Robert has a long history of being involved with music programs over the years. Some of his past percussion instruction ensembles are Western Albemarle High School (Crozet, VA), Western Branch High School (Chesapeake, VA), Lakeland High School (Suffolk, VA), Tallwood High School (Virginia Beach, VA), Cox High School (Virginia Beach, VA) and Princess Anne High School (Virginia Beach, VA). Robert also did some judging for several marching band circuits and music festivals in Virginia. Robert was also a member of Southern Nights Drum & Bugle Corps that was based in Virginia Beach, VA. After moving to California, he took on the Percussion Instructor for Gahr High School (Cerritos, CA). Later he started an independent drumline for young teenagers in the LA Area. This then transformed into the Mystikal Youth Arts Organization (2004 – 2009). Robert also have experience in visual design as part of his duties with the various high school ensembles and worked closely with his mentors Tim Gauldin, Andy Harnsberger and Kevin Mitchell arranging marching percussion music for the various high school programs in Virginia Beach, VA.
Robert holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology with a focus on Technical Operations from Old Dominion University and numerous certifications. He is also a member of National Association of Minority Architects (NOMA) and Theta Tau Engineering Fraternity as one of the Charter Members for the Upsilon Beta Chapter. Robert’s professional career is currently administering a contractor development and bonding program for Public Agencies in Downtown Los Angeles.
He currently lives in Long Beach, CA where he enjoys international traveling, off-roading, camping and hiking. He loves his family, the Washington Redskins, New York Yankees and Boston Celtics.
Scott is a Southern California native and an avid program designer in the marching arts community. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Industry Studies (Percussion emphasis) & Business from California State University, Northridge. In his time away from music education, Scott embraces a rewarding role at Crunchyroll as a Global Content Analyst & Acquisition Manager to spread the love and passion of Anime to fans across the world.
Over the years, Scott has held numerous arranging, design, and instructional roles with marching ensembles such as Sacramento Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps, Dark Sky Percussion, Élan Percussion, Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps, San Marino High School, La Quinta High School, and various other ensembles across Southern California and Japan. His passion in this community is fueled by the drive to promote character development and emotional growth to young performers in the marching arts activity.
Scott proudly uses Remo Drumheads, Zildjian Cymbals, and Innovative Percussion Sticks and Mallets.
Steven Estudillo was born and raised in Southern California. He is a graduate of La Mirada High School, and studied at California State University, Fullerton. As a performer, Steven was a member of Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps and later performed with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, aging out in 2008.
Steven has been a Visual Designer, Educator, Creative Director, and Adjudicator since 2006. His designs have been represented by ensembles within Bands of America, Winter Guard International, and Drum Corps International circuits. Upon aging out in 2008, Steven began his work as an instructor and designer within the drum corps activity. He worked with Pacific Crest as a visual instructor in 2009, then later served as the Visual Designer from 2010 – 2012. After a two year hiatus from the ensemble, he returned as the Visual Designer and Creative Director from 2015 – 2021. Steven is currently on the Visual & Design Team for Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps as the Visual Designer.
Simultaneously, Steven was a visual instructor for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps from 2009-2015, serving as the Visual Caption Head starting in 2011. During the winter seasons, Steven has been serving as a Visual Designer and instructor for Pulse Percussion and Chino Hills High School since 2012, and designs for several other award winning indoor percussion ensembles throughout the country.In addition to his work in the United States, Steven has had the opportunity to branch out internationally and work with performing ensembles in South America, providing consultation and clinics to further spread the marching arts in different regions.
Steven Currently resides in Ontario, CA. with his loving wife Lexie, and his three children, Emily, Ezekiel and Elle.
Jimmy resides in Southern California, where he works as an arranger, sound designer, and clinician for band programs across the country.
Jimmy works with RCC Indoor Percussion and has had the pleasure of working with distinguished programs such as Ayala HS, San Marino HS, the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. He has also had the honor of composing and arranging for ensembles across the country, including programs such as La Quinta HS, Flux Indoor Percussion, and the 2023 and 2024 WGI Independent Open Gold Medalist, Meraki.
