CAPTION HEAD & FOUNDER

René is the Caption Head for the Rex Putnam Kingsmen Thunder Drum Line (Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion), an award-winning winter indoor drum line program that competes in Scholastic A on the NWAPA circuit and regionally in WGI. 

René has a long history of music performance and instruction in the Portland metro area. She 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 drum and piano instructor and Vic Firth Educator, teaching master classes and clinics on jazz, rock, Latin, marching percussion, and mallet instruction. 

René is also a Percussive Arts Society Member, Oregon Music Teachers Association (MTNA) member, has written for Tom Tom Magazine, and is on staff at the nationally acclaimed Alan Keown Drum Line camp.  She regularly 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, often doubling on keyboards. 

She lives and teaches in Milwaukie, OR with her husband Michael (a drummer), son Emerson (also a drummer!), and rescue dogs Tana & Ruby.

FRONT ENSEMBLE CAPTION HEAD

Wyatt began his musical journey in middle school playing flute in band, branching out to trombone during high school. In eighth grade, he joined the Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion program, continuing with the group until graduating in 2022. During his time there, he rose to the position of center marimba and section leader.

After graduating, Wyatt continued playing music and marching with the Seattle Cascades, a local world class DCI group, for the 2023-2024 seasons as center marimba and section leader both years. In 2025, Wyatt marched for the world class finalist group the Blue Stars, finishing the season in eighth place.

Wyatt started working with Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion during the 2023 season. Since then, he has helped many students develop and improve their percussion and life skills, along with finding his own passion as an instructor.

BATTERY TECH

Julian is a multi-faceted drummer, specializing in drum set and marching snare drumming. Julian did rudimental snare solos for the Oregon State Solo/Ensemble competition, placing 3rd freshman year and 1st sophomore year with his own compositions. Julian marched snare drum with Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets 2019 and Phantom Regiment 2023.

Julian has since taught privately in various settings including the Guitar Center Lessons Program as a drum set teacher in 2023 and as a battery technician for the Grants Pass HS Marching Band from 2022-2025 and the Sunset HS Winter Percussion program in 2026.

Outside of teaching, he’s spent his late teens and young adult life performing in various groups all over the country. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon and plays with multiple touring bands, including Yak Attack and Charlee Prayers.

VISUAL CAPTION HEAD

Connor Westman is a student at Mt. Hood Community College, currently preparing to transfer to a four-year university to pursue a degree in music education.

A dedicated trumpet player with nearly two decades of experience, Connor has a strong background in both performance and instruction. His performance experience includes three years with the Sunset High School marching band, four seasons of Drum Corps International with the Troopers from Casper, Wyoming, and one season of Winter Guard International with Impact Percussion from Kennewick, Washington.

Connor has been on the instructional staff at Mountainside High School from 2022 and is in his second year as the Visual Caption Head for the marching band program.

VISUAL DESIGN

Emerson Jarmer is a dedicated and accomplished marching percussionist whose passion for performance has taken him from the Pacific Northwest marching arts community to some of the most prestigious ensembles in the activity.

A native of Milwaukie, Oregon, Emerson began his musical journey at an early age before discovering his passion for percussion and marching performance. He developed his foundation with the Rex Putnam High School Kingsmen Thunder Drum Line, where he grew as a performer, leader, mentor, and post graduate as a staff member. Kingsmen Thunder is an award winning program and placed 12th in PSA finals at WGI on a world stage.
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Emerson's commitment to the craft has led him to perform with several highly regarded organizations in both Drum Corps International and Winter Guard International. His drum corps career began with the Columbians in 2022, followed by the Blue Stars in 2023 and 2024. He went on to perform with the Blue Devils A Corps as a snare drummer in 2025, gaining experience at the highest level of competitive drum corps.

In 2025 and 2026, Emerson continued expanding his performance résumé with Pulse Percussion while also joining the Boston Crusaders in 2026 adding another world-class drum corps experience to his career.

Throughout his journey, Emerson has distinguished himself through his technical precision, musicality, work ethic, and leadership. His experiences across high school percussion, independent ensembles, and world-class drum corps have shaped him into a versatile and disciplined performer.

Beyond the field, Emerson is passionate about sharing his knowledge and helping develop the next generation of percussionists. His journey reflects a commitment to continual growth, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence that defines the marching arts.

FRONT ENSEMBLE TECH

Skyylar began her musical journey in elementary school, singing in choir and studying violin starting in second grade. In seventh grade, she discovered percussion and decided to stick with it. She spent four years at Grants Pass High School on marimba in the marching band's front ensemble, earning first place at competitions each year and serving as front ensemble section leader during her final two years.

During high school, Skyylar also traveled to Japan with the school’s jazz band as a percussionist, performed marimba solos at the Oregon State Solo/Ensemble Competition each year, and served as an assistant tech for the Grants Pass Middle School indoor percussion group.

After graduating, Skyylar continued her passion for marching percussion, performing marimba with the Seattle Cascades and Impact Percussion. She also studied Music Performance at Portland State University, where she further developed her percussion skills and musical knowledge.

Now based in Portland, Skyylar lives with her boyfriend, Dash, a bass guitarist. Outside of music, Skyylar has always had a strong love for drawing and painting. She studies figure drawing and enjoys exploring visual art as another way to express creativity and connect with others. Her passion for both music and art has played a major role in shaping how she approaches creativity and learning.

She is excited to be part of the team and looks forward to helping students build their technique, and musical ability.

CYMBAL TECH

Chloe is has been a musician and singer her whole life. With a strong arts background, Chloe has participated in theater, choir, and has been in leadership positions in the drumline with Scott Reese Leadership Training Skills. She also attended the NW Drum Camp for specialty cymbal training.

Chloe marched with Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion from 2022 to 2025, scoring 12th place in Scholastic A Percussion at world finals in Dayton, WGI in 2024.

She is excited to return as a cymbal specialist technician for the Rex Putnam Indoor Percussion program.

MUSIC COMPOSER

With over 20 years experience teaching marching arts in the Pacific Northwest, Eric has brought competitive percussion excellence to programs across all levels of performance, including high school marching bands and indoor drumlines, conference university drumlines, Open and World Class DCI ensembles, and independent and scholastic WGI ensembles. 

He currently serves as the Percussion Caption Head and Arranger for Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, WA and is the Percussion Arranger for the Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps.