Meet the Clinicians
Mike Jackson
Mike has been teaching, composing, and designing for percussion programs throughout the United States for over three decades. These include Mission Viejo HS (1989-2015), RCC (2004-2013), Santa Clara Vanguard (2006-2007), Bluecoats (2009-2013), Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps (2014-2019), and Carolina Crown (2023-2024). In 2010, Mike was inducted into the WGI Hall of Fame.
In 2016, he co-founded Broken City with Kevin Shah and Adam Watts. Broken City won the WGI World Championship in 2019.
While continuing to design and compose for Broken City, Mike is also the percussion director at Vista Murrieta HS and sits on the board of directors for the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA) as Vice President and co-founder.
Mike is a Tama/Bergerault, Evans, Zildjian, and Vic Firth artist.
Phil Idell
Phil Idell currently holds a B.A. in Music Education from UCLA, where he studied under Mitchell Peters and participated in the Wind Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Marching Band and several other university performance ensembles.
After graduating from UCLA in 2012, he became an extremely active percussion instructor and arranger/designer in the greater Los Angeles area. During this time, Phil had the privilege of teaching some of the activity’s most elite pageantry ensembles, including: Arcadia High School, Mandarins, Blue Knights, and Carolina Crown.
Phil currently resides in Murrieta, CA with his cat, Commander, where he is the Assistant Director of Instrumental Music at Vista Murrieta High School and the Front Ensemble Coordinator for Broken City.
Pete Sapadin
Pete Sapadin is a renowned marching percussion specialist based in Southern California, known for training students to perform at the highest levels. He began his percussion career as a snare drummer with the Velvet Knights (1987-88), Concord Blue Devils (1989-90), and the Cadets of Bergen County (1991). With over 20 years of teaching and writing experience, he has worked with top ensembles, including the Velvet Knights, Soka Renaissance Vanguard in Japan, the Troopers, Yamato Drum & Bugle Corps, and the four-time World Champion RCC Indoor Drumline.
He later led Orange County Independent, securing WGI World Championship medals in 2012 and 2013, and wrote for Pacific Crest and Gold Drum & Bugle Corps. An internationally recognized clinician, he has taught in the U.S., Taiwan, and Japan. Currently, he teaches and adjudicates percussion in Southern California and is a Ludwig, Zildjian, Vic Firth, and Remo Education Artist.
Jeff Bush
Jeff Bush is a percussion educator and arranger in the Portland, OR area. He has ran his private lesson studio, BushPercussion for over 30 years. Jeff’s passion lies in creating a positive learning environment and inspiring percussionists of all skill levels. Many of Jeff's students have gone on to major in music and become music teachers and professional musicians.
Jeff attended the Univ. of North Texas where he was a member of the 21-time PASIC Champion UNT drumline. He was also a marching member of the Blue Devils and Marauders Drum & Bugle Corps. He has instructed numerous successful DCI, WGI, and high school percussion programs earning top honors in many areas including the WGI World Champion Sherwood High School Percussion Ensemble and WGI World Champion OCI indoor percussion ensemble. Currently, Jeff is the percussion director for Westview High School. Jeff is endorsed by Innovative Percussion.
Patrick Fitzgerald
Patrick grew up in the Portland area where he attended Aloha High School, played in the Portland Youth Philharmonic and was the Oregon State rudimental snare drum champion in 1984. He played snare in the Spartans Drum and Bugle Corps from Vancouver, WA from 1984 through 1985 and later marched tenors in the Blue Devils from 1986 through 1987 where he won a drum trophy and the DCI World Championship under Tom Float and Scott Johnson. Patrick also attended the University of North Texas and marched in the drumline from 1988 through 1990 where he won two national Percussive Arts Society drumline trophies along with two PAS tenor individual championships and received his BS in Accounting. Patrick has taught or been a clinician for the Spartans, Blue Devils, Phantom Regiment, UNT Drumline, Carolina Crown, Sky Ryders and Velvet Knights. He also taught with Kenan Wylie at Marcus High School from 1991 through 2008 where they won nine PAS high school championships. Patrick is currently the EVP of Operations & Finance at Lightspeed Aviation in Lake Oswego, OR and resides in the Beaverton area with his wife Sara and two of his five kids.
Nick Penick
Nick is a percussion teacher in the Pacific Northwest. He currently teaches at Sherwood High School and Sherwood Middle School. He is passionate about the marching arts and has performed with world class ensembles including Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps and Oregon Crusaders Indoor.
In addition to being a performer and educator, Nick has worked in the logistics industry and has managed operations and transportation for the Blue Knights. Nick is currently a student at Portland State University studying Music Education.
Braden Kilpatrick
Braden is a marching arts performer and educator in the Portland area. He has worked with various high school marching programs, including Southridge and Sprague High Schools. He currently serves as a Visual and Cymbals Technician with the Sherwood High School Marching Band and Winter Percussion Ensembles.
During the summer, he works with the Seattle Cascades Brass staff and serves as a Tour Administrator with the Santa Clara Vanguard.
Braden has a wide range of experience in the marching arts, having performed with the Seattle Cascades, Santa Clara Vanguard, and IMPACT Percussion. Most recently, he was a featured soloist with The Cavaliers.
He is currently attending Portland Community College, pursuing a double major in Carpentry and Home Remodeling.