Tommy Roam
Founder & President
Tommy Roam is a music educator, battery arranger, visual designer, and coordinator in the marching arts with over a decade of experience developing performers and percussion programs across the country. He has been in staff and leadership roles with Bluecoats, Carolina Crown, Crossmen, and Connexus. He was most recently the percussion director for Kettering Fairmont HS in Dayton, OH.
Today, Tommy continues to support and develop percussion programs throughout the St. Louis region while also working full-time as a Mortgage Loan Originator. He currently lives in St. Peters, Missouri with his wife, Mia, and bulldog, Leonard.
Tommy endorses Innovative Percussion, Evans Drumheads, and Zildjian Cymbals.
Shane Batchelor
Co-founder & Vice President
Shane Batchelor directs all percussion activities for Grain Valley Public Schools. He leads the marching percussion ensemble for the Grain Valley Marching Eagles and conducts three ability-based percussion ensembles at Grain Valley High School. Shane is an alumnus of the university of Missouri-Columbia (Batchelor of Science in Music Education), Bowling Green State University (Master of Music in Teaching Artistry) , Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, Freedom Indoor Percussion, and Francis Howell Central High School. Additionally, he served on the instructional staff for Freedom Percussion, Gateway Indoor Percussion and the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps. He is an educational artist for Innovative Percussion and serves in the marching community as an active arranger and adjudicator. Shane resides in Grain Valley with his wife, Molly, and sons, Oliver and Evan.
Robert Gatewood
Treasurer, Percussion Staff & Program Design
Robert Gatewood has served as a percussion educator in the St. Louis region for more than 15 years. Over the last 13 years, Robert has served as the Assistant Director of Modulation Z/Ft. Zumwalt Combined Schools, a three-time WGI PIA medalist, two-time PIA World Champion, and nine-time finalist. Robert also serves as the Treasurer and Show Coordinator for Central States Performance Association.
Outside of teaching, Robert is a Senior Grants Administrator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which serves as one of the training hospitals for Harvard Medical School. He lives in St. Peters with his wife, Sarah, kids Scarlett and Amelia, and pitbulls Ginger and Remo.
Ryan Treasure
Secretary, Percussion Staff & Program Design
Ryan Treasure was the Percussion Director at Fort Zumwalt North High School for 17 years before becoming the Assistant Band Director/Percussion Director at Fort Zumwalt East High School for 16 years and Dubray Middle School for 7 years, Founder and Director of Modulation Z (WGI Gold Medalist 2017, 2023/Silver Medalist 2022) since 2013, and was the Director of Marching Percussion at Lindenwood University for 2 years.
Ryan graduated from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music and received his Master of Arts Degree in Education from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. He achieved his “Lifetime Certification in Music Education K-12” in 2012.
Ryan is currently endorsed by Tama/Bergerault, Innovative Percussion, Remo Percussion and Sabian Cymbals. Ryan resides in Wentzville, Missouri with his wife, Tanya and their son, Teagan.
Andrew Markworth
Music & Front Ensemble Arranger
Andrew Markworth is a composer, arranger and consultant writing wind, front ensemble and battery percussion for marching bands, indoor drumlines and drum corps. Andrew currently resides in Centerville, Ohio with his wife Kara, their children Natalie and Brady, and Ralphie, the Westie. Previously, he was the Centerville High School Band Director from 2005-2008 before becoming a full-time writer. He has been the front ensemble and sound designer at Rhythm X, Inc. since 2006.
Andrew endorses Yamaha Percussion, Evans Drumheads, and Zildjian Cymbals. He is a signature artist with Promark - having designed the Andrew Markworth Signature mallets, released in 2018. He is in-demand as a freelance consultant.
Roger Carter
Music & Battery Arranger
Roger Carter’s teaching experience includes Riverside Community College, Blue Devils, Freelancers, Crossmen, Madison Scouts, Broken City, and is currently the Percussion Caption Head for the Bluecoats, from Canton, Ohio. Under his direction, the Bluecoats won the DCI World Championship in 2016 and in 2022 achieved the Fred Sanford High Percussion Award, both firsts in the organization’s 50-year history. In 2024 the corps won the DCI World Championship for a second time.
Over several decades, he has instructed a multitude of talented and successful scholastic percussion programs and leads the ensembles at Mission Viejo H.S. and Aliso Niguel H.S. in the Southern California area. In 2023, Roger was named the Director of Marching Percussion for San Diego State University, in San Diego, California.
As a Signature Artist, Roger performs and instructs with Vic Firth Sticks/Mallets, and is a performing artist with TAMA | Bergerault Marching Percussion, Zildjian Cymbals, and Evans drumheads.
Tim Fairbanks
Visual Designer
Tim Fairbanks has taught at Centerville HS (OH) since 1997, and has been the visual Designer for the marching band, winter guard, and indoor drumline, which is a consistent Scholastic World Finalist at the WGI World Championships. Centerville Indoor Drumline is the 1999 Scholastic Open Champion and 2004 WGI Scholastic World Champion.
Tim designed for Rhythm X, WGI Percussion Independent World Class Champion in 2008, 2009, 2013 and has been the Drill Designer for the Bluecoats (Canton, OH), the Blue Stars (Lacrosse, WI), and The Crossmen (San Antonio, TX).
He proudly endorses the products of Pearl/Adams, Evans/D’addario, Sabian Inc., and is a signature artist with ProMark. Tim has been the Vice President for WGI Sport of the Arts, serving on the WGI Board of Director’s Executive Committee, in addition to membership on the WGI Percussion Advisory Board and Steering Committee. Tim is an internationally in-demand clinician, designer, arranger and adjudicator and lives in Centerville, OH with his wife Jodi, two kids, Logan and Carter, and their dog Archer.
Dan Schack
Program & Artistry Consultant
Dan Schack serves as the Creative Director & Battery Caption Head of the George Mason University Indoor Drumline, the Program Coordinator & Battery Arranger of the Connecticut Hurricanes Drum and Bugle Corps, and a Battery Coordinator for the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps. Outside of his musical endeavors, Dan is a Project Manager at Huge Inc., a digital creative agency, where his clients include Google and YouTube.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Women’s Studies from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s in English and Women’s Studies from Wright State University. He also holds certifications in Personal Training and Nutrition under the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Read Dan’s CV.
Dan proudly endorses Vic Firth drumsticks, Zildjian Cymbals, Remo drumheads, Pearl/Adams percussion instruments, and Lot Riot apparel.
Drew Brown
Board of Directors & Program Design
Drew Brown has been involved with music and the marching arts since 2001 as a performer, educator, and designer. He is the current Percussion Director at Beavercreek City Schools and a Program Consultant at ConneXus. From 2015-2019, Drew worked with the Colts Drum & Bugle Corps as a front ensemble technician, front ensemble coordinator, and electronics coordinator. In 2020 and 2021, Drew worked with the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps as a front ensemble technician. Most recently, Drew has worked with ConneXus from 2013-Current in various roles including ensemble director, music coordinator, and program consultant. Currently, Drew is the Percussion Director for Beavercreek City Schools, where he teaches Marching Band, directs the Indoor Percussion Ensemble, directs the Middle School Drumline, and teaches classroom percussion to students in grades 6-12 across the district. Drew is proud to be endorsed by Innovative Percussion, Evans Drumheads, and Sabian Cymbals. He currently resides in Dayton, OH with his wife Cierra, their son Calvin, and their pets Duke (dog) and Valentuna (cat).
Chris Cablish
Program Design, Secretary & Percussion Staff
Chris Cablish is an active performer, educator, arranger, and mentor in the St. Louis percussion community.
During his 13-year tenure with Freedom Percussion, he served as a performing member, battery technician, battery caption head, and battery arranger. The ensemble enjoyed multiple WGI Finalist appearances and several medal finishes during that period, including notable success in the music caption. He has also worked with the Francis Howell School District as a battery instructor, arranger, and consultant, and remains actively involved with the Saint Louis Caledonian Pipe Band, serving various roles throughout the years as a performer, lead drummer, arranger, and drum coach.
When he isn’t writing or teaching music, Chris works as a software developer at Build-A-Bear Workshop and spends time with his wife and two children at their home in High Ridge, Missouri.
Katie Busby
Front Ensemble, Board of Directors & Graphics Design
Katie Busby has been involved in the marching percussion scene in St Louis for over 15 years. She is currently the front ensemble caption head at Modulation Z and teaches the front ensembles at Rockwood Summit and Francis Howell Independent amongst several other high schools in the area. She was on staff at Freedom Percussion from her age out in 2017 until 2022. She also is currently serving as secretary on Central States Performance Association’s Board of Directors.
Katie has a Music Performance degree from the University of Missouri Saint Louis. Although orchestral percussion was her main area of study, she also studied piano and West African/Cuban percussion. She has performed at a variety of events including the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the Mid Missouri Percussion Arts Trophy, the Missouri Music Educators Association Conference, the Missouri Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion. She’s also helped facilitate many percussion clinics in the Saint Louis area.
Katie is passionate about crafting an atmosphere where her students are able to push themselves to their highest potential; to grow musically as well as personally.
Kristin Heideman
Cymbals, Visual & Choreography
Kristin Heideman was born and raised in the St. Louis area. Her performing arts experience began in competitive dance at age three, where she trained and competed in several forms of dance for 15 years. She has also been involved in the marching arts for over 20 years.
