Our Instructors

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Mr. Fike is an alumnus of the DVUSD school system and the SDOHS marching band. He received his Bachelor’s in Music Education and Bachelor’s in Saxophone Performance degrees, both Summa Cum Laude, from Northern Arizona University. Mr. Fike was principal of the Arizona All-State Band alto saxophone section and the baritone saxophonist in the AZ All-State Jazz band for three years in a row, has been a featured soloist with orchestra three times, and while at university, won the NAU concerto competition. He currently performs on alto and soprano saxophone with the Tempe Wind Symphony, and gigs as a substitute for various chamber groups around the Valley.

After completing his student teaching, Mr. Fike was deemed the “Outstanding Graduating Student in Bachelor’s of Music Education” by the faculty at NAU. He began his teaching career at Sierra Verde STEAM Academy, where his students earned Superior ratings at festival, and is now the band director at Terramar Academy of the Arts. He has served as a DVUSD Team Lead in the Honor Band Chair position, and previously held the 7th Grade All-State Band Chair on the Arizona Music Educator’s Association board for two years. Bryan has previously worked as a woodwind and visual instructor for the Boulder Creek Jaguar Marching Band, and currently holds those positions with the Sandra Day O’Connor Eagle Pride Marching Band.

Chris Brown is a recent alumni of the University of Arizona, where he graduated summa cum laude with honors with a bachelor's in Management Information Systems, and minors in Spanish, Music, and Sports Management. At the University of Arizona, Chris was in the Pride of Arizona Marching and Pep Bands all four years, where he performed at football games, men's and women's basketball games, women's volleyball games, and a variety of other events throughout the Tucson community. Chris was also a trumpet section leader for three years during his time with the Pride of Arizona and prides himself on bringing a positive, energetic atmosphere to rehearsals, sectionals, and performances! During his senior season with the Pride of Arizona, Chris was named MVP for his commitment, service, leadership, and musical and visual excellence in the band. He is so excited to be working with the Eagle Pride Marching Band and continuing his love of marching band! Go Eagles!

Chris Canby is a percussion instructor and arranger currently living in Mesa, AZ. He is an active educator and clinician, currently serving as Director of Percussion at Sandra Day O'Connor High School. Mr. Canby has previously been a member of the marching percussion staff for the Arizona State University Sun Devil Pride Marching Band, as well as Battery Coordinator at Breakthrough Indoor Percussion and Percussion Caption Head at Phenom Drum and Bugle Corps. Chris attended Arizona State University where he studied with Dr. J.B. Smith, Dr. Mark Sunkett, Simone Mancuso, and Dom Moio. He was a member of various large and small ensembles including Wind Ensemble, Lyric Opera Theater, Percussion Ensemble, and the Sun Devil Marching Band under the instruction of Roberto Paz and John McClean. As a marching member Chris has performed as a snare drummer with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, Mosaic Indoor Percussion, and Dark Sky Percussion. Outside of his role as an educator, Chris is an active performer with BOOM! Percussion Entertainment, Arizona Cardinals Big Red Thunder Drumline, and Samba de Cavalo. He is a frequent guest percussionist with Desert Echoes Flute choir as well as a drum set player with several local artists through out the Valley. He can be reached @ canchrisby@gmail.com

Tabitha Branson is an alumna of DVUSD and teaches front ensemble at Sandra Day O’Connor. She recently graduated from Arizona State University with her Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology. There, she focused her thesis research on the work of part-time instrumental instructors in Arizona. Prior to ASU, she attended Northern Arizona University and studied with Dr. Steven Hemphill to receive her Bachelor’s in Music Education, Cum Laude, with an emphasis in percussion. She also received NAU’s prestigious Gold Axe Award in 2018 for outstanding academic achievement, service, and leadership.

