Jim Ancona Headlines Percussion Staff Additions
The Boston Crusaders are excited to announce new additions to our percussion staff for the 2023 season! Headlining these additions is accomplished educator Jim Ancona in the new role of Percussion Advisor. Jarod Sullivan (battery) and Jay Rodriguez (front ensemble) also join the percussion staff as technicians. Meet our staff below!
Jim Ancona, Percussion Advisor – has more than 30 years of experience as a composer and instructor for world-class drum and bugle corps. Most recently he served as the front ensemble arranger and composer for Carolina Crown. He has served on the instructional staff and as a caption head for championship percussion sections and corps including Star of Indiana, The Cadets, Santa Clara Vanguard, and The Cavaliers. .
Several of Mr. Ancona’s percussion arrangements appeared on the Tony and Emmy award-winning Broadway show, Blast. He also has several arrangements published by Tapspace Publications. Mr. Ancona is the co-author of the popular front ensemble text, Up Front: A Complete Resource for Today’s Pit Ensemble and author of Up Front Etudes. He is an endorser and clinician for the Avedis Zildjian Company, Remo, Pearl drums and Adams percussion, and a signature artist for Innovative Percussion, Inc. Mr. Ancona has presented educational and performance clinics around the world. Most recently, he traveled to Israel to start the Peace Drum Drumline. This group unites Arab Muslim and Christian students as a performing ensemble.
Mr. Ancona is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Delaware. He is the assistant director of the Fightin’ Blue Hen Marching Band, director of the Basketball Pep Band and co-director of the Symphonic Band. Mr. Ancona received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and his Master of Music in Performance from Indiana University, where he was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate.
Also joining in 2023:
Jarod Sullivan, Battery Technician – Jarod Sullivan is a musician and educator based in Massachusetts. He is currently a student in the Masters in Music Education program (drumset concentration) at UMass Amherst, where he also received a Bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance. In his time at UMass, he has worked with Thom Hannum, Ian Hale, and Colin McNutt. His marching career started in high school and continued onto the Sunrisers (‘16-‘17) and Carolina Crown (‘20-‘21). He also marched in the UMass Drumline from 2018-2021. He has taught at various high schools in New York, was on staff at Carolina Crown (2022), is on staff at United Percussion, and currently teaches the UMass Drumline as a graduate assistant under Ian Hale.
Jay Rodriguez, Front Ensemble Technician – Jay is a marching percussion educator currently residing in Newark, DE, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing at Suffolk University in Boston. He is currently on the front ensemble staff of United Percussion and the University of Delaware. His WGI experience started in 2014 as a member of United Percussion and concluded in 2017 and 2018 as a section leader. Jay’s drum corps career began in 2016 with Carolina Crown as a member of the front ensemble and continued through his age out in 2019 where he also served as section leader. Throughout his time in the activity, Jay has had the honor of learning from many talented instructors including Steve Ballard, Ian Hale, Jim Ancona, Thom Hannum, Iain Moyer, Marcus Neudigate, Alex Kluttz, Dave Osworth and Annie Chernow.
Jim, Jarod, and Jay join an impressive line-up of returning percussion staff members led by Colin McNutt and Iain Moyer. View our full staff by clicking here!
JOIN THE BOSTON CRUSADERS IN 2023
Fill out our interest form to receive audition information!