Jimmy began his marching career with the RCC Marching Tigers (2014) and went onto become a member of RCC Indoor Percussion (2016-2018). He also toured with the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps (2015) and the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps (2016-2017). During his time as a member of these ensembles, he has earned both WGI and DCI world championships. Jimmy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology (with a focus in Education) from UC Riverside and a Master of Science in Education degree from CSU Fullerton.
Jimmy is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and proudly endorses Innovative Percussion sticks & mallets and Zildjian cymbals.
Zakk started his marching career at Mission Viejo High School under the tutelage of Mike Jackson, Jared Andrews, Jeremy Somers, Fernando Miller, and Roger Carter. After graduating, he went on to perform with The Academy (2012 – 2013), RCC Fall (2012 – 2013), Orange County Independent (2013), Pulse (2014), Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (2014), RCC (2015), and aged out with The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps (2015) and RCC (2016).
Zakk's teaching experiences includes Orange County Independent, Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps, Dark Sky Percussion, Laguna Beach High School, Trabuco Hills High School, Mission Viejo High School, Laguna Hills High School, Diamond Bar High School, El Dorado High School, Fountain Valley High School, Etiwanda High School, and Diamond Bar High School.
Zakk graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a bachelor's degree in communications in 2020, and is a proud member of the Vic Firth & Zildjian Educational Team and the Rudimental Mindset Educational Team.
Zakk currently lives in Mission Viejo, CA.
This will be his 5th season arranging for the battery at Meraki.
Noah Weule is full time educator and visual designer based in Huntington Beach, California. He spends most of his time acting as a visual designer and coordinator for various Marching Bands, Indoor Drum Lines, and Color Guards. He is also currently the visual caption head at Chino Hills and Arcadia High Schools.
His winter seasons are spent teaching Pulse percussion, where he has been on staff since 2022, and his summers are spent with the Phantom Regiment, where he has been since 2023. He has previously worked with the Santa Clara Vanguard, Vanguard Cadets, and Gold Indoor.
Noah is very excited to be on the Meraki team and can't wait to get started!
Richie has dedicated over two decades to the marching arts in Southern California. His roles have included instructor/caption head, designer, consultant, program coordinator, and director. His work has impacted notable ensembles such as La Quinta High School, Temple City High School, Gabrielino High School, Pasadena City College, Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps, and various other groups throughout California.
Richie has leveraged his extensive experience to specialize as a visual and drill designer for Marching Bands, Indoor Percussion, Winter Guards, and Indoor Winds groups. He believes that success in life is a product of the relationships one builds and the collaborative efforts that ensue. His approach emphasizes professionalism and teamwork.
Richie began his academic journey at Pasadena City College, where he earned both an Associate of Arts in Music Education and an Associate of Science in Computer Science. He continued his studies at California State University, Northridge, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and a Single Subject Teaching Credential. His career includes serving as the Marching Band Director and AP Music Theory Teacher at Los Alamitos High School (2009-2012), and as the Director of Instrumental Music at La Quinta High School (Westminster) (2012-2023). At La Quinta, he taught a wide range of ensembles, including the Marching Band, Concert Band, two String Orchestras, Percussion, Guard, and Indoor Winds. Additionally, he directed Pulse Percussion from 2012 to 2015.
Currently, Richie serves as the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for the Garden Grove Unified School District. In this role, he provides instructional support to nearly 30 instrumental music teachers across elementary, intermediate, and high school levels, and coordinates district festivals, concerts, and events. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Pulse Percussion, where he holds the position of Outreach and All-Stars Director, and serves as the Webmaster for AYSO Region 59.
Richie resides in Westminster, CA, and will be consulting for Meraki for the first time this season.
Donovan has worked as an instructor and designer in the activity for several years under the tutelage of instructors such as Mike Jackson, Jared Andrews, and Roger Carter. Donovan is also proud to be a member of the Vic Firth educational team.
Donovan has performed with several world class ensembles including RCC, POW Percussion, Blue Knights DBC, and Broken City Percussion. His last two years as section leader of Broken City resulted in their first SCPA gold medal (2017), as well as their first WGI bronze (2016) and silver (2017) medals.
Outside of the activity, he is pursuing a Bachelor's of Science at Cal State Fullerton in Child Development with plans to work with children with special needs and their families.
Jackson is a music educator based in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California and he is an Innovative Percussion Educational Artist. He is currently the director of instrumental music at Fountain Valley High School where he teaches music theory, band, orchestra, and percussion.
Jackson earned his BM in instrumental music education with a focus in percussion at California State University, Long Beach where he studied with the late Dr. Michael Carney, Randy Drake, Dr. Dave Gerhart, Axel Clarke, and former principal percussionist of the LA Philharmonic, Raynor Carroll. He received his Master Degree in Education and single subject teaching credential from National University. Jackson performed with the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets in 2011 and 2012 and was a charter member of Pulse Percussion Open in 2011 before performing with Pulse Percussion in 2012 and 2013.
Prior to becoming a music director, Jackson was a percussion instructor at Trabuco Hills High School (2012-2021) Ayala High School (2013-2017), Mission Viejo High School (2013-2020), and Warren High School (2016-2018). Outside of scholastic performance ensembles, Jackson is currently on the education faculty of Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps and Blue Devils B Drum and Bugle Corps. He has also been on the education team at Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets (2015-2018), Dark Sky Percussion (2017-2018, 2021), and Impact Percussion in eastern Washington (2018-2019).
Jackson is excited to be a part of Meraki for the upcoming season.
Zakk started his marching career at Mission Viejo High School under the tutelage of Mike Jackson, Jared Andrews, Jeremy Somers, Fernando Miller, and Roger Carter. After graduating, he went on to perform with The Academy (2012 – 2013), RCC Fall (2012 – 2013), Orange County Independent (2013), Pulse (2014), Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (2014), RCC (2015), and aged out with The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps (2015) and RCC (2016).
Zakk's teaching experiences includes Orange County Independent, Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps, Dark Sky Percussion, Laguna Beach High School, Trabuco Hills High School, Mission Viejo High School, Laguna Hills High School, Diamond Bar High School, El Dorado High School, Fountain Valley High School, Etiwanda High School, and Diamond Bar High School.
Zakk graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a bachelor's degree in communications in 2020, and is a proud member of the Vic Firth & Zildjian Educational Team and the Rudimental Mindset Educational Team.
This will be his 4th season as Staff Coordinator/Battery Ensemble Manager
Jack is a world class performer and educator from Diamond Bar, California. He started his marching career at Diamond Bar high school. Some of his performance career can be credited to Pacific Crest Drum& Bugle Corps and Dark Sky Percussion Corps before aging out of the activity.
Jack is excited to be applying his past performance experiences to his educational skills and being a member of Meraki’s Staff.
Alexis is a marching percussion educator, designer, and arranger based out of the Inland Empire in Southern California. Over the summer Alexis has worked with the 2022 DCI Open Class champions The Vanguard Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps as well as Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps from the City of Industry in 2023 and 2024 and Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps in 2024 as a snare tech.
His performance experience includes a season of Drum Corps with Gold Drum & Bugle Corps in 2016 and 3 seasons of Indoor Percussion with Orange County Independent in 2017 then with Vessel Indoor Percussion in 2018 and 2020. He has also worked with many schools, including Temecula Valley High School where he serves as the percussion caption head, battery arranger, and indoor drill designer.
Alexis is a University of California Riverside graduate majoring in Political Science and minoring in Philosophy. He is working for the Riverside County Office of Education and is a proud Innovative Percussion Artist.
Alexis is excited to be returning to Meraki's Educational Staff for the 2025 Season.
Mario Godinho is a seasoned educator and professional drummer based in Riverside, California. He graduated Ramona High School in 2018 after completing 2 DCI tours with Watchmen DBC (2016-2017), while returning as section leader for the corps for the 2018 season. He then went to march with the RCC Marching Tigers (2018), while also marching POW Percussion (2019). While returning as battery captain for the fall (2019), he then marched RCC Indoor Percussion (2020).
As an educator teaching since right after graduation, he has experience teaching at Orange Vista HS (2018-2019), Redlands East Valley HS (2019-2020), Fontana HS (2021), Jurupa MS (2021-2023), Temescal Canyon HS (2022-2023), and is currently battery caption head at Eleanor Roosevelt HS. He has also been providing an abundance of private lessons to students all over Southern California under the name ‘Drum With Mario’.
Mario has also indulged in professional endeavors, currently working with companies such as SIDLE Entertainment (LA Chargers/LA Kings), Disney (Disneyland Resort Anaheim), and Rhythm Extreme. He has also worked with several performing artists such as Young Thug, Gunna, Travis Scott, The 1975, and many others in addition to being in several movie and commercial productions.
Mario is beyond excited to return for his 4th season with Meraki Percussion to assist students and the organization reach their full potential.
Kaleb is a percussion educator, arranger, andperformer from Temecula, CA. He graduated from Chaparral High School in 2018and continued marching and teaching full time.
His marching experience includes Vessel DBC 2018, Élan Percussion 2019, RCC Fall 2019-2022, POW Percussion 2020, Dark Sky 2021, RCC 2022-2023.
Kaleb spends his time nowadays teaching Chaparral HS, Carlsbad HS, Pacifica HS, Great Oak HS, Impulse DBC, and Meraki Percussion. He also performs with the LA Chargers, LA Kings, and many more professional drumming endeavors with Sidle Entertainment.
Esteban is a percussion instructor and is from Chula Vista, California. He started his marching career at Dark Sky Percussion in 2021 for the season where they did a film called "Polaris" and it sparked into coming back for another season in 2022. After that, he joined the RCC Indoor Percussion group for the 2023-2024 seasons. As well, in between he sprinkled in a few fun seasons of RCC Fall to keep up with those that would march summer, and for the fun.
This would be the 1st season teaching at Meraki, which he is very excited about as he hopes to bring some of the steez and flavor of drumming he's learned over the years to the new generation of world class drummers.
Evan Smith is an active rudimental percussion educator in Southern California, based in the Riverside Area.
When not working his day job at California Drums, he enjoys working with the battery at Arcadia HS and working on other creative projects in his spare time.
Evan is excited to join Meraki's Staff and be a part of taking the members to the next level.
Lorenzo is a percussion educator and performer from Ontario, CA. He began his marching education at Chino High School under the instruction of Mike Jackson from 2010 – 2014. He then went on to compete at the highest level of the marching activity in both DCI and WGI for over 5 years, performing with a number of award winning ensembles such as Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps and Pulse Percussion.
Never losing his passion for music and the marching arts and after aging out of the activity, Lorenzo continued to remain involved as an educator. He has worked with a number of high school and independent percussion programs since 2015. Most recently serving as the bass tech for Vessel Drum and Bugle Corps, and is currently the Battery Caption Head at Cypress High School, Glendora High School, and Azusa High School.
Lorenzo continues to find opportunities to perform live music, gigging as a member of multiple local bands as well as both the LA Chargers and LA Kings drumlines.
Lorenzo currently lives in Ontario, CA
He is very excited to be returning to Meraki for his 5th season.
Logan is a bass drum educator in the marching percussion arena in the Southern California Area. Some of Logan’s performance experience includes DCI’s Finalist Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps in 2018 and Dark Sky 2019-2020.
Logan’s teaching experience includes La Habra High School and Orange High School.
Logan currently lives in Fullerton, California.
Logan will be return for his 4th season on Meraki's Educational Team.
Dominick is a Southern California based educator and has been involved with marching percussion since 2014. Graduating from Diamond Bar HS in 2017, he went on to obtain a degree in Pure Mathematics from Cal Poly Pomona in the Spring of 2021 with a specification in Secondary Teaching along with continuing his involvement in the marching arts. While obtaining his degree, he would march DCI groups Pacific Crest (2016-2017), Mandarins (2019), Blue Devils (2020), as well as WGI groups POW Percussion (2018), and Broken City (2019-2022).
Currently, Dominick is a performer for the LA Chargers Thunderbolts Drumline. Since graduating high school, Dominick has taught in a handful of ensembles throughout the Southern California area including North Torrance HS, El Modena HS, Diamond Bar HS, Claremont HS, Nogales HS, La Quinta HS, Etiwanda HS, POW Percussion, and currently works at El Dorado HS, Vista Murrieta HS, and Meraki Percussion.
