Visual Staff Bios

Jeff Leager, Director of Visual Program

Returning to the Surf educational team for his 6th season and 2nd as Visual Director,  JEFF LEAGER is an avid instructor, designer, and educator based on the east coast. Currently, Jeff is the Band Director at Louis L. Redding Middle School where he instructs the 6th-8th grade bands. He is currently serving as an Executive Board member and Public & Media Relations chair for the Delaware Winds, Delaware’s only semi-professional wind ensemble. Jeff has served as the DE All-State Jr. Band committee chair within the Delaware Music Educators Association since 2021. Jeff also holds membership with the Kent County Music Educators Assoc., NAfME, and has served in previous years with his local teacher’s union.

Jeff has worked and designed for a number of groups including, most recently, Lake Forest High School Marching Band & Indoor Percussion, Fort Lee Indoor Percussion, Deer Lakes High School marching band (BOA) , Dover High School marching band, Avon Grove High School marching band & Indoor Percussion,  and Caesar Rodney High School marching band. His groups regularly perform in TOB/TIA, Cavalcade, USBands, and BOA circuits. 

Jeff is an alumnus of the University of Delaware’s School of Music where he completed his undergraduate degree in Music Education.

Prior to joining the staff at the Jersey Surf, Jeff served as visual caption head for Windsor Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps in its inaugural season in DCA’s Open Class in 2014. From 2015-2016 he served as a visual instructor for Fusion Core Drum and Bugle Corps. Jeff then joined the Jersey Surf in 2018 and is excited to get back to work with the corps in 2024!

Mike Durborow, Visual Consultant

Returning to the the Jersey Surf educational team is the Surf’s Visual Program Manager MIKE DURBOROW. With a drum corps career spanning more than 50 remarkable years, Mike has been involved at every level of drum corps and marching music activities, including a ten-year performing career with the famed Hawthorne Muchachos, taking the podium his final season as drum major.

In addition to writing for- and instructing a number of high school marching bands across several decades, Mike worked on the visual staff of the Garfield Cadets, and was a performer, visual tech, caption head and staff coordinator during his 22 years of service to the perennial DCA powerhouse Hawthorne Caballeros. Mike continued to stoke his passion for teaching during a five year stint as caption head of DCA’s Fusion Core. Most recently, he served as visual caption head of the Long Island Sunrisers. He was elected to the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2016.

Kate Socha, Visual Instructor

KATE SOCHA is excited to return for her sixth season with the Jersey Surf as a member of the visual team. Born and raised in Connecticut, Kate began her drum corps career in 2004 as the first drum major for the 7th Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps. She conducted the Connecticut Hurricanes Drum & Bugle Corps from 2005-2010 and marched in their bass line from 2011- 2012. Kate then became a visual technician and drum major for Fusion ‘Core’ Drum & Bugle Corps from 2013-2015 before joining Jersey Surf for the 2018 season. 

Kate graduated with dual bachelor degrees in music and education from the University of Connecticut in 2009 where she was a member of the UConn Marching Band, Pep Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and a saxophone quartet. In 2016 she graduated with a master degree in music education from the University of Florida while part-time teaching in New Jersey.  She has taught several marching bands including Norwich Free Academy (CT), Morris Knolls High School (NJ), and Pequannock Township High School (NJ) where the marching band and winter percussion ensemble won USBands state and class championships under her direction.

Kate is currently a music teacher at Hamden High School (CT) where she teaches instrumental music lessons, music technology and AP music theory. She is also the spring musical conductor, a Tri-M co-advisor, and the marching band’s assistant director and drill writer. Outside of music, Kate has color guard experience and 15 years of dance training.

Joseph Brown, Visual Instructor

Returning for his fourth year on the visual team, Joseph brings 25 years of marching teaching experience to Surf. Originally from Norwalk Connecticut, he started his marching career marching Baritone and Tuba at Brien McMahon High School. After HS, he continued performing with the Connecticut Hurricanes where he was a member from 2000 to 2010. During his time there, he marched Contra, Baritone, and Euphonium.

Joseph’s teaching career began at his alma mater at Brien McMahon. From there, he has taught at many successful programs such as Stamford HS, Montville HS, and Rahway HS. These programs have had a lot of success including best visual awards and championships. Along with teaching high school, Joseph has also taught at both the Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps, and the Sunrisers Drum & Bugle corps. 

Outside of teaching, Joseph has been a visual judge for over 10 years in different circuits such as USBands and New York State Field Band. Along with being a visual judge, he has been doing winterguard drill design for several winter guards including Rahway HS & Pegasus 2 winter guards. Both guards have many awards along with silver & gold medals.

