Our Staff

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Dr. Jeff Quamo, Director

Dr. Quamo comes to Chandler High School with over 25 years of teaching high school bands. Programs under his direction have won ABODA and AZMBA Marching Band Championships. Ensembles under his direction have received Superior ratings at Area and State Concert and Jazz Band festivals. Former students of Dr. Quamo’s have performed in All-State Orchestra, Band and Jazz Ensembles. He serves as an adjudicator for AMEA, ABODA, and AZMBA Concert and Marching Band events. He also serves as musical director for the Youth Symphony of the Southwest, the Scottsdale Concert Band, and the Phoenix Brass Collective. He is also hired frequently as a guest conductor for honors ensembles.

As a performer, he has held the position of clarinetist with the Symphony of the Southwest since 2004. He has also performed with the Arizona Opera and the Phoenix Symphony. In 2016, he performed with Cinematic Pop on America’s Got Talent, and in 2019, he performed at Carnegie Hall with MCO. Dr. Quamo is frequently hired as a soloist with ensembles of both classical and jazz genres.

He currently lives with his wife, Jaclyn, and their five children.

TYLER HALEY - Marching Percussion, Front Ensemble

A Scottsdale native, Tyler Haley is a passionate music educator committed to helping students unlock their full potential.

He currently serves as the director of instrumental music at Mountain Trail Middle School, where he successfully more than doubled the size of the program. Haley's teaching experience also includes serving as a front ensemble director for several prominent high school programs, including Sabino, Sahuarita, Mesa, and Chandler. In addition, he is a front ensemble instructor for Vision Percussion's 2026 season.

Haley holds a bachelor's degree in music performance and a master's in education. He is currently working on his doctorate in education, with a research focus on providing support for music teachers throughout the Valley. When he's not teaching, he enjoys relaxing at home with his girlfriend and dogs or hitting the golf course.

KATELYN PENDER - Marching Percussion, Battery

Katelyn has been a percussion instructor for two years working with the fall program at Dobson High, as well as the fall and winter marching programs here at Chandler High. She has been a WGI open-class finalist with Vision Percussion twice in the three years she has marched with the organization. In 2022, she received first place for her solo performance on snare drum in AZMBA’s i&e component. As well as her experience with the marching arts, Katelyn is a multi-faceted percussionist, playing with the Phoenix Brass Collective and in various Jazz ensembles at ASU on drum-set. 

CASSANDRA MIRANDA - Color Guard

It’s my second year teaching here at Chandler High School. I’ve been doing color guard for the past 6-ish years and am joining Oasis Winter Guards, Local A Team. I am currently studying at Scottsdale Community College majoring in culinary arts. And work nights at Home Depot.

ANGELITA PONCE - Percussion Ensemble Director

Angelita Ponce is a Phoenix based performer and educator. She is a graduate of Arizona State University where she received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Master of Music in Percussion Performance under the instruction of Dr. Michael Compitello, Dr. J.B. Smith, Dom Moio, Shaun Tilburg and Simone Manusco. She has performed with a variety of ensembles including Orgullo Boricua, Samba de Cavalo, Carmela y Mas, GrupoBombAzo, Marloma, BOOM! Percussion, West Valley Symphony, Phoenix Jazz Girls Rising, Phoenix Brass Collective and many more. 

Angelita is a highly sought after educator. She has worked with over a dozen music programs in the valley as a technician, clinician, coordinator and director. A few of these programs include the Arizona State Sun Devil Marching Band, Breakthrough Indoor Percussion, Corona del Sol High School, Kyrene Digital Academy and The East Valley School of Music. She is a clinician and adjudicator through ABODA and AMEA. Currently, Angelita serves as adjunct faculty at Paradise Valley Community College and teaches percussion classes at Corona del Sol High School, Summit Academy, Campo Verde High School and Chandler High School. When she is not teaching, she is a session drummer/percussionist for a variety of artists in the valley.

BEN HERNANDEZ - Marching Percussion, Battery

Benjamin Hernandez is a passionate performer and composer of many genres of music. He is finishing up his undergraduate degrees in Music Learning and Teaching and Music Composition at Arizona State University. This will be his third year teaching at Chandler High School as Drum Tech, and plans to continue teaching there for the years to come. As well as a high level in marching percussion, Benjamin has also achieved high levels of success on Flute, Guitar, and Piano, and has earned awards for his compositions. While the Drum Tech at Chandler, he has also written several drum scores, and has arranged the marching show for the 2023 season. Benjamin looks forward to continuing his journey with the wonderful students of Chandler, and hopes to continue teaching and composing in the future.

Marching Percussion - Front Ensemble - Tyler Haley

Marching Percussion - Battery - Katelyn Pender & Ben Hernandez

Visual & Brass Tech - Adam Kesselman

Color Guard Staff - Makoto McCann & Cassandra Miranda

Audio & Electronic Design - JJ Mixdorf

Artistic Design & Drill Writer - Jeff Whipple