At the center of every strong drum corps is a strong team of member leadership. Serving as a liaison between performers and staff, this team of veteran members also puts in the extra effort to lead by example and set a standard for the entire corps.
“We are fortunate to have 4 outstanding leaders in the brass section. Beyond sheer musical performance, we sought out members who showed the capacity to lead in a number of ways; through example, effort, growth potential and willingness to put the team first,” said Chip Crotts, SCV Brass Caption Manager. “These leaders not only embrace the ideals of the brass team and organization, but are great people and put the needs of others before their own. They are affecting a tremendously positive change for our drum corps, one that will help us develop our members to their highest potential and shape the direction of the Santa Clara Vanguard for years to come. They work extremely well with our educational staff and we are thrilled to have them as our leadership team for the 2017 season.”
It is our pleasure to introduce the 2017 Santa Clara Vanguard Brass Leadership Team:
Stone Wang, 2017 SCV Horn Sergeant/Mellophone Section Leader
Born in Houston, Texas, Stone Wang is a 2nd year student at the University of Texas at Austin as a Music Studies major with horn focus. This is Stone’s fourth year touring with a drum corps, spending the 2014 and 2015 summers as a mellophone player with the Santa Clara Vanguard and the 2016 summer as the mellophone section leader. In his spare time, Stone takes dance training to explore new ways to move and perform. Stone is excited to take on the role of Horn Sergeant for the 2017 Santa Clara Vanguard Hornline, where he hopes to support a new standard of excellence and family.
Mykal McGrew, 2017 SCV Trumpet Section Leader
Mykal McGrew was born and raised in the DFW area, where he attended Keller high school. He is currently taking a break from college, having previously attended Sam Houston State where he studied Music Education and Trumpet Performance. He currently teaches trumpet lessons at local schools in the Keller ISD area, and winter guard at his alma mater. Outside of teaching you can find Mykal enjoying hobbies such as reading comic books, watching movies, doing martial arts, exercising, cooking/eating , and playing video games. Mykal is very excited to be marching his 4th season with the Santa Clara Vanguard and can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Katie Christensen, 2017 SCV Baritone Section Leader
Katie was born and raised in Orange County, California. Currently attending Texas Tech University, she is majoring in Astrophysics and minoring in mathematics and French. In her free time Katie enjoys watching Netflix and doing yoga, sometimes simultaneously! She works as a model at Hollister and volunteers her time as an elementary school math tutor. This is Katie’s 3rd year with the Vanguard organization, having previously marched one year with the Vanguard Cadets (2015) and one year with SCV (2016). Now serving in her first year as section leader, she is excited to help lead the corps to success and bring innovation to the drum corps activity in 2017.
Patrick Yeh, 2017 SCV Tuba Section Leader
Patrick Yeh was born in La Crescenta, CA, and is currently attending Northern Arizona University as a tuba performance major. This is his 4th year with the Vanguard organization, all of which have been spent in the A Corps. In his free time, Patrick likes to cook, spend time with friends, and enjoy time outdoors. Patrick says he is excited to work with a very talented group of members this year, and spend his age-out year celebrating Vanguard’s 50 Anniversary!