Brian Dinkel Pit Instructor

Brian is our pit percussion instructor for the marching band. He is a 2000 graduate of Simi Valley High School and this is his first year teaching at Westlake High. His high school music background includes: marching tenors in the drumline and being an active member of Concert and Jazz Band programs. During his junior year (1998 to 1999), he marched in the CSUN Matador Band & Winter Drumline from , where he played bass drum and tenors. In the spring of 2000, Brian also marched tenors with the Anaheim Kingsmen Indoor Percussion Ensemble. Brian is currently a student at CSU Northridge, where he is pursuing degrees in Percussion Performance and Music Education.

During the 2002 and 2003 winter seasons, Brian played mallets & hand percussion in the pit of the WGI Silver-medallist Black Knights Drum Corps, from Burbank, CA. In 2004, Brian played mallets in the WGI Silver-medallist Riverside Community College Winter Drumline.

Brian has been teaching since 2000, and is an active performer and clinician around the LA/Ventura area. In addition to working at Westlake HS, Brian also works with Granada Hills HS and the 2005 WGI Gold-medallist, Riverside Community College Marching Band & Winter drumline. Brian has also been the pit instructor for the Esperanza Drum & Bugle Corps from San Diego, CA from 2004-2006. Brian has been a member of the Vic Firth Education Team since 2003, and proudly uses VF sticks and mallets.