Organization

Geoffrey Radant

Director of Bands

Geoffrey Radant has been teaching at San Marcos High School since 2005. His responsibilities include directing the Marching Band, Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Studio Jazz, the Axiom Performance Ensemble, the CORE Academy Mentor Program, and the San Marcos Conservatory for Leadership & the Arts. Additionally, Mr. Radant serves as the visual designer and drill writer for San Marcos High School and has worked independently as a consultant, composer, arranger, and designer for marching band, winter guard and indoor percussion. Bands under the direction of Mr. Radant have performed in prestigious events all over the world including China, Italy, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Music for All National Festival and have a built a reputation of musical excellence.

Geoffrey Radant is a native of San Diego, California. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego and holds a Master’s Degree in Education. Mr. Radant was the San Marcos High School Teacher of the Year in 2022 and has presented sessions at the Arts Empower San Diego Mega Conference, Ryan Anthony Music Project, and the SCSBOA Conference. His professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, California Band Directors Association, the Jazz Education Network, and the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association.

Erasmo Rodriguez-Castaneda

Director of Bands

Erasmo Rodriguez-Castaneda joins the San Marcos Bands team in 2023. His responsibilities include directing the Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Blues Band, Percussion Ensembles, and teaching the Digital Music Production classes. As an educator, Mr. Rodriguez has taught music at all levels throughout Southern California as well as Mexico, Taiwan, and Japan for over 18 years. This includes teaching percussion, jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, orchestra, marching band, drum and bugle corps, and private lessons. Mr. Rodriguez most recently served as the Director of instrumental music at Heritage High School in Menifee

Mr. Rodriguez-Castaneda is an accomplished concert percussionist, rudimental percussionist, jazz piano player, and composer and he performs with various professional Symphony orchestras and Jazz ensembles in Southern California. His musical compositions have been played by marching bands, wind ensembles, and indoor percussion ensembles, including orchestrations and sequencing projects for media, and musical theatre in the United States and Japan.

Mr. Rodriguez-Castaneda earned his degree and credential at California State University Fullerton. He has served as a percussion and jazz adjudicator for the Southern California Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) and WCPA (West Coast Performance Association) and is a member of the Vic-Firth Education Team. Mr. Rodriguez-Castaneda also serves on the advisory board for the San Jose non-profit Art of the Heart Music.

Matthew Armstrong

Music Director
SMUSD Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator

Mr. Armstrong began teaching at San Marcos High School in 2004 and in 2015 accepted the position of Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for San Marcos Unified. Named San Marcos High School Teacher of the Year, and San Marcos Unified Teacher of the year in 2013, Music Educator of the Year for California Music Educators Association in 2015, he is a sought after performer, clinician, and arts advocate.

Along with guest conducting appearances statewide, in 2017 and 2019 he had the honor of being the guest conductor for the Cuban National Concert Band in Havana.

In 2015 Mr. Armstrong founded the San Diego Percussion Festival which partners with the San Diego Symphony and Yamaha to provide quality a concert percussion performance experience for students across San Diego and Southern California.

Over the past 15 year, his percussion ensembles have performed 7 times at the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival. Mr. Armstrong is a member of Percussive Arts Society, California Music Educators Association, NafME, and is an artist with Vic Firth and Zildjian.

Ashley Ryback

Visual Caption Head (Knight Regiment Marching Band)
Artistic Director (Axiom Performance Ensemble)

Ashley Rybak has ben teaching at San Marcos High School since 2009. Her responsibilities include Visual Caption Head for the Knight Regiment Marching Band and Artistic Director for the Axiom Performance Ensemble.

Mrs. Rybak has been heavily involved with music from an early age, first studying piano and then saxophone. While a student at Vista High School, she was involved with the marching band, jazz band, and the wind ensemble where she was principal chair for 4 years. During that time, Mrs. Rybak performed at the Music for All National Festival and has also performed internationally.