After completing her high school career at Francis Howell Central as the Drum Major, she was handed her first pair of cymbals as a junior at the University of Missouri on the Marching Mizzou drumline. She was also a member of the University’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble, giving her an opportunity to perform and study music on a tour of China. After graduating in 2010 with a B.S. in Atmospheric Science, she was a member of Gateway Percussion’s cymbal line in 2011 and 2012. Kristin is an environmental scientist by day, but has also taught many forms of music for 15 years, including marching band, drum major camps, and indoor percussion all over the St. Louis area. She was the cymbal instructor at Freedom Percussion for seven years, and the assistant director in her final two years, contributing to the design team and visual production. She is very excited to jump into a new project, and can’t wait to get started.
Marcus Kwasa
Battery Staff: Quads
Marcus Kwasa is originally from Edwardsville, Illinois Marcus was a member of Gateway Percussion 2018 and Veritas Indoor Percussion in 2020 both in Quads Currently serving as the Director of Fleur Winter Percussion, Percussion Instructor at O'Fallon Township High School, and Percussion Coordinator at Highland High School and Fort Zumwalt South High School.
Throughout his teaching career, Marcus has worked with programs across the STL area, including Freedom Percussion, Modulation Z, Fox High School, and Mater Dei Catholic High School. Outside of the activity, Marcus works as a Fraud Analyst at a bank, where he helps protect customers from scams and fraudulent activity. In his free time, he enjoys weightlifting, exploring new restaurants, and playing Age of Empires II.
John Schwerdt
Battery Staff: Snare
John Schwerdt is from St. Louis, MO where his passion for drumming started with the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps. His drum corps career started in high school and marched 4 years in DCI including with the 2013 gold medalist Carolina Crown. After aging out he spent 4 more years teaching drum corps as a snare drum tech and eventually as a caption head. He has taught groups around the St. Louis area, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, and South Carolina. In 2012 he took a year off of drum corps to travel to Belgrade, Serbia to perform alongside the Stankovic percussion ensemble, and host a series of clinics. That summer John’s two first passions, baseball and music, came together and got to perform at the MLB All Star Game and Home Run Derby. John has also been a guest clinician and instructor for the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleer Marching Band.
During his performing and teaching career he had the privilege of learning from some people that laid the foundation for marching percussion as we know it now including Nick Angelis, Jeff Queen, Thom Hannum, Cisco Hance, Zach Schlicher, Jesse Willis, Eric Thompson, Brian Perez, and Nick Arce, among others. The importance of passing on the knowledge given to him to the next generation of players is very high.
Jack Rufkahr
Battery Staff: Cymbals
Jack Rufkahr is a cymbal player from St. Louis Missouri. Their marching background includes Freedom Percussion 2022-2023, Music City Mystique 2024, Crossmen 2023-2025, and Rhythm X 2025-2026. They also teach locally in the St. Louis area and with RCR for the 2026 summer tour. They are super excited for this winter!
Matt Chang
Front Ensemble
Matthew Chang is a proud alumnus of Blue Springs High School and currently serves as Assistant Band Director and Percussion Specialist. He has dedicated over 23 years to the Blue Springs Department of Bands, where he coordinates the Front Ensemble and Audio Team for the Blue Springs High School Marching Band.
During his tenure, the band has been a multiple-time Bands of America (BOA) Super Regional Finalist in St. Louis, Indianapolis, Atlanta, and San Antonio, as well as a five-time Grand National Finalist. The band has also performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (three times), the Tournament of Roses Parade (twice), the Presidential Inaugural Parade, and the Dublin St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The Blue Springs Band is also a proud recipient of the Sudler Shield.
Matthew is passionate about teaching and takes pride in helping students grow through dedication and hard work—encouraging them to exceed their own expectations. He is proud to be part of the Innovative Percussion family.
Isaiah Sterling
Front Ensemble
Isaiah Sterling is a percussionist, educator, and performer based in Northwest Arkansas. He holds a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Missouri Western State University.
Isaiah currently serves as an Assistant Band Director and Percussion Specialist at Fayetteville High School, where he oversees percussion instruction for the high school and junior high programs. Previously, he was the Percussion Director at Blue Valley Southwest High School in Kansas. He has also worked with numerous marching programs throughout the Midwest, including Blue Springs High School, Olathe Northwest High School, and Shawnee Mission South High School.
In addition to teaching, Isaiah is an active performer. He is the principal drumset player of the Fountain City Brass Band and has appeared as a featured soloist with the ensemble on multiple occasions. He is also an alumnus of The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, where he performed in the front ensemble during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Isaiah is passionate about helping students grow as both musicians and people, and hopes to inspire others as his teachers have inspired him.
