Pete Sapadin

I am a marching percussion specialist based in Southern California who excels at teaching students the skills necessary to perform at the highest levels in marching activity. A highly sought-after clinician, I am proud to be a Vic Firth Education Artist, a Remo Education Artist, and a Zildjian Artist.

I started my marching percussion career as a snare drummer with the Velvet Knights under Matt Savage. I then went on to play snare drum for the Concord Blue Devils under Tom Float and the Cadets of Bergen County under Tom Aungst.  

I’ve been teaching and writing for marching percussion groups for more than 20 years. Highlights include my time as head battery technician for the Velvet Knights under Tom Float; instructor for the Soka Renaissance Vanguard in Tokyo, Japan, with Scott Johnson, Dave Glyde and Ralph Hardimon; percussion caption head/arranger for the Casper, WY, Troopers; caption head/arranger for the Yamato Drum & Bugle Corps, and snare instructor for the four-time World Champion Riverside Community College (RCC) Indoor Drumline.

After moving on from my time at RCC, I took over caption head/writing/show design/staff coordination duties for the Orange County Independent WGI indoor percussion ensemble. My team earned the Bronze Medal in Independent Open Class at the 2012 WGI World Championships in Dayton, OH; they then went on to earn a Silver Medal the following year.

I wrote the battery book for Pacific Crest in 2012 and 2013, and also taught and wrote for the Gold Drum & Bugle Corps from 2012-2013. I’ve been a featured clinician in the United States, Taiwan, and Japan. I currently teach and adjudicate percussion in Southern California and continue to demonstrate my ability to inspire, motivate and instruct students to truly become the best in the world.