumming where he oversees all scholastic programming for this youth program.
His well-rounded experience, down-to-earth approach, and very successful track record have made him a sought-after instructor for all forms of pipe band drumming, band coaching, summer schools, group lectures, and also for his musical compositions and arrangements.
Scott Jamison
Scott Jamison was born and raised in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. His high school rudimental influences stemmed from many instructors that include Kevin Welborn, Ryan Saul, Tony Lymon, and Matt Little. From the fall of 2003 through the spring of 2007, he attended school at The University of Southern Mississippi. While there, he was primarily taught by Dr. John Wooton and was an active participant in the Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Winds, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Steel Pan Orchestra, and The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band. He was a co-captain of the drumline in 2005 and was the drum captain in 2006, while serving as the 2006 Presser Foundation Scholarship Recipient. During his time at Southern Miss, he was also a drumline instructor for the All-Superior Oak Grove High School Marching Band. In the summer of 2006, he had the distinct pleasure of performing with the Capital Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. During this time, he received direct instruction from Matt Ramey, Brian Stevens, Glen Crosby, Murray Gusseck, and Ralph Hardimon.
Scott was accepted into The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps in 2007. While in the corps, he has performed for thousands of civilians and servicemembers, to include Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He serves the corps both as a Snare Drum Instrumentalist and as a Maintenance Specialist for the Drumline. In 2010, he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music from The University of Southern Mississippi, performed as a clinician at the First Annual Convention of the United States Association of Rudimental Drummers, and performed with The Old Guard at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. He has also recently stemmed into the traditional rudimental drum scene by playing with the Civil War Troopers Fife and Drum Corps in 2010.
Alex Kuldell
Alex Kuldell began learning to play the drums in 1986 with the Washington Scottish Pipe Band under lead drummer Ed Bauder. Throughout grade school he was a member of virtually every musical ensemble in the Fairfax County school system including the George Mason Honor Band, District 10 Band, and the Virginia State Band. During this time Alex was also a marching member of the Patriots of Northern Virginia and studied under the late Sam Evans. In 1997 Alex was recruited by lead drummer Jon Quigg into the grade II City of Washington Pipe Band. Within the next two years the band won the 1999 North American Pipe Band Championships and World Pipe Band Championships, resulting in a promotion to grade I. In addition, Alex was the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association professional snare drum solo season champion in 2000 and 2001.
Alex is currently the lead drummer of the City of Washington Pipe Band, an Eastern United States Pipe Band Association Adjudicator, and is serving as a member of The Army’s Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. In addition to these duties he also teaches private/group lessons and freelances in and around the Washington D.C area. www.alexdrum.com (link may be broken)
Andrew Porter
J. Andrew Porter is a percussionist in the West Point Band at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He was appointed as a rudimental drummer in the band’s field music group, known as “The Hellcats”, in 2005. The West Point Band is the oldest continuously serving band in the United States Army. History of the unit dates back to the Revolutionary War period, with fifers and drummers who were attached to General Washington’s Continental Army.
Prior to his appointment with The Hellcats, Andrew taught general music and band in his home state of Kentucky, and served two years as a full time percussion specialist in Texas. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Western Kentucky University, and a Master of Music in percussion performance from Louisiana State University. His primary teachers include Dr. Christopher S. Norton, Dr. Michael G. Kingan, Timothy K. Adams, Jr. and Conrad Alexander.
As a concert percussionist, Andrew has performed with the New York Philharmonic, Baton Rouge Symphony, Natchez Opera Festival Orchestra, Dallas Wind Symphony, and Brevard Music Center Orchestra. As a rudimental percussionist, he performed as a snare drummer with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps from 1993-1995, and was the snare line section leader for the 1996 WGI Independent World Class Champion Music City Mystique. In addition to freelance performance opportunities in the lower Hudson Valley area, Andrew frequently performs with the West Point Concert Band, West Point Percussion Ensemble, and the West Point Steel Band. As a member of The Hellcats, Andrew has presented clinics for PASIC, KOSA, various PAS Days of Percussion, and USARD. As an independent clinician, Andrew often presents clinics and master classes covering marching and concert percussion techniques for university percussion studios and high school bands.
