DESIGN TEAM
Click on a name to view more information about each staff member.
Tyler Hess • Program Coordinator
Tyler Hess is a musician, educator, and designer residing in Ogden, Utah. In 2008 Mr. Hess began his teaching career when he took the job as Percussion Caption Head at Bonneville High School. Under his direction Bonneville grew from obscurity into an award-winning ensemble, winning multiple Outstanding Percussion trophies in the Utah marching band circuit. In 2010 Mr. Hess accepted the position of Program Director for Weber State Indoor Percussion. Prior to the 2019 season, Weber State Indoor Percussion became Gold Spike Percussion. Since 2011, the program has won three WGI Regional Championships, six Intermountain Percussion Association Championships and was a WGI World Championship Semi-finalist in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Mr. Hess has served as a clinician and instructor for numerous high schools and performing arts organizations throughout the intermountain region. Mr. Hess currently serves as Executive Director of Performing Arts Weber, an arts and education based non-profit in Ogden, UT. He also serves on the marching band staff at Farmington High School, is the Visual Designer for the Weber State Wildcat Band, Program Coordinator for the Ogden High School Marching Band and Indoor Percussion, Program Director for Gold Spike Percussion. Mr. Hess is also the Exectutive Director of the Intermountain Percussion Association, serves on the Board of Directors for the Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps and is an active clinician, instructor, consultant and designer. He dedicates his time to expanding educational, performance, and competitive opportunities for percussionists in the Intermountain West region.
Mr. Hess is a proud endorser of Pearl/Adams Percussion, Pro-Mark Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, and Dream Cymbals and Gongs.
Ashton Allen • Front Ens, Sound design
Ashton is currently Director of Percussion at Juan Diego High School in Salt Lake City, UT. He is a graduate of the University of Utah and has been writing and teaching throughout the intermountain region for years.
Clarissa Hess • Choreographer
Clarissa Hess has been actively involved in the marching arts since 2008, beginning her journey as captain of her high school color guard team. Her passion for the activity led her to perform with Urban Expressions for multiple seasons, including their debut year as a World Class ensemble.
While continuing to perform, Clarissa began her educational career in 2011 as a technician at West High School, where she discovered her love for developing performers and helping students achieve their best. In 2015, she joined Riverton High School and was soon promoted to Color Guard Director. During her tenure, the program earned Outstanding Color Guard recognition at the Seattle fall competition, placed second in winter guard, and captured a gold medal in their division the following season.
After a brief break to attend university in southern Utah in 2017, Clarissa returned to the Wasatch Front in 2018 and began working with Gold Spike Winterguard. The following year, she joined Davis High School and became their Color Guard Director, guiding the team to top‑three placements in both fall and winter seasons.
In 2023, Clarissa took time away from the activity before returning in 2024 to assist the Davis Indoor Drumline with their visual program, contributing to a state‑winning season. She went on to serve on the Color Guard staff for The Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps in 2025 and joined the visual team for Gold Spike Percussion the same year as the Visual Ensemble Lead.
In addition to her ongoing work in Utah, Clarissa is consulting for Romeoville High School in Illinois for the 2026 fall season, providing visual and programmatic guidance to support the development of their ensemble.
Clarissa remains committed to fostering creativity, growth, and excellence in every program she supports. She is passionate about creating inclusive spaces where students can discover their potential and take pride in the teams they represent."
Parker Brown • Battery Design
Parker Brown is a musician, arranger, and educator residing in the Ogden area. Parker started his marching career at Weber High where he marched three seasons and served two seasons as center snare both for the outdoor and indoor seasons. After high school Parker spent three years marching with the Weber State Wildcat Band from 2016 – 2018, serving as center snare in the 2018 season. Parker is also an alumni of Weber State Indoor Percussion 2015 – 2017.
Parker started his teaching career as the Percussion Caption Head at Ogden High in 2017. Since joining the percussion team, the percussion section has taken the Outstanding Percussion award in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 at the state Red Rocks competition. Additionally, the band has won two first place awards, one in 2021 and one in 2022. In 2017 Parker also took over the role as the Program Director for the Ogden High School indoor percussion program. Under his direction Ogden has placed 2nd in 2018, 4th place in 2022, took 1st place at the WGI Regional in 2023, and took first place in 2023 at IMPA Championships. Parker started working with Gold Spike Percussion in 2019, serving as a battery instructor from 2019 - 2021, before accepting the position as the Battery Caption Head in the 2022 season.
Peter Bates • Choreographer, Visual Design
Peter Bates is a visual designer, choreographer, and clinician for the pageantry arts based in American Fork, UT. Peter has taught and choreographed for GSP, and he is excited to begin his journey as the visual designer. Peter works with a number of percussion ensembles in the winter, including Élan (Covina, CA), North Star Independent (Idaho Falls, ID), and Matrix (Akron, OH).
Peter is currently on staff as the visual caption head of the American Fork High School Marching Band, and instructs and designs for a number of other bands across the country. He marched trumpet and mellophone with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps for five years (2013-2017) and marched cymbals with Matrix in 2018. He is currently on visual staff with the Boston Crusaders.