He has also gone on to teach DCI groups Gold, and currently both Pacific Crest and Blue Devils B as well as helped design visual aesthetics for both Meraki Percussion and Glendora HS.
Nemo began performing with Mission Hills High School's indoor and fall programs as a trumpet and cymbal player. Nemo joined Gold as a cymbal player in 2018, and continued cymbals with Pacific Crest in 2019 and Santa Clara Vanguard in 2021. Nemo finished his time with DCI at Blue Knights in 2021, where he played Trumpet. He also played cymbals with POW percussion in 2022 and RCC Indoor in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Nemo currently serves as Visual Caption Head at Mission Hills High School, as well as being their Trumpet Coach and Cymbal tech. He has also worked with Oceanside High School in 2021.
Outside of the marching world, Nemo teaches Trumpet privately and has coached multiple Concert Band programs throughout North County San Diego. He is currently a student at San Diego State University where he is excitedly pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Music Education. In his free time, Nemo loves working on and wheeling his 1997 4Runner around SoCal."
He is extremely excited to join Meraki for their upcoming 2025 season and is looking forward to educating, innovating with, and empowering the 2025 cast members as well as working with Amber.
Nemo is a Trumpet, Visual, and Cymbal Educator based in San Diego CA.
Amber performed on trumpet with Golden Empire Drum and Bugle Corps in 2015 and 2016 and then with the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2017 to 2019. During this time she also played cymbals for Bakersfield College Indoor in 2018 and 2019, and Pow Percussion in 2020 and 2022.
Outside of performing Amber also graduated from the California State University of Fresno with a BA in music education. Amber has taught as a visual caption head for both Torrence high school and Independence high school, as well as taught as a visual technician with Golden Empire Drum and Bugle Corps. They also teach at Gold Drum and Bugle corps as a cymbal instructor during the summer.
Amber is excited to be returning to Meraki’s Instructional Staff for the 2025 Season
Angel has been an instructor for the past several years and has worked at groups such as Colony High School (2014-2019), Vessel Drum & Bugle Corps (2019), Dark Sky Percussion (2020), and Diamond Bar High School (2016-2019). He is currently afront ensemble instructor for Etiwanda High school, Patriot High school, Trabuco Hills High school, and Canyon Springs High School.
Angel started as a percussionist while in his sophomore year at Colony High School. After graduating in 2013, he continued to pursue his career in the marching arts. He has performed with the Riverside City College Marching Tigers (2013-2015), Gold Drum and Bugle Corps (2014), the Sacramento Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps (2015), and Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps (2016).
Angel was also involved with the indoor percussion circuits, where he performed with Dark Sky Percussion from 2014 through his age-out year in 2018.
Angel currently resides in Ontario, CA.
This will be Angel's 5th season with Meraki.
Conrad’s dynamic performance experiences includes Dark Sky Percussion - Marimba (2015), Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps - Marimba (2016), Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps - Marimba (2017), and RCC Indoor Percussion - Mallets (2016 - 2018). His teaching experience in the performing arts arena includes Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps (2018-2019), Dark Sky Percussion (2019-2020), and Gold Indoor Percussion (2022). Some of his scholastic teaching experience includes Los Alamitos High School (2017-2019), Torrance High School (2018), Notre Dame High School (2018 - Present), and San Marino High School (2019 - 2020).
Conrad received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 2017 and received a Masters in Public Administration (M.P.A.) Degree from Cal State Long Beach in 2019. After receiving these degrees, Conrad is currently work as Policy Analyst in Higher Education.
Conrad Loves to travel and is an avid theme park/rollercoaster enthusiast while living in Sherman Oaks, CA.
Conrad is excited to be returning for the 2025 season.
Monica has performed with multiple ensembles in the marching arts including Orange County Independent (2016), Gold Drum and Bugle Corps (2016), Sacramento Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps (2017), and Broken City (2017-2020).
After aging out of the activity, Monica began working in childhood ABA therapy. Monica has been a Registered Behavior Technician in Orange County for the past 3 years.
