Velvet Knights Announce 2012 Arrangers
VK Drum & Bugle Corps announced today their arrangers for the 2012 season. “I am extremely excited to have these gentlemen head up the arranging team. Together, they bring many years of writing, designing, for some of the top groups in the country” said Mayra Iraheta, Corps Director for VK.
Frank Rico – Brass Arranger – has a degree in music education from The California State University, Los Angeles (2000) and is currently wrapping up his MM in Commercial Music/Afro-Latin Studies from Cal State L.A. He has taught, composed, arranged music, and charted drill for many educational based organizations. Some of these organizations include, Bell Gardens High School, Schurr High School, Temple City High School, Montebello High School, Gladstone High School, La Mirada High School, Pasadena City College, Tournament of Roses Honor Band, Irvine Community College, Cal State LA, Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps (2004), Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps (2007), Velvet Knights (2011, 2012). Frank is currently entering his 7th year as the director of bands for Bell Gardens High School. After joining the Velvet Knights in June 2011, Frank will be working his first full season with the Velvet Knights. His drum corps experience as a performer includes performing with the Sacramento Freelancers and The Blue Knights from Denver Colorado
Ike Jackson – Percussion Arranger – is a highly prolific/contemporary percussion designer working with Ayala High School ensembles, since 1991. In his twenty-two years as an adjudicator and percussion designer/instructor, he has worked with more than 45 different percussion programs at the high school, college, and drum corps levels. As an innovative percussion arranger and drill designer, Ike has worked with various percussion ensembles all across the Southwest.
His competitive marching career started in his teens as a member of the Sound Machine Youth Organization; then as tenor player for the Riverside Community College Marching Tigers from1992 to 1994. Finally, he finished his marching career by becoming a member of the 1994 Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps going on to win the title of World Champion.
Ike is currently Vice President of the Southern California Percussion Alliance and a founding member of SCPA. He is also a member of the Winter Guard International Percussion Advisory Board and Steering Committee and was recently the President of Pulse Independent World and Open Percussion Ensembles.
Bryan Nungaray – Front Ensemble Arranger – is currently one of the most active educators in the realm of marching percussion, assuming the role of both instructor and arranger for several groups in the Southern California region, such as the 2010 WGI Percussion Scholastic World and the 5 time Percussion Scholastic Concert World Champion, Ayala High School from Chino Hills, CA, as well as the 2011 SCPA Bronze Medalist, Arroyo High School from El Monte, CA.
His performance experience extends back to his participation with the Mission Viejo High School Percussion Ensemble, where Bryan played tenors with the Indoor Percussion ensemble, as well as mallet percussion for the Concert Indoor Percussion Ensemble under the instruction of Mike Jackson and Jim Wunderlich. Both groups earned immense praise, earning the 2004 WGI Percussion Scholastic World Silver Medal and Percussion Scholastic Concert Open Gold Medal – along with the 2005 WGI Percussion Scholastic World Silver Medal. Following high school, Bryan also participated with the world-renowned Riverside Community College Marching Tigers as a mallet player.
