Mark Monaghan and Adam Freeman Announce 2017 Percussion Staff!
Mark Monaghan, Percussion Caption Head, Adam Freeman, Music Ensemble Coordinator, and the Hawthorne Caballeros are proud to introduce the 2017 Percussion Staff!
Carlos Vazquez – Snare Technician
Carlos is a graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he double-majored in Music Education and Psychology and is currently working on his master’s degree in percussion performance at Rutgers. His marching background includes Cadets of NYC 2004, Skyliners 2006, and Bushwackers 2010. Carlos has been a percussion educator in New Jersey for 10 years teaching several high schools, private lessons, clinics, and the Rutgers University Drum Line. He is an active freelance musician in the New York and New Jersey area, specializing in classical and Latin percussion. He has played on the national tour of Hair the musical and currently plays snare drum for the NY Giants Drum Line, an employee of Gallant Entertainment. He has had the honor to play alongside musicians such as Eddie Palmieri and Delfeayo Marsalis and has recorded with the Wu-Tang Clan.
Phil Parent – Snare Technician
Phil started drumming at age 10, playing cymbals with the 3rd Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. He later joined the ranks of the Cadets of Bergen County from 1998 to 2000, where he won 2 DCI titles playing snare. Phil marched his only WGI season with SPYE from Kitchener, Ontario, in 2001. From 2001 to 2009, he was a member of the Syracuse Brigadiers Senior Corps as a member (staff in 2008). Phil has taught and/or designed shows for numerous drum corps, marching bands, and indoor drum lines, including Walled Lake Central High School, Ferndale High School, Chesaning Union High School, Norwich High School, Kingston Grenadiers, and Quebec Alliance. Phil went on to march two seasons with the Hawthorne Caballeros in 2011 and 2012 and became visual technician until June of 2013. He came back summer of 2016 on percussion staff.
Phil graduated from the Montreal aeronautics professional school (EMAM) in “aircraft structural assembly”. He has been working for Bombardier Aerospace on the Global private jets division since 2009. He resides in Montreal, Canada where he enjoys playing hockey, playing tenors for the University of Montreal Drum Line, and teaching percussion. Phil is excited to be back with the Caballeros organization for the 2017 season!
Colin Williams – Tenor Technician
A native of Raleigh, NC, Colin Williams has been involved with various percussion programs over the past seven years. In the 2015-2016 season, Colin was head instructor for the East Carolina Marching Pirates Drum Line. He, for the 2016 season, also served as the quad technician for Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps. In addition, Colin has served as the head percussion instructor and arranger at Riverside High School in Williamston, NC (2011-2014) and Havelock High School (2014-2015).
As a performer, Colin has been a part of such ensembles as the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (DCI-World Class Finalist) and the GMU Indoor Drum Line (WGI-Independent World Class), as well as serving as a section leader for both ForzaEAST Independent (WGI-Independent Open Class) and the East Carolina Marching Pirates Drum Line. In these organizations, he has had the opportunity to learn from Ralph Hardimon, Brian Stevens, Mike Jackson, Chris Garay, Nick Nichols, Will Goodyear, and many others.
Colin currently holds a B.M. in Music Education and a B.M. in Music Composition and Theory from East Carolina University, where he studied under Dr. Jonathan Wacker and Christopher Nappi. Colin now resides in New Brunswick, NJ, where he is pursuing a master’s degree in percussion performance from the Mason Gross School of Music under Joe Tompkins, Dr. Mike Truesdell, Kyle Zerna, and Javier Diaz.
Kirby Marino – Tenor Technician
Kirby Marino started his marching career at Phillipsburg High School in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. He then went on to march with the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps from 2012-2013 and Fusion Core in 2015. In 2016, Kirby aged out with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. He has marched WGI with United Percussion from 2014-2017. Kirby has taught numerous high schools in the New Jersey area, but currently works with John P. Stevens High School and Phillipsburg High School.
Matt Blood – Front Ensemble Coordinator
Matt Blood is a percussionist, percussion arranger, and educator based out of the New Jersey-area. He has arranged for the Haddonfield Memorial Marching Band percussion section and the 7-time TOB Atlantic Coast Championship winning West Deptford High School Marching Band. Currently, Matt is a percussion instructor for the West Deptford High School Marching Band and the Eastern Regional High School Indoor drumline. In 2016-2017, Matt will begin arranging for the Eastern Regional Indoor Drum Line and will work with the staff at the In Motion Indoor Winds ensemble in their inaugural year of TIA and WGI Winds competition.
Matt is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in classical percussion performance from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, where he also has performed in some of their top ensembles. In addition, Matt has performed as a member of the United Percussion Front Ensemble during their 2012-2014 seasons. Matt is very excited to work with the Caballeros organization.
Valeri Liiva-Katz – Front Ensemble Technician
This is Valeri’s 19th year with the Hawthorne Caballeros. She has had many various positions including writer, arranger, section leader, member, conductor, and instructor. This year she will be a technician for the front ensemble’s percussionists.
Valeri is from a small town outside of the Philly-area, Media, PA. She marched with The Crossmen of Pennsylvania for 3 years and aged-out with The Blue Devils of Concord, California. She completed her undergraduate degree in Music Education from West Chester University of West Chester, PA. She taught Lone Star Junior Drum and Bugle corps of Commerce, TX. She completed her masters in Music Education at The University of North Texas, Denton, TX.
Valeri has taught music throughout NJ since 1998; marching bands, indoor drum lines, concert bands, jazz bands, pit orchestras, instrumental lessons, choirs, general music, and the Little Kids Rock program. She is presently a full-time instrumental music teacher and band director at the Elizabeth Public School District in Elizabeth, NJ, at Winfield Scott School No. 2 and Toussaint L’Ouverture Marquis De Lafayette School No. 6.
Erik Marlin – Front Ensemble Technician
Erik is currently in his last year at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, pursuing his bachelor’s degree in music education. He took up percussion in the 7th grade and has been enthusiastic about it ever since. He participated in his high school marching band for 4 years and continued on to be a member in DCI open class corps, The Raiders. Erik was with The Raiders from 2009-2011 and was also a member of United Percussion in 2012. His past teaching experience includes the Rutgers Youth Percussion Ensemble, Ramsay High School, Franklin High School, and most recently Bridgewater-Raritan High School where he is still on staff as the Front Ensemble Coordinator.
Interested in marching? The Hawthorne Caballeros have set the date for their 2017 open house, see below for details:
Date: 11/26/16 – 11/27/16
Time: 11/26, 9a-5p; 11/27, 9a-4p
Location: Passaic County Technical Institute
Address: 45 Reinhardt Road, Wayne, NJ 07470
Check out the Facebook event page for full details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1042649779166584/
Don’t forget to fill out an interest form by visiting the following link: http://www.hawthornecaballeros.org/join-the-cabs/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPbJkZDSTT0&feature=youtu.be