Monica is very excited to be on Meraki’s Educational team for the 2025 Season.
Emily Nelson-Garcia is an active percussion educator from Southern California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance from California State University Long Beach and has performed with marching ensembles such as Orange County Independent Percussion, Broken City Percussion, RCC Indoor Percussion, Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps, Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps, and Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps.
Since aging out, Emily has worked with the front ensemble at Vessel Indoor Percussion and Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps.
Emily is super excited to be returning to Meraki's Educational Team for this upcoming season.
Tyler performed with Mandarin Drum and Bugle Corps in 2014.He also performed for five seasons with Dark Sky Percussion (2015 – 2019). While performing with Dark Sky Percussion, he was the vibe section leader in2018 and Front Ensemble Section leader in 2019.
With his outstanding playing and educational experiences, Tyler held the Front Ensemble Caption Head positions for Don Lugo High School (2019 – Present) and Claremont High School (2018 – 2019). Tyler was the Pit Tech for Nogales High School (2018 – 2019).
Tyler Currently lives in Chino, CA.
Tyler will be returning Meraki’s Educational Team for the 2025 season.
Eddie was born and raised in Southern California. As a music educator, Eddie has consulted and taught various ensembles throughout Southern California, some of which include, Rosemont Middle School, Blair High School, Verdugo Hills High School, Crescenta Valley High School, Moorpark High School, Pasadena City College Marching Band/Tournament of Roses Honor Band/Winter Drumline and Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps. He is currently the Percussion Caption Head at Golden Valley High School.
Eddie brings his extensive knowledge in orchestral and marching percussion. He graduated from California State University, Northridge with his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Industry Studies. He is currently pursuing his Master of Arts Degree in Music Industry Administration at California State University, Northridge.
Frances is an audio engineer in the Los Angeles area and graduated with a degree in Studio Production. Her performance experience includes Élan Percussion, Dark Sky Percussion, Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps, and Pulse Percussion.
During her time at the university she learned from Grammy Award winning professors and mentors & performed alongside percussionists Shelia E. (Prince) & Vinny Colaiuta (Sting, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa).
She is currently an independent audio engineer, Percussion Caption Head at Damien High School, & a Front Ensemble Instructor & Audio Engineer at Etiwanda High School.
Nic performing experiences includes Royal Oak Middle School – Flute (2009), Charter Oak High School Flute, Electric Bass (2013), RCC Marching Tigers - Electric Bass (2014 – 2015). RCC Indoor Percussion (2015 and 2018), Blue Devils International Corps (2015), Odyssey Indoor Percussion - Bass Drum (2017). Some of his collegiate performances are with Cal Poly Pomona Wind Ensemble – Flute, Cal Poly Pomona Philharmonic Orchestra – Flute, CPP MIDI Ensemble - Electric Bass, CPP Percussion Ensemble –Percussion, Rose Parade Swing Band - String Bass (2016) and numerous rock, hip-hop ,funk, reggae, jazz bands across the LA Area (2016 – Present).
Nic’s scholastic teaching experience includes El Rancho High School (2016 – 2017), Bonita High School (2017 – 2018), La Puente High School (2018 – Present), Glendora High School (Present) and Azusa High School (Present).
When Nic is not teaching and performing, he is a handpan maker at Oasis Sound Sculpture and he currently lives in Glendora, CA.
Nic will be returning for his 5th season with Meraki's Educational Team
Harrison is a music educator based in Southern California and this will be his first year working with Meraki. He started his indoor career as choreographer and visual instructor for Arcadia World Percussion in 2022 where the group finished 4th in PSW at the WGI Championships in Dayton, Ohio. Harrison also had a performing career in DCI as a marching member at Pacific Crest and drum major at The Blue Devils.
In addition to his drum corps career, Harrison has also served as a visual and music instructor for various high schools throughout Southern California, including Arcadia High School, Rancho Cucamonga High School, El Dorado High School, and Vista Murrieta High School.
Harrison holds an AA degree from Riverside City College in music and is currently pursuing a BM in music education at Cal State Los Angeles.
