Adam Hill
Executive Director
Adam D. Hill is a music educator and percussionist in the Chicagoland area. He received a B.A. in Music Education from VanderCook College of Music with an emphasis in percussion under the instruction of Kevin Lepper and Dr. Charlie Menghini. At Romeoville High School in Romeoville, Illinois, Hill is the director of percussion, assistant band director, and teaches jazz band, music technology, music theory, and guitar. Adam is also a member of the music faculty at University of St. Francis in the Music Technology program. He founded Pioneer Indoor, and is the Executive director of Pí Percussion Inc. an independent marching percussion ensemble and has lead the ensemble to multiple WGI medals as their Executive Director. Hill spent ten seasons as a member of the Chicago Bears drumline and is currently the director of the ADH Experience. He was a member of Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps and spent several seasons as their percussion coordinator, caption head, and arranger. Hill placed within the top ten for snare drum solo contest in Drum Corp International, Drum Corps Midwest, and PASIC. In 2002, he placed second in the DCI snare drum solo competition. Hill received the “Dr. Rosanne Rosenthal Excellence in Teaching Award” from Vandercook College of Music, the “Natalie Stukas Hearing Conservation Award”, and named a Pillar of the Community in Valley View School District. He has also performed at large music festivals such as Lollapalooza and North Coast Music Festival. Adam Hill is an active music arranger, judge, clinician, and performer in the midwest. He proudly endorses Innovative Percussion, Evans, TAMA Drums, Sabian cymbals, Gon Bops Percussion, and Etymotic ear protection.
Steven Vonderohe
Ensemble Director - Music Designer
Steven Vonderohe is a musician, educator, and composer in the southwest suburbs of Chicago who is devoted to sharing and advancing the art of percussion music. Since receiving his Bachelors degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music, he has taught percussion and piano to students ranging from Elementary school to college level. This will be Steven’s fourth year as an educator and second year composing music for Pi Percussion. He has taught many percussion ensembles in the Chicago suburbs including Romeoville High School, Minooka Community High School, and Lockport Township High School, and has even spent a summer teaching the Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle corps as a Front Ensemble and Private lesson instructor . Steven is a seasoned performer, and has performed around Chicago as a freelance drum set player and percussionist for pop bands, orchestras, choirs, and has even done a season with the Chicago Bull's Stampede. He has also performed many seasons in the marching activity with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps, and is an active alumni of the Pi Percussion organization where he was a member from 2011-2015.
Christian Perez
Ensemble Director - Front Ensemble Coordinator
Coming Soon...
Cory Simonich
Music Designer - Battery Arranger
Cory went to Minooka High School and spent his early performing years with their WGI group. He then went on to march Blue Stars, Pioneer Indoor, and Rhythm X. After aging out, he taught at Minooka and Shadow DBC. He spends his spare time doing arts and crafts, as well as playing disc golf. Currently, he is the percussion director at Joliet West High School.
Alan Barone
Visual Designer
Coming Soon...
Eddie Gomez
Battery Coordinator
Eddie is excited to be starting his new role on staff with Pi Percussion. He started his marching career in 2013 with the Providence Catholic Marching Band and NEXUS Indoor Percussion (2013-2015). He then went on to perform with various ensembles including, The Colt Cadets (2015-2016), Pioneer Indoor (2017-2018), Pi Percussion (2019), Chicago Bulls Stampede (2018-2021), and Legends (2018-2019). Eddie has gone on to teach different programs in the central Illinois area such as Brother Rice/Mother McAuley High Schools, Romeoville High School, A.A. Stagg High School, Minooka Indoor Percussion, and most recently The Lincoln-Way Community Marching Band. Outside of drumming, Eddie is pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of St. Francis.
Micky Graff
Battery Coordinator
Micky is eager to begin his new role on staff for a second season. He started his marching career at Lincoln way North High school in 2011, went on to march colt cadets drum corps (2015-2016), pioneer indoor (2017 2018), Pi Percussion (2019). Micky has taught multiple groups in the Illinois area such as Providence Catholic High School, Stagg High School, Romeoville High School, Minooka Indoor Percussion, Lincoln-Way Indoor, and currently teaches the Lincoln-Way Community marching band.
Nathaniel Parsons
Visual Coordinator
Nathaniel Parson is an aspiring music educator in the Central Illinois area.
