We are very lucky at South Hills HS to have a great staff to work with our students. Our staff has performed professionally all over the country and have taught some of the finest groups and ensembles in the world. Each staff member is dedicated to give our students at SHHS the very best possible experience as performers. Using the performing arts, the SHHS Band and Color Guard Staff is dedicated to teach our students how to be hard working, dedicated, and passionate young adults.

“Music has a power of forming the character, and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young.”
Aristotle

Band Director

Mr. Mike Wooten has been the Director of Bands at South Hills High School since 1999. Mike began his teaching career as a sophomore in high school teaching private trumpet lessons to middle school and elementary students. By the time Mike graduated from high school, he was teaching 30-40 private students every week. In 1997 and 1998 Mike had the opportunity to be the Director of the Tuffree Middle School Jazz Ensemble II in Placentia, CA. Throughout Mike’s time in college, he taught part-time at several middle and high schools. Mike had the privilege of attending Tuffree Middle School under the direction of Mr. Jim Hahn and El Dorado HS under the direction of Mr. Richard Watson. Because of these two individuals, Mike has developed a strong passion for Music Education. In addition to Mike’s responsibilities at South Hills HS, he is a very active member of the SCSBOA as a field and festival adjudicator.

After graduating from El Dorado HS in 1994, Mike studied music at Fullerton College for two years before transferring to Cal State University, Fullerton where he graduated in 1999. As a trumpet player, Mike has had the opportunity to perform all across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, and Japan. In 1998 Wooten was selected to perform in the Disney All-American College Band and later marched five seasons as a Toy Soldier in the Christmas Fantasy Parade at Disneyland.

When not working, Mike enjoys spending time with his daughter Grace, spending time with his family, watching Sports Center, and being a fan of the Anaheim (not Los Angeles) Angels and Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”
Victor Hugo


Sierra Vista Music Teacher

Mr. Bobby Frey
Sierra Vista Middle School, Band Director

Bobby Frey is a music teacher in Covina California, teaching at Sierra Vista middle school. He received his Bachelor’s of Music Education from the Bob Cole Conservatory. In addition to his major studies, Mr. Frey was the principal trombonist as well as the winner of the 2014 conducting mentorship.

Outside of his work with the bands at Sierra Vista MS, Mr. Frey has taught many schools in California including; East Whittier MS, Long Beach Poly HS, Millikan HS, Los Altos HS, University HS, and Live Oak HS. He is also a drill designer.


Color Guard

Andrew Arce
Color Guard Caption Head

Andrew is from southern California and entered the marching arts as a brass player. He switched his focus to color guard in 2011 and has performed 8 seasons with Fantasia Winterguard. He is a graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona where he studied Public Relations and Journalism. He has been with the South Hills marching band since 2017.

Jessica Gaitan
Color Guard Staff

Jessica Gaitan is an educator in both academic and extracurricular spaces. She is an alumni of the South Hills Band and Colorguard, performing as a member of the colorguard team from 2014-2018. After pursuing a teaching credential in English and performing with independent groups, Jessica joined the South Hills Band and Colorguard staff as a instructor in 2022.

Jessica has completed several competitive seasons as a performer with Blue Devils B (2018) and Fantasia Winterguard  (2020, 2022, 2023). These experiences expanded her knowledge in dance, equipment, show design, and other areas that are essential to creating an effective colorguard performance. Jessica is dedicated to creating a safe and positive learning environment where students are encouraged to challenge themselves and strive for excellence in both extracurricular and academic pursuits.

Edgard Areas
Color Guard Staff

Edgard Areas is an aspiring educator with a passion for Color Guard and Dance performance. He is a South Hills High School alumnus who graduated in 2007. Originally a trumpet player, he started playing music in middle school and continued throughout most of his time in high school. It was not until


Percussion

Weston Amaro
Front Ensemble Caption Head and Designer

Weston Amaro has been a Southern California based designer, composer, and educator for numerous marching bands and indoor percussion ensembles since 2005. In that time he has written and taught at every competitive level available, from junior high to independent world, and from concert to marching, in addition to wind arranging for marching band.  To date

Veronica Wicks
Percussion Staff

Chaiya D. Odle
Percussion Staff

Chaiya D. Odle is a percussionist, educator, and composer born and raised in Washington State, but currently based in Burbank, CA. She currently teaches at South Hills High, Oak Intermediate, and runs her own private music lesson studio all teaching percussion and piano. In the past, she has taught percussion at multiple high schools and middle schools in the Pacific Northwest, Opus Music School, POW Percussion, and Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps.

