Designers

 

Stuart Shulman

 

Stuart Shulman has been involved in drum corps for over seven years as both a performer and staff member. Stuart began his drum corps career with the Santa Clara Vanguard where he marched for five years, four of them as Drum Major. After aging out in 2005, Stuart went on to be a member of the visual staff for both the The Academy ('05-'06), Phantom Regiment ('06) and and is currently on the brass staff for SCV ('08).

 

Mr. Shulman is an active clinician, adjudicator, show designer for marching bands and drum lines, and has worked many high schools across the country as well as the Arizona State University Marching Band. Mr. Shulman is currently living in Arizona and working as an Adjunct Faculty member at Mesa Community College where he teaches Rock and Roll History and assists with the Concert and Community Band.

 

Mr. Shulman has attended the University of Arizona and Ottawa University where he studied Tuba Performance and Music Education. He has studied Tuba with Kelly Thomas, Patrick Sheridan and Sam Pilafian and Christian Charichner.

 

 

Tom Lukowicz

 

Tom Lukowicz is currently the Principal Tuba with the Canton Symphony Orchestra and the tuba player with the Chamber Orchestra of New York and the Pittsburgh Brass Project. He has earned degrees at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (BM), the University of Southern California (MM), and Carnegie Mellon University (AD). He also began Doctoral studies at the University of Southern California. He has studied privately with Craig Knox, Murray Crewe, Norm Pearson, Tommy Johnson, Chester Schmitz, Wesley Jacobs, James DeSano, and Roy Poper.

 

Mr. Lukowicz has also performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, American Youth Symphony, Debut Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Ballet and City Ballet of Miami. In 2001-2002, he was a member of the North American touring cast of Blast!.

 

Mr. Lukowicz has been an instructor at Carnegie Mellon University, Riverside Community College, and the Oberlin Conservatory. He also has spent time working closely with brass sections of high school music programs across the country. Tom has also held teaching positions at the Santa Clara Vanguard and the Spirit of America Band. He also serves as a music adjudicator in the western Pennsylvania area.

 

 

Key Poulan

 

Key Poulan is the Brass Arranger/Composer for the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps. He has been recognized as one of the country's top composers and arrangers in the area of contemporary drum corps and marching band and has several concert band works to his credit.

 

Key received his Bachelor's degree in Music Education from East Texas State University (currently Texas A & M - Commerce) in 1985. Key had the opportunity of studying under many fine educators including: Gary Hill, Dave Ward, and Dr. Robert Houston. Key studied trombone under the late Dr. Neill Humfeld and composition with Dr. Ronald Yates at ETSU. Key also credits his success to his mentors: Philip Geiger, Bill Watson, Eddie Green, Dr. Lawrence Sutherland, Dr. Gary Gilroy and Dr. Jerry Payne.

 

Key was a member of the Concord Blue Devils as a baritone in 1983 and has since been involved as a brass, visual staff member, composer and/or arranger with: The Cavaliers, Spirit of Atlanta and the Spirit of Georgia, The Magic, SkyRyders, The Spartans, Esperanza, Teal Sound, The Vanguard Cadets, Allegiance Elite, Pride of the Lions, U.S. Naval Academy, The Hawthorne Caballeros, The Renegades, and Crunchy Frog. Key also judged music with emphasis in brass for DCI (Drum Corps International) from 1990 to 2002.

 

Key recently left public school teaching after 18 years of service. His public school teaching experience included Westfield HS (Houston, TX), Merced HS (Merced, CA), Clovis HS (Clovis, CA) and opened Buchanan HS (Clovis, CA) in 1991. After completing his 12th year at Buchanan HS as Director of Bands and Performing Arts Department Chairman, he is now focusing his attention to music composition. Key is the owner of Key Poulan Music and spends his leisure time with his wife Kathy and children Key, IV and Kaitlyn.

 

 

Rob Schaer

 

Rob Schaer graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelors in Music - Trumpet Performance. He received a Masters in Music and is currently finishing his Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of Southern California. Rob's duties at USC include being the full time Teaching Assistant for the Thornton Wind Ensemble and the USC Trumpet Studio. He has studied with many great teachers and performers including: John Almeida, Boyde Hood, Vincent Chicowitz, Bill Adam, Bobby Shew, Wayne Bergeron, Charlie Davis and Don Green.

 

To date, Rob has many recording credits to his name including several big band albums and numerous television and film soundtracks. He has had the privilege of performing and/or recording with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Nancy Wilson, John Williams, Bill Holman, Patti Austin, Frankie Valli, Wayne Shorter, Shelly Berg, Yo-Yo Ma, Outkast, The Offspring, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennet, Steve Miller, Brian Culbertson, Dave Koz, The Henry Mancini Institute, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, GRAMMY Awards and many others.