After marching mellophone at Bloomington High School for four seasons, Nathaniel joined the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps from Canton, OH and received immediate praise for his visual prowess. He was named the Visual Rookie of the Year award for his efforts in 2018, and quickly began teaching with Bloomington High School as Visual Caption Head. By 2019, Nathaniel had been sought out to teach, design, and choreograph with high school marching bands in several cities in the Central Illinois area including Bloomington, Normal, Eureka, Deer-Creek, Mackinaw, Stanford, and Metamora. Nathaniel’s primary Visual Instructors have been Willie Veenstra, Kevin Stahl, Samia Mooney, Aylin Vural, Jarrod Huntley, Mike Fanning, Kyle Nealy, and Jason “Paco” Nuñes.
Nathaniel is currently finishing degrees in Instrumental Music Education, French Horn Performance, and Piano Performance at Illinois State University in hopes of becoming a well-rounded educator for his future students.
Kyle Jennings
Snare Drum Instructor
Coming Soon...
Will Lawton
Bass Drum Instructor
William Lawton is a percussionist and music educator based in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Born in 1999, William has been a member of numerous musical groups in the area. His playing range spreads from classical percussion to marching percussion and even drumset of numerous styles. During, his time studying for his Bachelor in Music Education at Illinois State University, William has been a member of different marching organizations such as the WGI group, Pi Percussion, and the Chicago Bulls Drumline, Stampede. William has also been on tours with both concert bands and orchestras throughout the United States and in the countries of Greece and Germany.
Ryan Tripp
Bass Drum Instructor
Ryan is a high school math teacher and an active percussion educator in the Chicagoland area.
He marched bass drum at the University of Illinois in 2008 and with Gateway Indoor Percussion
for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Ryan is currently the percussion director at Morris Community
High School and the executive director for Minooka Community High School Indoor Percussion.
Previous percussion education experience includes working with Paris Cooperative, Oswego
East, Joliet West, and Lemont High Schools. Ryan was also on staff with Pioneer indoor for the
2015-2018 seasons.
Marshall Rhea
Bass Drum Instructor
Coming Soon...
Liz Naprstek
Cymbal Instructor
Liz is excited to be back with the organization helping to teach the cymbal line. As a young percussionist looking to get into the marching activity, Liz began playing cymbals in 2008 with The Colt Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps, serving as a drum major in 2009. She went on to continue her cymbal career at the Colts Drum and Bugle corps (2010-2015), Pioneer Indoor (2012, 2016), and the Chicago Bulls Stampede (2012-2022). Liz’s teaching experience ranges from high school groups such as Lemont High School, Minooka Community High School, and Romeoville High School, to independent groups such as Nexus Indoor, Colt Cadets, and Pioneer Indoor/Pi Percussion. Outside of rehearsal, Liz is a nurse in an intensive care unit, where the discipline and attention to detail learned through years in the marching arts are crucial. Liz loves to unwind by spending time with her dog Jerry, who can often be spotted at rehearsal, wagging his tail and cheering on the hardworking members.
Nate Wollerman
Cymbal/Visual Instructor
Coming Soon...
Natalie Deters
Visual Instrutor
Natalie is thrilled to be serving as a Pi Percussion visual technician. She began participating in dance classes at a young age, where she gained a background in ballet, tap, dance, and lyrical/contemporary styles. Natalie continued her experience performing with a variety of marching ensembles, including high school/college color guard, drum corps, and winter guard. Most recently, she aged out of Cap City Percussion World in 2022 as a visual ensemble member. As an educator, Natalie completed two seasons with Brooks Middle School's color guard.
Outside of the marching arts, Natalie holds a Bachelor's Degree in Rehabilitation and Disability Services with minors in Psychology and Deafness from Northern Illinois University. She is currently a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is studying to become an Occupational Therapist.
Danny Canning
Front Ensemble Instructor
Danny Canning a is south Chicago suburbs native, and life-long lover of music. He started his marching career at Providence Catholic High School, playing in the Marching Celtics band all 4 years. During high school, he spent all 4 years competing independently with NEXUS Indoor (‘14, ‘15) and Pioneer Indoor (‘16, ‘17). After high school, Danny attended the University of Illinois where he marched on the snare line for 4 years. During this time in Champaign, he also spent two seasons marching with Rhythm X (‘18, ‘19). Danny capped off his marching career by going on tour with the Legends Drum and Bugle Corps in the summer of 2019, and winning best percussion at finals. Danny currently teaches with the Lincoln-Way Community marching band. Through these many seasons Danny has gained a wealth of experience that he is excited to pass along, especially as an alumni of this ensemble.
Beyond music, Danny is working as a Clinical Research and Data Coordinator for a group of gastroenterology doctors in Oak Lawn. They currently are conducting research studies in colon cancer detection as well as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease treatments.
Alex Vonderohe
Electronics
Coming Soon...