In her time at NAU, Tabitha performed with the NAU Lumberjack Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and Panorama Steel Pan Ensemble. At ASU she was a member of the Javanese Gamelan Ensemble and Latin Marimba Band. Outside of school, she performed with Breakthrough Indoor Percussion and as a percussionist at The Church of the Red Rocks in Sedona. She started teaching private lessons on concert percussion and drumset in 2015 to middle school, high school, and adult students.

In addition to Sandra Day O’Connor, Tabitha has been on the marching staff at Coconino High School, Moon Valley High School, and Mountain Pointe High School, and spent time teaching K-8 General Music and Choir. Outside of teaching marching band, she works at the Musical Instrumental Museum as part of their Education Team. Tabitha is very excited to work with the Sandra Day O’Connor Band this year!

Todd Oehler is a Doctoral Candidate and Teaching Assistant for the Trumpet Studio at Arizona State University. Todd completed his undergraduate degree in May 2020 at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, MD, majoring in trumpet performance and music education, and completed his master's degree in trumpet performance in May 2022 at Wichita State University in Wichita, KS. Todd was the principal trumpet with the Peabody Conductor’s Orchestra and is a member of the Old Bay Brass quintet. Throughout his time at Peabody, he has had the pleasure of working with Joseph Young and Marin Alsop in numerous orchestras. Todd’s career has prominently featured soloing at numerous venues throughout the east coast and Midwest, including but not limited to Verizon Hall, the Baltimore Basilica, and the Wichita Cathedral. In addition to his performance career, Todd takes tremendous pride in his teaching, having worked with public schools in Maryland, Kansas, and Arizona, as well as Private Music Schools in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and has his own private trumpet studio. Todd has been a finalist in the Yale Gordon Competition, the Wolff-Bing Chamber Competition, and the Wichita State Concerto Competition, and has won the Pamela M. Marshall perpetual trophy and the Geoffrey B. Dougherty Memorial trophy in competition for his coach horn playing. Todd earned the Marie Evelyn Kinsman and the Deering Endowed scholarships by the Peabody Conservatory. Todd was also presented with the Wolff-Bing Chamber Scholarship at Wichita State University.

 Zack Whittier is a percussion instructor currently living in Glendale, Arizona. He is an active educator and clinician, currently serving as the Front Ensemble head at Mountain Pointe High School, a guest clinician at Moon Valley High School, as well as the current Electronics designer and coordinator at Sandra Say O’Connor High School. He has previously been the Front Ensemble Caption Head at Breakthrough Indoor Percussion, a percussion and visual staff member at Northern Arizona University, a staff member at several other middle and high schools around the state, as well as in California and Texas. 

Zack studied at Northern Arizona University where he studied with Dr. Steven Hemphill. He was a member of various large and small ensembles including the Wind Symphony, Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and the PANoRAMA steel pan group. Mr. Whittier has been involved as a performer with groups in both the WGI, and DCI Circuits, to include the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps (2010 – 2012, 2012 Section Leader), Pulse Percussion (2013), as well a marching member with the University of Arizona “Pride of Arizona” Marching Band (2009, 2010, 2013).

Mr. Whittier is a graduate of Northern Arizona University with a degree in Music Performance. In the past he has studied with Dr. Steven Hemphill, Ian Grom, John Mapes, Glen Crosby, Sean Gordon, Homero Ceron, and Dr. Andrea Venet.