 

Rob marched drum corps with the Magic of Orlando in 1997. He served on the brass staff with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps in 2004 and 2005 and will be working with SCV again in the summer of 2008. His experience in drum corps has helped to develop a career as a Composer/Arranger and Clinician for some of the top high school marching bands from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Texas and California.

 

 

Wardell King

 

As the owner of King Percussion LLC, "Ideas For Percussion," Wardell King has worked with groups in Arizona, California, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Kentucky in both the marching and indoor percussion arenas. Mr. King stresses the importance of creating an integration of concert and marching percussion techniques to enhance the quality of each student's performance. His percussion writing is designed to closely integrate with all components of the wind score in order to support the overall musical effect of the band. Wardell was an active member of the Arizona Sun Drum and Bugle Corps percussion ensemble and has an extensive background in all levels of music education.

 

Mr. King is currently the percussion caption head/arranger for Highland (Gilbert), Horizon (Phoenix), and Chandler (Chandler) High Schools in Arizona. Wardell is also a consultant/ arranger for Mountain Ridge High School (Glendale), and the WGI Independent Open Finalist Paragon Competitive Arts.

 

Mr. King has previously served as caption head/arranger/clinician for various other high schools in the state of Arizona. Mr. King also served as the marching percussion specialist at Northern Arizona University (2001-2003), bass drum/ snare drum, instructor for the 2006 Drum Corps International Division Two World Champion Academy Drum and Bugle Corps (2004-2007), and the WGI Scholastic A Finalist/ Champion Page High School. (Consultant 2001-2005)

 

Excelling educationally and competitively in both the local and national circuit, Mr. King is in high demand as an educator and clinician. He provides both rudimental and drum set lessons to students of all ages and educational backgrounds.

 

Wardell proudly endorses Vic Firth Sticks, Sabian Cymbals, Pearl Drum, and Remo Drumheads.

 

 

Fred Emory Smith

 

Fred Emory Smith started playing the piano at the age of four. By the age of eight he wonthe national Yamaha piano competition "I can compose, too!" with the song "Freddie'sBlues" in 1993.He was the assistant principal percussionist for the Phoenix Youth SymphonyOrchestra. During this time Fred entered the "Young Musicians Competition 2002", receivingfirst place for a marimba concerto, earning the "Clotilde Otranto" award. He performed thismarimba concerto with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra.

 

His drum corps experience included playing snare with the Arizona Academy in 2001,Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets in 2002, and the Santa Clara Vanguard in 2003-2005. He wasthe Grand Prize Winner of the 2006 Virtual Drumline Parking Lot Composition Contest with his piece entitled "Billy Goat's Milk"

 

Fred now attends the Berklee College of Music, studying film scoring. He as written forstring quartet, orchestra, pop, jazz, and rock music. He is the conductor of the BerkleeContemporary Orchestra and works in New York as a Music Preparations Supervisor forMusic and Motion Productions working numerous films. Fred also works as a percussion composer andmidi programmer for Key Poulan Music. He recently finished a documentary for an ABC affiliate titled"The Chronicle" as well as orchestrating and conducting the music for the 2007 EVVYAwards. Past instructors and teachers include: Drum instructors: Jim Casella, Murray Gusseck,, Ralph Hardimon, Dom Mojo, J.B. Smith, Josh Gottry, Composition Teachers: Dwight Brewer, Armand Quillintine, Andrew List, Dennis Leclaire and Richard Danielpour.

 

 

Chris Jacobs

 

Chris Jacobs is currently the Assistant Visual Caption Head for the Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps. Prior to the Blue Stars, Chris was a member of the visual staff for Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps in 2005 and 2006.

 

As a performer, Chris was a cast member of the Award Winning Busch Gardens Boogie Band, voted "Best Live Show" in Theme Parks Magazine 1999 issue. In 2000, Chris marched lead baritone with Glassmen Drum & Bugle Corps. Chris graduated from Ball State University in 2002 with a Bachelors of General Studies. Since that time, he has enjoyed a career as a clinician, adjudicator, and designer. His work with marching bands, indoor percussion ensembles, winter guards and drum corps has been recognized all over the country.

 

Chris has worked with several ensembles in various capacities. He has served as visual coordinator/caption head for Franklin Central High School Percussion Symphony (2005 IPA Open Class Gold Medalist, 2005 WGI Scholastic Open Class Bronze Medalist, 2006 WGI Scholastic Open Class Silver Medalist), visual consultant/choreographer for Decatur Central High School Winter Percussion Ensemble (2005 IPA Class A Gold Medalist), and head field technician for Ben Davis High School Marching Band (2004 Bands of America Grand National Finalist).