Pete Sapadin

Marching Percussion Specialist and Ludwig Marching Percussion Teaching Artist

Pete Sapadin is a marching percussion specialist based in Southern California who excels at teaching his students the skills necessary to perform at the highest levels in the marching activity. Mr. Sapadin started his marching percussion career as a snare drummer with the Velvet Knights in 1987 and 1988 under Matt Savage and then went on to play snare drum for the Concord Blue Devils in 1989 & 1990, under Tom Float, and then the Cadets of Bergen County in 1991 under Tom Aungst. Mr. Sapadin has been teaching and writing for marching percussion groups for over thirty years. Highlights include his time as head battery technician for the Velvet Knights under Tom Float, instructor for the Soka Renaissance Vanguard in Tokyo, Japan in 1998 - 2001 with Scott Johnson, Dave Glyde & Ralph Hardimon, Percussion Caption Head / Arranger for the Casper, Wyoming Troopers from 2002-2004, Caption Head / Arranger for the Yamato Drum & Bugle Corps in 2005 and snare instructor for the four-time World Champion Riverside Community College Indoor Drumline from 2004 - 2010. After moving on from his time at RCC, Pete took over caption head/writing/show design/staff coordination duties for Orange County Independent WGI indoor percussion ensemble. His team earned the Bronze Medal in Independent Open Class at the 2012 WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, and then went on to earn a Silver Medal the following year. Mr. Sapadin wrote the battery book for Pacific Crest in 2012 and 2013, and also taught and wrote for the Gold Drum & Bugle Corps from 2012-2013. Pete has been a featured clinician around the United States as well as in Taiwan, and Japan and Hong Kong. Pete Sapadin recently joined Conn-Selmer's division of education and he continues to actively teach and adjudicate percussion in Southern California. He continues to demonstrate his ability to inspire, motivate and instruct students to truly become the best in the world. Mr. Sapadin is a highly sought after clinician and proud to be a Vic Firth Education Artist, a Remo Education Artist, and a Zildjian Artist.