Gerardo Estrada better known as “Tito”  is a Mexican American Visual Educator, Drill Writer, and Announcer. Tito began his performing arts career in Las Vegas, Nevada at Silverado High School where he participated in Concert Band, Marching Band, and Winter Drumline programs graduating in 2015. Tito’s performance background continued into college, spending two seasons in Northern Arizona’s Lumberjack Marching Band from 2017-2018. One season was spent as a member and his second as a Drum Major for the ensemble. Tito also spent four summers marching with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps on tuba from 2015 until his age out in 2018.
Tito’s teaching experience began in 2015 after his first season with The Academy. He served as a Visual Instructor for Liberty High School and his Alma Mater Silverado High School. He continued working with the Silverado High School marching programs through 2019 helping build the culture and visual program while also serving in other critical roles such as prop designer and builder. Silverado High School went on to win several caption awards and is now a powerhouse in the Las Vegas area. Tito served on the Visual Team for Sage V Percussion for their debut season in 2019-2020 where he also designed and built props. In addition, Tito was a part of the Visual Team for Phenom Drum and Bugle Corps in 2020 and most recently with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in 2022. Currently, Tito works with various groups across the Phoenix Valley including Sandra Day O’Connor HS as a Visual Tech, Tempe HS as the Visual Caption Head, and Moon Valley HS as the Drill Writer. 
Aside from teaching, Tito is an Announcer for the Winter Guard Association of Southern California (WGASC) and the American Drumline Association (ADLA) indoor circuits. His debut season was in 2022 announcing six shows for the Las Vegas Valley and one final show in SoCal for WGASC Championships.

Carter Goldsworthy grew up in Peoria, AZ. He participated in the marching, jazz, and concert music programs at Sunrise Mountain High School, and served as a section leader his senior year. The very first marching performance he was inspired by was SDOHS's 2012 program, MORPH: From Then To Where. During his upperclassmen years, he attended the Aviation Electronics program at West-MEC, developing his technical skills and serving as the Treasurer and Vice-President for the SkillsUSA chapter. In his senior year of high school, Carter earned a performing contract as a euphonium player for The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, where he continued to develop as a musician, educator, and leader throughout the 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons. In 2020, Carter earned a contract for the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, detailing his craft further and performing with them until aging out in 2021 at the age of 23. Drum corps ignited his passion for education and serving others. Carter attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to study aeronautical science, as well as earn his Private Pilot, and Commercial Pilot certificates alongside an Instrument Rating. During this time, he balanced the responsibilities of pilot training, drum corps, earning a degree, and working multiple and diverse on-campus and off-campus jobs. In 2021, he was recommended to the marching band program at Canyon View High School as a potential candidate for their first visual educator! This was Carter's first official role as an educator. He is proud to have been a part of that season because of the immense growth in both the students as performers, and himself as an educator. Now in 2022, Carter is a music and brass technician at SDOHS. Here, he continues to find what he wants and needs through the privilege of educating the students alongside the current educational team. For Carter, being able to stand in front of this hornline every week is amazing!

Analyce Gonzalez is a Mexican American flutist and piccoloist born and raised in Glendale, AZ. She obtained her Bachelor's in Music Performance from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 2015 and obtained her Master’s in Music Performance in 2021 from the University of Northern Colorado. She is a board member with the Arizona Flute Society & has 10+ years’ of experience teaching flutists, ranging from young children to adults. Her students have qualified for regional and all-state ensembles, as well as superior ratings in solo competitions. Experience includes first place in 2015 at the Arizona Flute Society’s Founder’s Scholarship Competition performing Frank Martin’s, Ballade, finalist in the Southard Music Competition in 2020 performing Katherine Hoover’s, To Greet the Sun & in 2021 performing Jake Heggie’s, Fury of Light.  She has performed with the NAU & UNCO Wind Ensemble & Symphony Orchestra, Chandler & North Valley Symphony Orchestras, La Forza Chamber Orchestra, and ProMusica Arizona. In 2016, she traveled with the American Festival Orchestra to China as their piccoloist. In the past, she has performed in master classes teaching topics including learning & memorizing scales, and how to beatbox flute. She has also adjudicated for AMEA Regional auditions, as well as solo and ensemble performances. In addition to helping SDOHS, she instructs the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band piccolo section.

  Hannah Kalas is an alumnus of the SDOHS marching band, and was a part of the SDOHS colorguard and winterguard program from 2015-2019. She currently attends Arizona State University, and will graduate in 2023 with a degree in Graphic Design and a minor in Digital Culture. Hannah is currently in her third season with Fenix Independent Winterguard, competing at a national level.