Brendan Mason
Brendan Mason is an active teacher, performer, and clinician in the Southern New England area. He currently teaches general music at The Saint Mary School in Branford, CT and provides private lessons across Southern Connecticut. Brendan also instructs several area drumlines, including the 7th Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, the Cheshire High School Marching Band, the Connecticut Patriots, and the Col. John Chester Fife and Drum Corps. He formerly instructed the drumlines at Maloney High School in Meriden and Sheehan High School in Wallingford.
Brendan is a student of Paul Cormier, Mike Gagnon and later studied under Ken Green while attending Northwestern State University of Louisiana to pursue a degree in music education and percussion performance. Brendan started playing rudimental snare drum at the age of 6 as a member of the Col. John Chester Drum Corps. He soon began competing individually through the Corps, winning honors at the Connecticut, Massachusetts, Hudson Valley, and Northeastern States Championships. At age 9, Brendan became the youngest drummer to hold The Dan English Trophy as the Connecticut State Junior Snare Drum Champion, a distinction he has won more times than any other individual.
While a full-time member of the Connecticut Patriots and the Grand Republic Drum Corps, Brendan has also performed with the Middlesex County Volunteers and The Top Secret Drum Corps of Basel, Switzerland. Through these groups, Brendan has toured both nationally and internationally, performing in Switzerland, France, Germany, and Australia. He has individually performed with notable musicians, such as Shania Twain, and was featured on an ESPN recording. Brendan is a proud member of Unite States Association of Rudimental Drummers and The National Association of Rudimental Drummers. Brendan uses products from Reamer’s Drummer Service and Loyal Drums.
Michelle Blam
Michelle Blam is a tenor drummer for the Los Angeles Scots, the premier Grade 1 pipe band in the United States. Her career in pipe bands started in 2004, but her musical career began much earlier in her hometown of Austin, Texas with piano and flute lessons at a young age. Michelle began tenor with the grade 3 Silver Thistle Pipes and Drums in Austin, Texas in 2004 and competed in both the 2008 and 2011 World Pipe Band Championships for Grade 3B in Glasgow, Scotland. She served as Lead Tenor for Silver Thistle from 2009 to 2011. Joining the grade 1 Oran Mor Pipe Band out of Albany, New York in 2012, Michelle competed in the Grade 1 arena for the first time at the World Pipe Band Championships. She recently returned from the 2013 Championships where she competed with the Los Angeles Scots. Notable solo performance achievements include 3rd place in the Amateur grade at the 2012 MHAF Winter Storm competition, and 4th place in the Professional Gold Medal grade at the 2013 MHAF Winter Storm competition. Michelle is currently in her senior year at the University of Texas at Austin, studying public relations and journalism. In her spare time, she enjoys teaching tenor drumming lessons, swimming, cooking and traveling.
The Traditional Collective
Since september 2014 Andries Renema, Peter Vulperhorst, Xander van der Ploeg and Jordano da Silva Piloto are working together to found a new ensemble called Traditional Collective Drum Corps (TC). All mentioned gentlemen have achieved a lot in the drum corps scene which would contribute to an advanced level of performances.
Traditional Collective is inspired by The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Drums will be a combination between Swiss and American rudiments with influences of patriarch Sjoerd Westra. In addition TC will perform in-house composition as well.
Not only is TC inspired by The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the two organizations are connected to each other through friendship. Leading person for this friendship is Mark Reilly, Mark is drum group leader for the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. From the first moment Mark was excited about TC. As a dedicated motivator, TC appointed Mark as official mentor for this unique group.
By honoring the past and its tradition it’s TC’s aim to keep the spirit alive. This makes the connection with The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps even stronger. The motivation comes from exciting global movement regarding traditional drumming. That’s why TC gun for traditions while pursuing excellence!