Percussion

Riley Jorgensen

Percussion Caption Head

Riley Jorgensen currently resides in Martin County, Florida, and is a graduate of Florida International University. He has been involved with music since a young age in a variety of facets and currently works with Jupiter High School & Martin County High School teaching the percussion programs.

Historically, Riley served as the Battery Caption Head for the West Broward Indoor percussion ensemble achieving back to back state championships in the A class division, as well as for a variety of other programs in the South Florida area. 

As a performer, Riley marched snare drum with the world class finalist group STRYKE Percussion . He also currently performs for various premier events with Blue Devils Entertainment and as a solo musician.

Ryan Miller

Front Ensemble Caption Head

Ryan Miller is an experienced percussion arranger and educator based in Gainesville, Florida. He has been the Percussion Instructor at Santa Fe High School since 2015 and at Buchholz High School since 2021. In addition, he serves as the Front Ensemble Coordinator for Infinity 3, a role he has held since 2023. Ryan’s background also includes performing and teaching with Unity Percussion in WGI Independent A and Open classes, further expanding his expertise in the competitive marching arts.

Ryan actively consults with several ensembles throughout the North Central Florida area, providing his knowledge to elevate their percussion programs. His commitment to percussion education and arranging is evident in his long-standing work with high school and independent ensembles, where he blends creativity with precision to create compelling performances.

In addition to his instructional career, Ryan enjoys Gainesville's vibrant culture, often attending UF Football games, visiting breweries and spending time with his friends and family.

Mike Schmitt

Battery consultant

Mike Schmitt has been part of Fusion Core since their early years. Through 2013 – 2024, Mike has served as the Battery Arranger, Ensemble Coordinator, and Caption Head. In the later years, Mike was an overall program consultant and true friend and supporter of Fusion Core.

Mike began his drum corps career as a Marching member, Technician, Caption Head, and Arranger at the Hawthorne Caballeros from 1999-2010, earning a world championship in 2003. In 2011, Mike joined the Connecticut Hurricanes as Caption Head, Battery Arranger, and Ensemble Coordinator through 2012.

Mike has spent 22 consecutive years in DCA and was inducted in the New Jersey Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2023. In addition to the drum corps circuit, Mike has been judging for many years for the fall marching bands and indoor percussion for multiple circuits and has been heavily involved in teaching,  writing and consulting for marching bands and indoor percussion programs in New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

We’re so excited to have Mike remain part of our Core Family. Our tie to NJ is still strong. We are thankful for so many of our Core family members who have come through the program and hope to make them all proud as we embark on a new journey!

Jeremiah Morel

Battery consultant

Born and raised in Miami, FL. Jeremiah is a passionate educator serving South Florida for over 10 years. He is currently the Battery Coordinator at Hialeah Gardens High School, helping to build that program into a multiple time state champion (Indoor & Marching Band).

 Jeremiah has served as a Bass tech at STRYKE Percussion 2 (18-19) & STRYKE World (23-Present).

Giovanni Pagliaro

Battery consultant

Giovanni is a South Florida native and Percussion educator throughout the state of Florida, having taught battery percussion at numerous High Schools & Universities. Gio previously taught & choreographed for STRYKE percussion, serving as the battery caption head for the ensemble. He was also a staff member with The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps for the 2019 season as a Snare Drum Specialist. 

Gio currently designs and arranges for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Indoor (MSDi) In addition to his instructional background, Gio has composed numerous battery arrangements for multiple high school band programs, STRYKE Entertainment, and Windish Music & Entertainment.

Mike Marino

Percussion Manager

Mike Marino has over 20 years of experience as a percussionist, educator, and 

composer. He marched in the University of Florida Drumline from 1997-1999, and the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps in 2000, returning in 2024 with the Crossmen Alumni Corps.

From 1998-2016, Mike taught and/or wrote for multiple high school drumlines 

throughout the state of Florida, earning multiple percussion titles and state FMBC 

championships. He also spent six seasons with Infinity Percussion, serving as Battery Coordinator (2008-2010) and later as Co-Ensemble Director, Music Arranger (battery and front ensemble), and Sound Designer (2011-2013). He was the Battery Arranger for Infinity 3 from 2016 to 2017, earning a WGI PIA Silver Medal in 2016. In 2018, he worked with RPT Percussion as the Battery Arranger, and from 2019-2020, he was a Show Design Consultant for Unity Percussion, where the ensemble won a WGI PIA Gold Medal in 2019.

For nearly two decades, Mike has been a full-time musician throughout the Walt Disney World theme parks as well as Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando, and SeaWorld San Antonio. During this time, he’s been a part of multiple Disney recording sessions for various projects used around the world. He’s also assisted with show and music creation for various theme park shows, one of those shows receiving a 2019 Brass Ring Award for Best Atmosphere/Street Show Performance from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).