Harrison is very excited to leading Meraki's visual program for another season.
Allison is a passionate visual and movement educator from Los Angeles County. She officially began her independent marching career in 2022 and has been a part of programs such at Meraki, Pacific Crest, Vessel DBC, Dark Sky and RCC. Aside from marching, she is an accomplished dancer in various styles including contemporary, hip hop, Latin ballroom and many others. While currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in Sociology and Psychology from the University of California, Irvine, she has also been teaching at multiple high school band programs across Southern California.
This will be Allison's first season with Meraki and she is elated to return as staff to continue cultivating the legacy for Meraki members to perform with love, creativity and soul.
Mitchell began his journey into the marching arts early in life and quickly developed a passion for color guard. As part of the James Logan Color Guard, Mitchell grew as a performer. During his time there,he performed in ensembles that earned countless medals for the fall marching band and were a member of the undefeated WGI world-class color guard. After high school, Mitchell spent five years performing in the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps Color Guard, earning three DCI championships and four Zingali Awards. At the Blue Devils, Mitchell excelled as an individual and received the following awards: Rookie of The Year, Rifle of The Year, Performer of The Year, The Directors Award, and serving as color guard captain his age-out year. After his time as a performer ended.
Mitchell quickly developed a passion for teaching and choreography. He returned to his alma mater at James Logan as an instructor and helped the group earn (5) WGI World Class medals, including (3) silver and (1) gold medals. Additionally, Mitchell began to branch out and teach and write for many other groups in California includes Jesse Bethel High School, Downey High School, Fountain Valley High School, Saratoga High School, and spent several summers both the Blue Devils and Blue Devils B.
Mitchell lives in Southern California to follow his passion for fashion and furthering his education in business. Now taking his creative side and furthering his teaching career, he is currently working with Palm Desert High School.
Aaron is an educator and music producer from Ventura County who has spent many years teaching alongside dedicated and passionate instructors in the marching arts community. He holds a background as a multi-instrumentalist with a primary focus on trumpet. In 2021, he was credited as the recording and production engineer in the debut album "Gradients" for the up-and-coming surf-rock band Archer Oh and continues to produce music when he has the time. He spent two years studying music and trumpet performance at Moorpark College. After graduating with an Associates Degree from Moorpark, Aaron transferred to California State University, Northridge and earned a Bachelors Degree in Music Industry Studies in 2021.
Aaron's marching experience started with Pacific Crest in 2015, and then 3rd dedicated years at the Blue Devils from 2017-2019. It wasn't until 2021 where he started to make strides as a visual caption head for Adolfo Camarillo High School's Marching Band and winter drumline programs. Alongside Camarillo, he has taught at many prestigious programs in the area including Westlake High School, Moorpark High School, and Thousand Oaks High School - constantly helping those programs to medal in their respective divisions.
He took his teaching skills to the independent level with Meraki in 2023 and then Gold Drum and Bugle Corps the following summer.
Aaron is excited to return to Meraki for the 2025 season.
Ben is a freelance media specialist based out of Los Angeles, California. Starting in early 2022, Ben joined Marching Vlogs as a production assistant but quickly rose to becoming the Senior Content Producer, helping MV become one of top marching arts media brands. He also works with various businesses, providing them with media solutions to help develop their brands for the online landscape.
He also holds a BA in Entertainment Media Management and a minor in Marketing from Cal State Northridge. This will be Ben's first year on staff with Meraki, as he was a performer in their inaugural year in 2020.
Benji's creative journey began at John F. Kennedy High School (La Palma) as the social media manager for the Shamrock Regiment. Since then, he has been able to work with groups such as Varsity Spirit, Lot Riot, the Tournament of Roses Association, FloSports and more.
Presently, Benji serves as a staff member with the Japanese Green Band Association, helping students from across Japan perform in the Pasadena Rose Parade each winter. He additionally works as Content Manager for Pacific Crest, managing their branding and social media platforms.
Benji holds an AA in Film from Fullerton College and a BA in Communications from Cal State Fullerton. He is currently pursuing his Masters Degree in Digital Media Management from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Benji is a designer and creator based in Southern California and this will be his second season with Meraki.
