Who We Are
Rene Ormae-Jarmer || Caption Head & Founder
René Ormae-Jarmer has a long history of music performance and instruction in the Portland metro area. René is the co-founder, keyboardist, and principal songwriter of the original NW Indie Piano-Pop band Here Comes Everybody, and has been actively performing in clubs, colleges, festivals, opened for local, regional and national acts, and has performed on TV and Radio since 1985. René has toured, recorded countless albums with HCE, been a guest on many other recordings in the NW Music Scene, and has performed with many bands.
With a music degree in percussion performance from Lewis & Clark College (1992), she is an established and sought after private drum & piano instructor in Portland. She is a Vic Firth Educator teaching many master classes and clinics ranging from Jazz, Rock, Latin, and Marching Percussion and mallet instruction. René is the Caption Head for the Rex Putnam KINGSMEN THUNDER Drum Line aka Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion (Rex Putnam HS) in Milwaukie, OR, an award-winning PSA Winter Indoor Drum line program that competes in Scholastic A on the NWAPA circuit and regionally in WGI. She is also a Percussive Arts Society Member, Oregon Music Teachers Assoc (MTNA). member, has written for Tom Tom Magazine, and is on staff at the nationally acclaimed Alan Keown Drum Line camp. She regularily performs piano at events and is hired for keyboard and drum/percussion work in Portland recording studios. René is also busy drumming in professional musical theatre shows, which often have doubling on keyboards. She lives and teaches in Milwaukie with her husband Michael (also a drummer), son Emerson (also a drummer….of course), and two rescue dogs named Tana & Ruby.
Byron Hall || Battery Tech
Byron began his musical journey in the 4th grade when his first choice for Trumpet was denied and replaced by Drums & Percussion. Little did he know that that decision would set up a long trajectory of performance and teaching for the following 30+ years. He first noted success as an Oregon State Solo finalist as a junior and senior at Cleveland HS, as well as awards from the Alan Keown Marching Percussion Camp multiple years running. The summer camps were held at the University of Oregon which was a natural choice to pursue his love of percussion and performance. It was there that he studied directly under the late Charles Dowd as a music Performance Major and was activity involved in rudimental percussion via the Oregon Marching Band Drumline and various experiences within the realm of Drum Corps.
While at University, he met now well-known percussion teachers Dave Lauder, Devin Bretz, and Micah Brusse, all of whom now team together to teach the U of O Drumline each fall. Since his time at the U of O as a Performance Major, he has taught marching percussion at dozens of High School's and College's all around the Pacific NW.
Byron was on the original staff of the now highly successful Oregon Crusaders Drum Corps as their Snare Drum Technician for two years, and has taught, composed music for, and performed in the Trail Blazers Groove Machine, a group of highly seasoned veterans of the marching percussion genre in the Northwest for the home basketball games for the Portland Trailblazers. He currently owns his own company within the Fitness Industry (his other lifelong passion) and teaches students privately.
Nylo Lam || Front Ensemble Tech
Ashley Hilfer || Cymbal & Visual Tech
Ashley originally started in music as a clarinet player in the 5th grade, playing through her freshman year of college. She marched in Glencoe High School's fall marching band from 8th grade through high school, with her first three years on clarinet and her junior and senior years as head drum major. Additionally, Ashley started marching in her high school's winter percussion program her sophomore year as a cymbal player. Wanting to pursue higher levels of the marching activity, Ashley was a member of the 2016 Oregon Crusaders Drum Corps as a field conductor and the 2017 Oregon Crusaders Indoor as a cymbal player, doing both while still in their high school programs. Since graduating high school in 2017, Ashley has taught at various schools in the Oregon and Washington area as a cymbal and/or visual instructor. At Rex Putnam, Ashley works as the cymbal instructor and visual caption head; within the NWAPA circuit, she also teaches at Glencoe High School's fall and winter programs as the visual caption head. She also is the head cymbal instructor for Columbians Drum & Bugle Corps and a support cymbal instructor for IMPACT Percussion. When she is not busy, Ashley likes writing, hiking, and cooking and trying new food.
Nylo started his percussion career at Sherwood High School where he won a gold medal at the WGI World Championships in 2022. After graduating in 2023, he marched with the world-class group, The Academy Drum and Bugle Corp. Nylo has taught various schools such as Sherwood Cadet, Century High School, and currently with Rex Putnam High School.
William Jensen || Bass Tech
William started his marching percussion career with Sherwood High School. Once he graduated, William performed throughout the PNW with the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps, and most recently IMPACT Percussion, scoring 2nd at WGI's open class world championship. With a passion for the marching arts, he is excited to begin his first year as a Bass technician for Rex Putnam.
Wyatt Bell || Front Ensemble Caption Head
Wyatt started in music playing the flute in 6th grade. In 8th grade he joined the Rex Putnam Winter Percussion ensemble on mallet instruments. He remained a member in the group until he graduated in 2022. In 2023, Wyatt marched with the world class group, the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps. He is currently teaching at Rex Putnam.
Jeffrey Brice || Sound Designer & Electronics Tech
Jeffrey Brice is sound designer and music composer who primarily works in the video game industry. He’s been working with Rex Putnam since 2019 in various capacities. Originally working with the ensemble as a front ensemble tech, Jeffrey now primarily creates sound effects for their shows and manages the electronic needs of the line.
He is a proud dad of twins and loves to play games like Magic the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and Dota 2. He is also an avid Curling player.
Maximilian Logan || Visual Designer
A Portland native, Maximilian Logan has been a passionate pageantry educator for a little over a decade. Maximilian has instructed and designed for several high school marching bands and indoor percussion and winds programs within the NWAPA circuit. He has previously served on the instructional teams for the Oregon Crusaders and Seattle Cascades drum corps. Currently, he operates as part of the visual team at IMPACT Percussion. He also served on the NWAPA Board as VP-Winds for two terms.
Eric Yahrmarkt || Music Composer
Eric Yahrmarkt is an accomplished percussion instructor and arranger with experience teaching, performing and writing for ensembles of all ages. Eric has worked for middle school concert and parade programs, competitive high school marching bands and indoor drumlines, conference university drumlines, Open and World Class DCI ensembles, and independent and scholastic WGI ensembles. His experience in the Pacific Northwest spans 20 years of competitive percussion excellence, private instruction, and performance. He received a Bachelor's degree in Percussion Performance under professor David Jarvis at Washington State University (2000-2004). From 2000 to 2002 Eric performed in the tenor line with the Seattle Cascades Drum Corps.
Eric’s teaching experience in the Portland metro area from 2007-2018 includes Seattle Cascades, Oregon Crusaders, OC Indoor, Sunset High School, Liberty High School, Beaverton SD middle schools, Rex Putnam High School, Evergreen high School, Southridge High School, Canby High School and an active private lesson studio. Currently he serves as the Percussion Director for Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, WA. He currently resides in Edmonds WA with his wife Andrea.
Andrew Al-Sheikhly || Tenor Tech
Hi, my name is Andrew Al-Sheikhly. I started my marching career at Sherwood where we took first in PSO in 2022 and have marched Impact Percussion where we took 2nd in 2023. I have 2 cats, one named mamba and another named meadow! This is my first year teaching at Rex Putnam and I'm super excited for it!