Outside of the marching percussion world, Mike regularly writes for numerous 

production music libraries. His music has earned thousands of placements across 

hundreds of shows and sporting events around the world. His credits include: ABC, 

CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, MTV, Discovery, Bravo, BBC One, NFL Network, 

Netflix, and many more.

Mike is a member of Broadcast Music, Inc (BMI), the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), and is part of the Vic Firth Education Team as a Marching Percussion Specialist. He currently resides in Orlando, FL with his wife and children.

Maité Cintrón Aguiló

Snare Tech

More info coming soon!

Riley Gee

Snare Tech

Riley Gee is a Florida based instructor & musician who spends a lot of time teaching various percussion programs, as well as providing personalized 1-on-1 lessons to a wide range of skill levels and ages. Some of his students have gone on to make groups like Stryke, Infinity 3, and more.

Currently, he acts as the snare drum section leader at Infinity Percussion where he’s become a World Class Finalist since 2023, along with the ensembles highest scores to date.

Now in his final year as a performer, he plans to continue helping create Florida’s next generation of talent. Being a part of Fusion’s new chapter is something he very much looks forward to!

Aidan Ervin

Snare Tech

Aidan Ervin is a versatile percussionist with professional experience in classical, contemporary, and marching music. Aidan holds a Bachelor's in Music Education from Northwest Missouri State University, and a Master of Arts in Percussion Performance from Truman State University.

He has performed with orchestras such as the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, and has experience in the marching arts, having performed with River City Rhythm Drum and Bugle Corps. 

In addition to performing, Aidan is a dedicated educator, having taught marching percussion ensembles and private lessons for over 7 years. Aidan currently is the Director of Percussion for DeLand High School, where he arranges and instructs the marching percussion, directs spring percussion ensembles, and coaches chamber ensembles.

Joel Rivera

Tenor Tech

Joel Rivera is a percussionist who has been active in the marching arts since 2017 with Choctawhatchee High school. Originally from Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Joel has now been living in Orlando, Florida where he has been attending school at Valencia College for his Associate’s in Engineering. 

In the meantime, he spent some time marching under several organizations, such as all three Infinity Percussion ensembles, Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps, Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps, and Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps.

Anthony Silin

Tenor Tech

Anthony Silin is currently attending UCF to pursue a degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering. Additionally, Anthony is marching Quads with Infinity Percussion for the 2025 season.

Anthony is originally from Broward County, Florida and while focusing on school, he has been educating young percussionists in the South Florida area. Recently moving to Central Florida, he hopes to spread his teachings to percussionists through their High school programs and private lessons. 

His previous marching experience includes FIUMB ‘22-‘23, Infinity 2 ‘24, Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps ‘24, and Infinity ‘25.

Alex Schultheis

Bass Tech

Alex is a passionate musician, educator, and experienced bass drummer with a deep-rooted background in the marching arts. He marched two seasons of bass drum in DCI with Crossmen (TX) from 2017 to 2018. In addition, Alex marched for four seasons in WGI, performing with Connexus (OH) from 2017 to 2018 and Infinity (FL) from 2019 to 2020. 

His involvement in the marching arts dates back to 2013. Currently, Alex is studying at Berklee College of Music while producing and performing various music projects. He also teaches with Siege Percussion and the Lake Howell High School drumline.

Ryan Teston

Bass Tech

From Fernandina Beach, FL, Ryan is currently an active member of the Jacksonville Jaguars D-Line. Previously, he has been a member of numerous ensembles, to include Teal Sound and Infinity Percussion. 

With more than a decade of teching experience, he has worked with a variety of ensembles to include Fleming Island H.S., RPT, Unity, and Infinity 3. Currently he is on staff with Infinity 3 and Nassau Percussion, and looking forward to contributing to Fusion Core in 2025!

Jahira Williams

Front Ensemble Tech

Jahirah Williams is a musician, composer, arranger, producer, and educator in North Central Florida. He was born into a musically inclined family and began his musical journey at the age of 2 with the drum set. He began composing in middle school and by his senior year of high school in 2017, his high school concert band performed his first finished composition, Magna Benedictus.

He has been teaching music and percussion at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School for 7 years. Jahira is very excited about joining Fusion Core on their inaugural journey in Florida.

Shaiyeed Hamilton

Front Ensemble Tech

More info coming soon!

Noah Bratcher

Front Ensemble Tech

More info coming soon!

Cody Lewis

Front Ensemble Tech

More info coming soon!

Rickie Santiago

Front Ensemble Tech

More info coming soon!