2023 Staff

                                                         Joshua Sipe

Ensemble Director

Joshua is from Jeromesville, OH. He attended the University of Akron where he studied percussion under distinguished professor Dr. Larry D. Snider. Joshua currently holds  a Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Akron in Music Education. He has instructed at Mapleton High School, and he currently is the Visual Designer/Instructor for the Cloverleaf High School Indoor Percussion Ensemble (PSA). This group would go on to win gold in PRA in the 2022 OIPA Circuit. He was also a quad/visual tech for Rogues Hollow Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was a member of Matrix Open in both the 2019 (drumset)  and 2021 (bass drum) seasons. He is a three-year veteran of the Columbus Saints Drum and Bugle Corps (2017-2019), where he performed two years on tenors and one on drumset. Joshua was a 4-year member of Ohio’s Pride, The University of Akron Marching Band (2018-2021). During this time, he served as the quadline section leader for 3 of those years. He is the current Percussion Caption Head for the Columbus Saints Drum and Bugle Corps. In his free time, Joshua enjoys collecting Hot Wheels.

Bretton Jones

Assistant Director

Bretton is from and currently resides in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. After marching all four years with the Reynoldsburg Raider Marching Pride in the front ensemble, he would go on to march four seasons with the Columbus Saints Drum and Bugle Corps, from 2015 through 2017 and 2022. His indoor percussion experience was as the center marimba for Galaxy Percussion, where he would win an OIPA Gold Medal for PIA class. Bretton started teaching percussion with private lessons, he then went on teach private lessons for The Columbus Saints, as well as being the front ensemble tech for Mount Vernon High School. On top of his music education experience, Bretton holds a bachelors degree in Organizational Leadership from Arizona State University and is a member of The Columbus Saints Board of Directors. On top of being a percussionist, in high school Bretton played oboe in concert band, and he currently also plays mandolin and guitar.

 

Le Ron Carlton

Program Director

(More Info Coming Soon!)

 

                                                                       Hazel Grace

 Front Ensemble Staff

Hailing from Westerville, Ohio, Hazel Grace, a recent age out from WGI performance, brings a lot of passion to the technician staff. Having marched 4 seasons with the Columbus Saints Drum Corps, Hazel also has spent her time marching with ensembles such as ConneXus (2017), INov8 (2018, 2019), and Matrix World (2020 – 2022). Even though she has spent all of her marching career as a keyboard player, she has spent extensive amounts of time learning and honing other skills to dive into visual skills, as well as techniques within marching battery instruments.
As an educator, Hazel has volunteered her time under 4 separate schools to date. Those schools being Belpre Highschool, Centerburg Highschool, Cloverleaf Highschool, and Thomas Worthington Highschool. each of those seasons, spending the time cracking down on essential fundamentals as well as learning tools to use at home when there’s no instrument access.
In her Free time she works at Zoombezi Bay, and the Columbus Aquarium, as mainly a bartender, previously a cabana server
“At the end of the day, you perform a product that will affect people. You are the magic, they see the magic. What will you do to look your best not only in show, or in rehearsal, but in life as well? Be the reason you brighten someone’s day.” ~ Hazel Grace

 

Jim Swanson

Battery Staff

(More Info Coming Soon!)

                                                      William (Billy) Brooks

Battery Arranger

Billy is from Mars, Pennsylvania, where he attended Mars Area High School. During this time, he marched 5 seasons with the Mars Area Marching Band, playing xylophone for 2 seasons and snare for 3, competing in the PIMBA Class A circuit. He also marched 5 additional seasons with their indoor program, Mars Indoor Percussion (with the same instrument structure as his outdoor seasons, respectively) in the TRWEA Scholastic A circuit.
Since graduating in 2021, he has marched with the University of Akron Marching Band for 2 years on snare. He has also marched with Rogues Hollow Regiment in 2022 in DCA Open Class on snare. Currently, Billy is contracted for the 2023 WGI season with Cap City 2 on snare, performing in the Independent Open Class.
Outside of the marching arts, Billy currently teaches at Cloverleaf High School as a battery tech. He also teaches and arranges for their indoor program, Cloverleaf Indoor Percussion, who performs in the OIPA Scholastic A Class. In his free time, Billy enjoys playing video games and drawing.
Billy is very excited to work with the staff for their first ever season marching!

               Harley Nunez

Front Ensemble Arranger

Harley Nunez is a student at The University of Akron working on his undergrad in Music Education and Percussion Performance. In the Akron studio, he studies under distinguished professor Dr. Larry D. Snider and has gained experience in many different areas of percussion including Orchestral, Steel Pan, Samba, and several forms of hand-drumming from Africa and the Middle East.

Harley’s marching experience includes his 5 years with Louisville High School and three years with The University of Akron Marching Band. He also marched the 2020 and 2021 WGI seasons with Matrix Open and the 2022 season with Matrix World.  In 2021 and 2022, Harley performed in the front ensemble with the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps.

Additionally, since Spring 2016, Harley has been teaching and consulting at En-Rich-MENT of Stark County, a non-profit 501(c)(3) that offers fine arts classes to underserved youth ages 5-18 in Canton, Ohio completely free of charge to families. At En-Rich-MENT, he instructs for the youth steel band and youth drumline that performs at dozens of events throughout the community each year.

Harley’s other current teaching positions include private lesson work through Firefly Music School in Akron, Ohio and teaching at Cloverleaf High School in Lodi, Ohio. He assists with the marching band and newly formed Cloverleaf Indoor Percussion who won Percussion Scholastic Regional A State Championships their first year out in 2022.

Harley is excited to be an arranger and consultant for the Columbus Saints Indoor Percussion Ensemble and to reach out to more youth through the arts.