Jaelan Kim
Jaelan Kim is a front ensemble instructor from the West Valley. Since graduating from Perry High School in 2017, he has been teaching front ensemble for numerous programs. That would include Buckeye Union, Desert Mountain, Peoria, PUSD Indoor, Deer Valley, Sandra Day O’Connor, Campo Verde, Millennium, and Vision Percussion. This 2022 fall season he will be on staff with Millennium, Campo Verde, and Basha High school.
 Aside from teaching, he has performed with the Sun Devil Marching Band and is a 4 year Alumni of Breakthrough Indoor Percussion. Much of his knowledge comes from performance, as well as personal studies and explorations.
Jaelan's favortie things

Christopher Boyer ​
Christopher Boyer is a front ensemble instructor originally from Johnson City, Tennessee, and a graduate of Basha High School’s Class of 2023. He is currently pursuing degrees in Medicinal Chemistry and Mathematics at Arizona State University.
His performance experience includes The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps (2024) and Flux Indoor Percussion (2024–2025). As a well-rounded percussionist with a focus on mallet and auxiliary percussion, Christopher brings an emphasis on color, texture, and strong technical foundation to his approach.
Since 2023, Christopher has been on staff with Highland High School’s front ensemble, serving as Caption Head and instructional lead since 2025. He is passionate about helping students grow both as musicians and as individuals.
Outside of percussion, he enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and reading.
​Aaron Weiland
Aaron Weiland is a Professional clarinetist, Woodwind technician at Basha High School in Chandler since 2019, and Band Director in the Mesa Public School district. Born and raised in Mesa, Mr. Weiland is a product of Mesa Public Schools and has been teaching in the district for 6 years. At the age of 6, he had an interest in music, starting off with a thrift store clarinet. Mr. Weiland taught himself all through his years in school, up until he graduated from Dobson High School in 2011. From there he studied at Mesa Community College and Ottawa University with Dr. Jeff Quamo and Dr. Stephanie Gardner and at NAU with Cris Inguanti for his Masters Degree in Clarinet Performance. Mr. Weiland currently teaches privately, performs with the Arizona Wind Symphony serving as principal Bass Clarinet, Tempe Wind Symphony, manufactures conducting batons and works with various school programs and families around the valley in his free time.
Aaron's favorite things
rheaven nesmith
Rheaven NeSmith is a battery instructor working primarily with bass drums. She graduated from Mesquite High School in 2018 and is currently going back to school for nutritional health and wellness. Rheaven has performed with the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band, Vision Indoor Percussion, and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. She has also taught at McClintock High School, Vista Grande High School, and currently teaches at Corona Del Sol High School. She’s been drumming since she was 9 years old and what once was just a simple form of enjoyment has now turned into a passion to last a lifetime. Grateful for this being her first year with the Basha Bear Regiment she is elated for more seasons to come and more opportunities to grow and to support the students growth throughout their high school careers.  
Josh Matarazzo
Josh Matarazzo is a battery tech for Basha High School, with a focus in working with the snare drums. He graduated from Basha in 2018, and graduated from Arizona State University in the spring of 2022 with a BA in Film and Media Production. Josh has marched with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, Flux Indoor Percussion, and the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band. He is eager to spread the knowledge he has gained from his time in the marching arts activity so far, and excited to be a part of growing the drumming community in Arizona.
Josh's favorite things
Mckinley Breedlove 
Mckinley Bredlove is the Color Guard Caption Head at Basha High School and a proud graduate of the Basha Class of 2022. She is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education at Arizona State University, where she has been a dedicated member of the Sun Devil Marching Colorguard for four years, serving in a leadership role for the past two.
Mckinley has also performed with Fenix Independent at both the A-Class and World Class levels, further deepening her experience and passion for the activity. Her teaching journey began in 2022 at the elementary level in the Higley Unified School District. In 2023, she transitioned to teaching at the junior high level at ASU Preparatory Academy, where she worked for two years.
In the fall of 2024, Mckinley returned to Basha High School in an instructional role, excited to give back to the program that helped ignite her love for color guard. Having spun since the age of 11, she brings over a decade of experience and a deep commitment to the art.
Mckinley is passionate about fostering a supportive and engaging environment where students can learn, grow, and discover their own love for color guard, just as she did.
Mckinley's favorite things
KYLE STRYKER
Kyle Stryker is a second year jazz performance and music education Major at Chandler Gilbert Community College. He teaches at ACP Middle School and this will be his first year at Basha serving as woodwind staff.
Kyle's favorite things
Adrian Almenderez
​Adrian Almendarez is a trumpet player and educator currently pursuing a degree in Music Learning and Teaching with an emphasis in trumpet at Arizona State University. He is a graduate of Basha High School and is excited to return for his first year as a brass technician.