During the summers of 2003-2005, Mrs. Rybak marched with the Esperanza Drum and Bugle Corps on mellophone, winning the Division 2 World Championships in 2003. Continuing her musical education after graduating, Mrs. Rybak studied saxophone under Geoffrey Radant while earning a B.A. Degree in Communications with an emphasis in Entertainment from CSU Fullerton. Mrs. Rybak also spent 7 years training in jazz dance to improve her understanding of movement and repertoire as a visual designer.

Mrs. Rybak has been teaching since 2004 and has worked as a visual technician, movement technician, choreographer, drill writer, visual caption head, and music coach for both marching bands and indoor drumline. She has worked with many award winning programs in Southern California including Cerritos HS, Westview HS, Mission Hills HS, SDSU, and San Marcos HS. Intrigued by the visual and artistic aspect of the marching arts, Ms. Lindsey has spent years training and studying to develop a unique teaching method that highly integrates dance technique and choreography with marching, and has helped build the innovative programs and design seen with the Knight Regiment Marching Band and the Axiom Performance Ensemble at San Marcos High School.

Jacqueline Goldberg

Guard Caption Head

Jacqueline is a graduate of Rancho Buena Vista where she spent all four years involved with marching band, color guard, and dance.

After graduating, she performed with several groups including Lealta and Vox Artium in the winter and the Esperanza Drum and Bugle Corps and Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps in the summer.

Her love of dance and color guard gave her the passion for focusing her education on dance and movement and in 2011 she graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a bachelor in kinesiology.

As a teacher, Jacqueline has taught at many local high schools, independent groups, and a middle school as an instructor and clinician. She has been teaching at San Marcos School since 2007 and has been the Guard Caption Head since 2011.

Music Staff

Evan Walsh

High Brass Specialist

Evan Walsh is a versatile freelance trumpet player, teaching artist, and music contractor based in Southern California. A Cole Scholar from the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University Long Beach, Evan also holds a degree in music business from Full Sail University.

Evan has earned accolades such as an honorable mention in the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition and a performance opportunity at the Sony Scoring Stage through the Future Session Players Clinic. Evan has performed with the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, American Youth Symphony, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Young Artist Symphony Orchestra, the Palisades Symphony, and the Southern California Brass Consortium.

Evan has been a musician at Disneyland since 2013 and performs regularly at the San Diego Zoo. You can also see and hear Evan performing on TV for NBCUniversal, HBO’s Westworld, Deadwood the Movie, Old Navy, General Motors, and Apple Commercials. Music is important on many levels in life. Music helps develop self-discipline, aids the brain in learning and processing academic skills, and is a catalyst for creativity. Because of these benefits and the fact that music is such a vital and integral part of his life, Evan wants to promote music to others through teaching, mentoring, and giving educational concerts and workshops. What Evan enjoys most about teaching is inspiring others to be creative.

You can expect lessons with Evan to be tailored to your individual goals. Styles taught include commercial, classical, jazz, and more! Students taught are from 5 years old to adult. Evan has also performed with San Diego Musical Theatre, Lamb’s Players Theatre, Moonlight Stage Productions, and SeaWorld San Diego. He is the Trumpet Teaching Artist for San Marcos High School. He has taught music regularly for the Young Musicians Foundation, Muirlands Middle, Ada Harris Elementary, Mission Bay Montessori Academy, Anaheim City School District, and both Arcadia and Los Angeles Unified School Districts.

Evan’s students have a variety of involvements and achievements such as winning spots to perform in the Young Lions Jazz Conservatory, San Diego Youth Symphony, San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra, California All State Honor Band, California All-Southern Honor Band, San Diego Honor Band and Jazz Band, YOLA National Festival Symphony Orchestra, Francis Parker Summer Jazz Workshop, San Diego Summer Music Institute (SDSMI), New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp, Youth Trumpet Scholars, Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend, and have been finalists in the International Trumpet Guild Solo Competition. Collegiately, Evan’s students have won scholarships and have been accepted to conservatory and university music degree programs to further their careers at many schools including UCLA, UCSB, UCSD, CSULB, Indiana University, and more.

