The Bushwackers Drum & Bugle Corps is pleased to announce the percussion educational staff for the corps’ 35th anniversary year.
Travis Peterman will serve as the percussion caption supervisor and battery arranger. He has been serving as the caption supervisor and arranger for Cadets Winter Percussion based in Allentown, Pennsylvania since 2014, and will be adding the role of program coordinator at CWP for the 2016 indoor season.
Recently, Travis instructed the snare section at Fort Mill, South Carolina’s Carolina Crown, and will also be returning to Crown in 2016 while maintaining his roles with the Bushwackers.
Jayson Hart-Smith returns to Bush as Caption Manager for 2016. After marching Bush 2005-2010, he aged out with the Crossmen in 2011. He then returned to Bush as bass tech from 2012-2014. In 2015, he marched with the Reading Buccaneers winning High Percussion and the DCA World Championship.
Jayson has experience in the WGI circuit, marching United Percussion 2010-2012 and is going into his third year as Field of View’s Bass Tech. Jayson is also the caption head & arranger at Westminster High School in Carroll County, MD and member of the Baltimore Ravens drumline.
Eric Carr returns to the Bushwackers in 2016 as percussion instructor. Eric’s drum corps career first began in 2007 with the Bushwackers. It was here that he was able to acquire many of the skills needed to be successful as a player, marcher, and teacher.
Eric marched two seasons with Jersey Surf in 2008 and 2009, and completed his age-out with Carolina Crown in 2010, as tenor section leader. Eric also marched four seasons of WGI with United Percussion from 2008 to 2011, being tenor section leader in his last three years.
Joe DeLosa joins the Bushwackers in 2016 as a Percussion Tech. He began his marching career with the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens Marching Band, playing snare drum from 2009-2013, where he continues as the snare tech.
Joe marched snare drum with the Reading Buccaneers 2010-2011, and went on to march snare in the Cadets 2012-2013, winning high percussion. Joe also has experience at each level of WGI, competing with United Percussion 2011, Imperial Dynasty 2013, and as section leader of Cadets Winter Percussion 2014.
Mike Denburg is joining the Bushwackers percussion staff for the 2016 season as quad technician. He began marching with the Raiders in 2007 until 2009 when he was drum captain. He marched in United Percussion 2009-2010 and the Reading Buccaneers in 2011.
Mike graduated from the University of Maryland in 2011 with a degree in Mathematics & Secondary Education. He is currently a math teacher at West Orange High School and is also the Assistant Marching Band Director and Battery Arranger, as well as the Indoor Percussion Ensemble Director.
Eric Ficarra returns to the Percussion Staff in 2016 as the Bass Tech. Eric holds a bachelors degree in Music Education from the University of Delaware, and marched with the 2014 Reading Buccaneers bass line, as well as a four years on Bass in UDel’s Fightin’ Blue Hen Marching Band.
Eric has taught at Newark High School in Newark DE, & Monroe Township High School in Monroe, NJ on the percussion staff, and is the Assistant Band Director at Middletown High School North in Middletown, NJ.
Anthony Graves will return to the Bushwackers in 2016 as front ensemble technician. Anthony joined the Bushwackers in 2006. He received his Bachelor’s in Music and the Arts from Rowan University and took part in the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, jazz combos and the Rowan Marimba Band.
He has had the privilege of working with many different band programs including: Deptford, Highland, Washington Twp, Pitman High Schools, and Rapid Fire. He is currently the Percussion caption head at Deptford, and the Director of the Highland Indoor Percussion Ensemble.
Sean McReady returns for his 12th year working with the cymbal line, and 19th season overall. His lines won the DCA Cymbal Ensemble competition in 2012 & 2013, and he was inducted into the Corps’ Hall of Fame in 2013.
In addition to his work with the Plates, Sean marched six seasons in the bass line, and one season on Tuba, when he was Hornline Member of the Year. Outside Bush, he marched Crossmen 1998, and taught the Lehigh Valley Knights in 2004.
Michael Seville began his marching percussion career at Greencastle-Antrim High School in 2008, and soon moved on to a wide range of drum corps experience. In 2011, he was section leader of the Caballeros quad line in his first season with that corps.
Following a season off to join the Army Reserves, Michael marched two seasons at Fusion, 2013 on quads and 2014 on snare. He then went to WGI, and marched United Percussion 2015 on snare. Currently still in the Reserves, Michael is the percussion instructor at Musselman High School.
Billy Zarychta will join the 2016 Bushwackers as snare technician. Billy began his marching career at Northern Highlands Regional High School, where he currently teaches. He also is an instructor of the marching band at Suffern High School.
Billy continued his marching career in DCA, playing snare with Fusion Core in 2013 and Cadets2 in 2014. In 2015, he moved to to DCI to march with the Crossmen. During the indoor season, Billy is in his third season with Cadets Winter Percussion, where he won Percussion Independent Open in 2014 and placed 6th in Independent World Class in 2015.
Sign up now to attend the 2016 Open House and Membership Day.
Learn more about the 2016 Bushwackers.
Join the 2016 Bushwackers Percussion Interest Group on Facebook.
The Bushwackers wish to graciously thank Ross Chu, Ryan Gillis, Derrick Lewis, and Samantha Liss for their hard work and dedication during the 2015 season. We wish them the best of luck with their future endeavors.