At Arizona State University, Adrian performs with the Sun Devil Marching Band as a featured trumpet soloist and was recognized as the program’s Rookie of the Year. He is also an active member of the Arizona State University Wind Ensemble and performs in multiple jazz ensembles, including Latin Jazz Band and Concert Jazz Band, where he serves in lead trumpet roles. A two-time All-State trumpet performer in high school, he has developed a strong foundation in both performance and leadership.
Adrian is a versatile crossover player, demonstrating a high level of proficiency in both classical trumpet performance and lead jazz playing. His ability to navigate these distinct styles reflects strong musicianship, adaptability, and a well-rounded approach to performance.
As an educator, Adrian is committed to helping students develop strong fundamentals, confidence, and musical expression. He strives to create a focused and positive learning environment and looks forward to contributing to the continued growth and success of the band program.
Kevin Garcia
Hello hello hello , I’m Kevin born and raised in Phoenix. I am one of the color guard techs here at Basha, I graduated from Tempe High School in 2020 and later on became the color guard caption head in 2022. My marching experience includes The Academy Drum and Corps, Oasis A , Oasis Open and FeniX Independent. I am super excited to be joining on as staff this year !
Brandon Clark
Brandon Clark (he/him) began his musical journey at age 8, taking piano lessons from a local teacher. His passion for music truly took off in middle school band, where he started on trombone before switching to tuba his freshman year of high school. From that point on, his love for performing and ensemble music continued to grow.
Brandon earned his undergraduate degree in Music Learning and Teaching from Arizona State University. He currently resides in Mesa, Arizona, where he teaches 4th–6th grade band and is dedicated to fostering a meaningful and engaging musical experience for his students.
Throughout his musical career, Brandon has had a wide range of performance opportunities. In high school, he performed with the top concert band, jazz band, and marching band, earning superior ratings, a championship title, and multiple music caption awards. He later marched with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps from 2020 to 2023, contributing to the corps’ placement as a Drum Corps International World Championship finalist in both competitive seasons he participated. During his final season, Brandon served as a section leader and was part of the ensemble when the organization achieved the highest score in its history. He has also performed with the ASU Wind Symphony and the Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble.
In addition to performing, Brandon has gained extensive experience as an educator and clinician, working with several award-winning programs across the Phoenix area, including Foreword Indoor Winds, Millennium High School, Sandra Day O’Connor High School, Basha High School, and Desert Ridge High School (2023 State Champions and Music Caption winners). In 2024, he returned to the Blue Stars as a brass staff member, where he continues to teach at the world-class level.
Outside of music education, Brandon enjoys reading, attending live performances, and spending time with friends and family.
Brandon's favorite things
Zach Borquez
​Hello! My name is Zach Borquez and I'm a quad player from Arizona. 
I started my marching career at Mountain View High School from 2019-2022, and then carried into independent groups such as: Vision Indoor Percussion 2023-2024, The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps 2024, The Sun Devil Marching Band 2024, and then RCC Indoor Percussion 2025.
I plan to continue marching the next two years of indoor while I can, and then continue to teach afterwards. I love the activity and it's taught me a lot as a person and put me around good people, so I just want to help grow the next generations so that they can experience the same things I have and more.
Zach's favorite things
JEANNA WARREN
Jeanna is a part of the Basha Color Guard staff. She has worked with Basha for multiple seasons and enjoys sharing her passion and experience for guard with the Basha students.
Meena van Leuven
Meena enjoys spending her free time with her loved ones, indulging in hobbies, and going outdoors. She has recently aged out of WGAZ/WGI on cymbals after nine years with Vision Percussion. She has been teching both cymbals and visual at various high schools in the valley since 2022, as well as teaching private lessons on cymbals since 2022.
Meena's favorite things
tammi mcatee
Tammi brings over 15 years of experience in the Color Guard activity, beginning her journey in middle school. She went on to perform at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where she competed 3 consecutive years at the WGI World Championships as an Open Class finalist.
After graduating, she returned to her alma mater as a Flag Technician and Technical Director & Choreographer. She continued her performance career with three years at World Class Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps, further developing her foundation in movement and performance excellence.
Throughout her teaching career, she has worked with programs across Florida and Texas, including serving as Technical & Movement Director at Saginaw High School and Keller Central High School. She also held the role of Overall Director at James Martin High School, while consistently providing choreography for multiple programs.
She is passionate about building strong, supportive team cultures while developing both the technical and performance skills of her students. She is excited to join Basha High School and looks forward to continuing to grow the program and create meaningful experiences for its members.