Terence S. Cooper

Jazz C Director
High Brass Instructor

Terence has been a local Horn player/ Singer/Composer/Arranger/Teacher/Coach in the San Diego area for the last 27 years.

He is a former principle horn in the La Jolla Symphony, has performed and written for performing groups at Sea World, Lego Land and most recently, The San Diego Zoo.

He has been also a music minister at North Coast Church in Vista for the last 13 years,
where he plays piano and sings each weekend in the “Soul Gospel” venue.

Darren Fujii

Low Brass Instructor

Darren Fujii is a low brass performer and educator based in San Diego. He is an active freelancer and private instructor, having worked with numerous schools throughout San Diego County as a low brass coach and marching band visual instructor, and performs with ensembles such as the Pacific Lyric Association. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Rochester and earned his Master of Music from the University of Oregon, specializing in euphonium, with secondary areas in tenor trombone and tuba. His teachers include Michael Grose, Henry Henniger, Christopher
Hotaling, Aaron Eckert, Devin Sloos, and Scott Sutherland. Darren’s marching experience includes performing with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps on euphonium during the 2015 and 2016 summer tours.

While at the University of Oregon, Darren was awarded the UO Outstanding Graduate Performer in Brass and was a finalist in the 2020 University Concerto and Aria Competition.

In 2019, Darren competed in the semifinals of the International Tuba-Euphonium Conference (ITEC) chamber ensemble and euphonium mock audition competitions and won first place in the 2020 Stars and Shipes Euphonium Mock-Band Competition, organized and judged by some of the top US military band euphonium players. Most recently, he was a finalist in the 2023 ITEC euphonium mock audition competition.

Josias Miguel

Saxophone Instructor

Josias Miguel is a saxophone player from Vista, California. He has shared the stage with Andy Martin, Bob Sheppard, Tamir Hendelman, Jeff Hamilton, Bill Cunliffe, Rodolfo Zuniga, John Clayton, Michael Dease, Francisco Torres, and many more over the years.

Josias is a skilled saxophonist and an experienced music teacher and has taught at many schools within the San Marcos Unified School District and his expertise in teaching saxophone helps students develop a strong foundation in music. Josias is committed to providing a safe, supportive, and nurturing learning environment where students can grow and excel in their musical abilities.

Throughout his academic career, Josias focused his studies on music performance, learning a variety of musical genres. He first attended Palomar College before transferring to Mira Costa College where he performed in the Jazz Big Band, Jazz Combos, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Saxophone Quartet. Josias then attended the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at Cal State Long Beach, where he refined his performance abilities and earned his Bachelor’s degree. He continued his education at Cal State Fullerton, earning a Master’s degree in jazz studies.

Josias believes that music has the capacity to transform a student’s life, and he is grateful to all his saxophone teachers (Steve Steinberg, Ben Schacter, Drew Ceccato, Steve Torok, Jay Mason, Sal Lozano, Jimmy Emerzian, and Jeff Ellwood) for helping him on his own musical path.

Berk Schneider

Trombone Instructor

Berk Schneider is a trombonist and music educator living in Southern California. Described as a “valiant proponent” of newly composed music by San Diego Union Tribune, Berk’s curated performances seek to provide profound and immersive experiences via electronic elements and deep collaboration with talented composers. From the eerie perplexity of the Orange Show Monument nestled in Houston’s East End to the sold-out Toyota Center, Frankfurt’s Bockenheimer Depot, Carnegie Hall, and the Berlin Philharmonie — performances and education projects occur in venues ranging from abandoned bunkers, parks, and traditional concert halls. His collaborations are equally varied, having worked alongside musicians such as Joshua Bell, Josh Groban, Steven Schick conductors Brad Lubman, Enno Poppe, Robert Spano, composers Beat Furrer, Philip Glass, Helmut Lachenmann, Alvin Lucier, actor Alexander Fehling, the Houston, Firelands, and La Jolla symphonies, Ensemble Modern, as well as artistic director Heiner Goebbels. More info @https://www.berkschneider.com/about/bio

