About the Authors Jim Casella is the percussion caption head and arranger for the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps of Santa Clara, California. He was a member of the Santa Clara Vanguard percussion section from 1989 through 1991 and then went on to be the percussion arranger for the Vanguard Cadets from 1992-94. In 1995 he was a member of the percussion staff of the Concord Blue Devils and became the caption head and arranger for SCV in 1996, where he is currently working. Educated at San Jose State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Casella maintains an active freelance performing career in the San Francisco Bay area performing with groups such as the San Jose Symphony, California Symphony, Monterey County Symphony, Santa Cruz County Symphony, and many others. Jim Casella is the principal percussionist and assistant timpanist of the Peninsula Symphony from San Mateo, CA. He is also an active clinician for Pearl Corporation, Avedis Zildjian Company, Remo Inc., and Innovative Percussion Inc.
Murray Gusseck is the head percussion instructor for the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps of Santa Clara, California. He was a member of the Santa Clara Vanguard percussion section from 1988 through 1992 and began arranging many of the drumline’s warm-up compositions in 1990. Murray served on the staff of the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets in 1993 and the SCV A-Corps in 1994 and returned to the corps to lead the SCV percussion section to new heights from 1996 to the present. Educated at San Jose State University from 1989 through 1993, Gusseck is currently an active performer in the San Francisco Bay area where he plays drums in several local groups and is a founding member of an innovative fusion group called Merge, who just finished tracking for their debut CD. Also, he is the arranger of the award-winning Amador Valley High School percussion ensemble. Gusseck uses Vic Firth sticks.
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