Willow Harpole
Willow Harpole was born in Louisville, KY and began her performance career as a cellist at age nine. She played tenors for six years at Ballard High School and Morehead State University, where she also participated in collegiate-level percussion, wind, and choral ensembles. Her independent experience includes playing marimba for Triple Crown Indoor 2022, as well as bass drum at Cincinnati Tradition 2022, ConneXus 2023-2025, and the Madison Scouts 2024.
Most recently, Willow has taught bass drum at ConneXus and Lee’s Summit High School, as well as a myriad of other high schools throughout Kentucky, Missouri, and Indiana. She left Lexington, Kentucky for Kansas City in 2025 and is pursuing a degree in nursing while working as a nursing assistant at NKC Health.
Battery Staff: Bass drums
Isaac Rivera
Isaac Rivera is a percussion educator, arranger, and performer from St. Joseph, Missouri. He currently serves as a Battery Instructor and Arranger for Park Hill High School, where he is entering his third year on staff. He previously taught at St. Joseph Central High School and remains passionate about helping students develop excellence in musicianship, performance, and leadership.
Isaac's marching experience includes seasons with the Colt Cadets, Seattle Cascades, Madison Scouts, Freedom Percussion, and Cap City Percussion. He was also a member of the Marching Mizzou Drumline from 2021–2024.
Outside of the marching arts, Isaac is a Computer Technician in Columbia, MO. He recently graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.S. in Information Technology. He is excited to contribute to Apollo Percussion and help create a rewarding educational experience for its members.
Battery Staff: Snare, Visual & Choreography
Brandon Huff
Brandon Huff has been active in the marching arts community as an adjudicator, clinician, consultant, designer, educator, and performer. His performance background includes membership in the Blue Stars and the 2016 World Champion Bluecoats. As an educator within Drum Corps International, Brandon has served on the visual staff for Music City and Spirit of Atlanta.
Brandon currently serves as the Visual Coordinator and Choreographer for the Fort Zumwalt West High School, Program Coordinator and Choreographer for Fox High School, and also leads the visual instruction and choreography for Francis Howell Independent. Additionally, Brandon has been a member of the visual staff at O’Fallon Township High School for the last seven years and previously served on the visual staff for Freedom Percussion. He also continues to consult and provide choreography for various programs across the country.
Outside of the marching arts, he works as a paraprofessional with the Fort Zumwalt School District, and where he also assists their music department too.
Visual, Choreography & Production
Alex Ware
Alex Ware was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, where he began his marching percussion career with Park Hill South High School. Since then, Alex has performed with a variety of ensembles including Marching Mizzou at the University of Missouri, Freedom Percussion, ConneXus, and The Kansas City Chiefs Rumble.
He has also served on staff with Park Hill South High School, Lee’s Summit High School, and The Sky Ryders, helping develop young percussionists and sharing his passion for the activity.
Alex currently performs with The Kansas City Chiefs Rumble while continuing his work in percussion education. Outside of music, he works as an Account Executive at a logistics company.
Battery Staff: Quads
Brad Martinez
Brad Martinez is a percussionist from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and an alumnus of the University of North Texas. During his time at UNT he marched snare drum with the Green Brigade as well as a season of drum corps with the Guardians Drum & Bugle Corps. Brad has also taught at various high schools in the DFW metroplex, including UIL 4A state champion Celina High School. Now a resident of the Kansas City metro area, Brad is a performer and educator, playing snare drum with the Kansas City Chiefs Rumble and teaching in the nearby Blue Valley School District.
Battery Staff: Snare
Haley Voss
Haley Voss is a former member of Modulation Z and currently techs their front ensemble. She also works with her alma mater, Fort Zumwalt East, during the marching band season. She has previously been with other schools in the district as well O'Fallon Township High School in Illinois.
Haley studied Music Education at Lindenwood where she was heavily involved in many ensembles. She is currently working on her degree at Maryville University and hopes to eventually wind up working for a school full-time.
Front Ensemble
Anders Harms
Anders Harms is a percussionist, performer, and educator from Columbia, Missouri. He is currently serving as a Percussion Technician at Camdenton High School. Previously, he was the Drum Line Coach at Southern Boone High School in Ashland, Missouri.
Anders has had the pleasure of being a member of several DCI and WGI ensembles. As a snare drummer, he is an alumnus of the Marching Mizzou Drumline, Legends, River City Rhythm, and Freedom Percussion. He was also a member of the Front Ensemble for The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps when they won the Fred Sanford High Percussion Award in 2023. Newly aged out of the activity, Anders wants to take from all of his experiences and pass on the best for the next generation of performers, teaching them to be intelligent musicians as well as compassionate people.
Anders recently graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Missouri. During his time there, he was able to perform in ensembles like Marching Mizzou, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and Concert Jazz Band. Throughout these programs, he was able to work with many different instructors and musicians, perform in over 40 concerts, and travel across the United States and beyond.
Battery Staff: Snare