Anahita Pestonjamasp

Flute Instructor

Anahita Pestonjamasp is a flutist and educator based in San Diego. She enjoys teaching students of all ages, and currently coaches at schools in the San Diego North County area. She has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, and Copley Symphony Hall. In 2020, she was a finalist in the San Diego Flute Guild’s Young Artist Competition. Anahita greatly enjoys performing in chamber and orchestral settings, with groups such as San Diego New Music and the La Jolla Symphony. A supporter of the Southern California flute community, she currently serves as Vice President for the San Diego Flute Guild’s Board. Anahita earned her Bachelor of Music degree at San Diego State University, and her Master of Music degree from the Mannes School of Music at The New School (New York, NY).

Peter Dayeh

Clarinet Instructor

Mr. Dayeh enjoys an exciting career as both performer and educator. He can frequently be seen playing clarinet and Eb clarinet with the San Diego Symphony and previously has held the position of 2nd clarinet with the Santa Cruz Symphony for six seasons. In addition to this, Dayeh is a regular member of the California Chamber Orchestra as well as the San Diego Winds, a wind ensemble comprised of professional musicians from the Southern California region. His career has led him to share the stage with notable artists and groups, such as The Who, Sarah Brightman, Jodi Benson, and Ledisi to name a few.

While not performing in a large ensemble, Dayeh has a passion for playing chamber music and solo recitals. He has been presented in these capacities by the Fallbrook Music Society, Golden Valley Music Society, Bodhi Tree Concerts, the San Diego Fringe Festival, and La Jolla Music Society.

Dayeh has a robust passion for teaching. He is in demand as a clarinet teacher and maintains a private studio, teaching clarinetists of all ages. His students regularly hold top seats in All State and All Southern honor groups, as well as local honor groups, youth orchestras, and school band programs. Former students who have pursued a music degree in college have been accepted to such prestigious institutions as the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan, The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, and the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA, amongst others. In addition to teaching privately, he is a clinician at a number of local middle and high schools, teaching groups in a masterclass setting.

Dayeh holds a Bachelor of Music degree from San Diego State University, where he studied clarinet with Dr. Marian Liebowitz; and a Master of Music Degree from Arizona State University, where he studied with internationally acclaimed clarinetist Robert Spring. Furthermore, he has studied with Sheryl Renk of the San Diego Symphony. In the Summer of 2011 he was a participant at the Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival in beautiful Hancock, Maine; a rigorous, six-week-long program training orchestra musicians and conductors. In the Summer of 2012 he was fortunate to participate in the lively Hot Springs Music Festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Gabriel Bustamante

Percussion Instructor

Gabriel started teaching the San Marcos Drumline in the fall of 2022 and currently serves as the Battery Percussion Caption Head and Battery Music Arranger. He has been involved with the Marching Arts as a performer and an instructor since 2016. His performance experience includes multiple years as the Gold Drum and Bugle Corps drumline section leader and Pow Percussion in 2019. He also performed with Pulse Percussion in 2020 and 2022, where the ensemble earned a world record score and gold medal at WGI world championships. As an instructor, he has taught numerous drumlines across San Diego County, including Valhalla High School, Chula Vista High School, and Scripps Ranch High School. He also taught the Gold Drum and Bugle Corps snareline in the summer of 2022 and the Pacific Crest snareline in the summer of 2023. Gabriel is a young and ambitious marching percussion instructor and is working towards making San Diego a hotspot for great marching percussionists.

Visual Staff

Michael Walsh

Visual Technician

Michael is a North County native and graduate from Vista High School, where he first began to love the marching activity. Upon graduation in 2006, he began a brief career as an orchestral trumpeter in the San Diego area, as well as an educator working with all ages.

He holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from California State University, San Marcos, and now works as a Business Process Analyst at ViaSat in Carlsbad. Michael enjoys traveling, great food, and the outdoors.

He feels privileged to be working at San Marcos High School because he believes it is a very special program which is providing its students with a unique, high quality experience, an exceptionally rare opportunity in the age of school budget cuts.