Chaiya first fell in love with music while going to rock concerts with her family in Seattle as a five-year-old and learning songs on piano by ear. She studied privately in orchestral percussion, jazz, and classical piano under Dr. Miho Takekawa, and then Mark Goodenberger while getting her Bachelors of Arts in Music, Percussion. She has a musically diverse background performing in orchestral, wind band, chamber percussion, Indonesian gamelan, and jazz settings collegiately at Pacific Lutheran University and Central Washington University, as well as professionally in the LA area. Her performance experience in the marching arts includes Eruption, IMPACT, Vessel, and Broken City Indoor Percussion, as well as CWU Marching Band, Columbians, and Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps.

Outside of music, Chaiya has a love for nature, running, travelling, and language learning. 

Cris Vista
Percussion Staff

Cris Vista has been involved in the marching arts since 2010. He had the privilege of performing with Ayala High School (2015-2019), Sacramento Mandarins (2019-2022), Vessel Percussion (2020-2022), and Broken City 2023.

His passion for teaching began with Canyon Hills Jr. High School from 2018-2020, and then went to become the Percussion/Visual Caption Head for Serrano High School from 2021-2023.

He is currently on the Percussion Staff for South Hills High School since 2023, a Battery Instructor for Upland High School since 2024, and one of the Battery Managers/Snare Specialists for Gold Drum and Bugle Corps since 2024. Outside of the performing arts, Cris has received a Bachelor’s in Educational Studies from the University of La Verne, and is a Substitute Teacher for the Covina-Valley Unified School District and the Upland Unified School District.

Daniele LasMarias
Percussion Staff

Daniele is an alumni of South Hills High School and currently teaches the battery section of the drumline. After graduating from South Hills, he earned a degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. In addition to teaching at South Hills, Daniele works as a civil engineer, balancing both a professional career and a passion for music.

Daniele first joined the South Hills drumline in high school and has remained involved in percussion ever since. Although he pursued engineering in college, Daniele continued to stay active in music, bringing a practical and focused approach to the drumline. As an educator, Daniele values teamwork, consistency, and helping students improve their skills while making the most of their time in the program. Outside of teaching and engineering, he enjoys staying engaged in the local music scene and continuing to develop as both a musician and a teacher.


Visual

Matthew Lackey
Visual Staff

Lackey is a content creator and educator. Currently, he is the TV and Video Production teacher at Kaiser High School and a producer of creative projects for gaming, the arts, and philanthropy.

Matt proudly serves as Vice President for Pulse Percussion, Inc., a non-profit percussive arts organization from Westminster, California. For two decades he has instructed, designed, and judged the marching arts and currently works with South Hills and El Dorado High Schools.

Matt earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Master of Arts in Education from California State University, San Bernardino. He enjoys speedrunning retro video games and spending time with his wonderful wife Angela and dachshunds Lily and Paisley.

Michael Ting
Visual Caption Head

Michael Ting is a drill designer and visual instructor based in Southern California. He has had the opportunity to teach at many high schools in the area over the years but dedicates most of his time serving as the program coordinator and visual caption head at South Hills High School (West Covina, California) and

Rudy Ruiz


Additional Band Staff

Scott Director
Field Show Composer/Arranger

Scott began his career as a classical musician while still in high school performing with regional orchestras and other ensembles. He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Miami where he studied with Clifton Williams, Frederick Fennell and Alfred Reed.

Currently, Scott resides in Los Angeles where he maintains an active composing, arranging, and teaching schedule.

His music has been performed by schools across the nation, and he has over 20 years experience as a music educator.

As a percussionist, he has played for Operas, Orchestras and Ballets, in the “pit” for Broadway Musicals, and for a variety of popular entertainers from Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli to opera stars Pavarotti and Domingo. In addition, Mr. Director is a member of ASCAP and has several short film scores to his credit.

Two of his composition – Glaciers, (Concert Band) and The Young Royals (Young Band) received the prestigious JW Pepper’s Editor’s choice designation.

Noe Gomez
Drill Writer

Noe Gomez is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, California and prolific educator and designer within the marching arts. He has over seven years of performance experience, including Impulse, Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets, and half of a decade with the Santa Clara Vanguard, where he