Evan Chown, Visual Instructor

Evan Chown is an experienced visual designer, instructor, and educator based in Virginia. He marched with Jersey Surf from 2017-2020 and has returned to his home team to join the instructional staff for his second season teaching with the corps. Currently, Evan is the head Visual Coordinator at Ocean Lakes High School.

Evan has had the opportunity to teach and assist multiple different ensembles in both instructional and design roles throughout the Virginia Beach area. From 2018-2019 Evan worked with Landstown High school, his alma mater, on the visual instructional staff. In summer of 2021, Evan was chosen to be the head Visual Coordinator at Ocean Lakes High school. He is also the head Visual Coordinator for The Ocean Lakes Indoor Percussion Ensemble (OLIPE) and has led them to bronze and silver medals in the Atlantic Indoor Association circuit championships. His past accomplishments include various leadership positions in high school including head drum major when Landstown won State Championships in 2016. He also served as Horn Sergeant at Jersey Surf in 2019.

      As an alumnus of Tidewater Community College, Evan earned his associate’s degree in general studies and then transferred to Old Dominion University, where he is currently studying to earn his bachelor’s degree in Music Education.

Justin Bogen, Visual Instructor

Justin Bogen is currently a Master of Accountancy student at the University of South Carolina, where he also earned a B.S. in Business Administration with an Accounting major in May 2021. After graduating, Justin will be entering public accounting with KPMG next fall. Justin marched with the Jersey Surf on both trumpet and baritone from 2016-2020, serving on the leadership team from 2017-2020 and as a section leader and Horn Sergeant in 2019 and 2020. In addition to his time marching with Surf, Justin was a section leader in the Hightstown High School marching band, he performed in the Carolina Band while in college, and he is an alumni brother of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Music Fraternity. Justin is extremely excited to come back to Surf in 2024!

Adam Twombly, Visual Instructor

Returning to the Jersey Surf visual staff in 2024 is Adam Twombly. Adam is a native of Middlefield, Connecticut and he graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor’s degree in music in 2016. While at CCSU Adam performed with the wind ensemble, marching band, pep band, brass quintet, trombone ensemble, symphonic band, and jazz ensemble. A four-year member of the CCSU Blue Devil Marching Band, Adam served as one of the band’s drum majors in 2015. He completed a master’s degree in music education at the University of Bridgeport in 2020.

Adam played baritone as a member of the 7th Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps from 2013 through 2015, including the 2014 season when the corps made its first ever appearance in DCI World Class Semifinals. In 2015 Adam was a horn sergeant for the corps and he was voted “brass line MVP” by the other members.

Adam joined the visual staff of the Cheshire High School Marching Band in 2018 and he has been the visual director for the group since 2019. From 2018 through 2020 he taught on the visual staff of the Newtown High School Marching Band as well. 

Adam worked with the Trumbull High School Marching Band from 2015 through 2018 as both a music and visual instructor, including the ensemble’s noteworthy 2016 season in which it was the Bands of America Mid-Atlantic Regional Champion and the U.S. Bands Class 6 Open National Champion. Trumbull was also selected to perform at the 2017 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Adam has made appearances teaching numerous indoor percussion ensembles in Connecticut, the Cheshire High School winter guard, and the Castleton University Spartan Marching Band. He was a visual director for the Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016 and 2017 and he was on the visual staff of 7th Regiment in 2018 and 2019.

Anthony McKinnon, Visual Instructor (He/Him)

Anthony McKinnon is excited to be back with Surf visual team for the 2024 season! Anthony began his marching arts career in 2015 with William J. Palmer High School. There, he marched for 3 seasons in the marching band and winter guard program and served as low brass section leader during the program’s highest scoring show. After high school, Anthony marched baritone for the Vanguard Cadets during their Open Class winning season in 2018. He earned a spot at the Santa Clara Vanguard for the 2020 DCI season. 

Anthony’s teaching career started, and continues to be, at his alma mater William J. Palmer High School. He is proud to have served his home program as a marching instructor and visual technician for 2 seasons before becoming the Visual Caption Head and a part of the design team. Since he began working in this role, the visual program has developed into the program’s strongest caption.

Outside of the marching arts, Anthony graduated from University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in Astronomy and plans on going back to school to pursue his Masters in Library and Information Science.

Kaelinn “KC” Ward, Visual Instructor (He/Him/His)

KC is going into his 11th  year teaching,  and has strived to create a culture of inclusion and camaraderie with every group he’s had the pleasure of instructing. Starting off as percussion instructor, he taught groups all over the Southern Colorado region as well as groups in Idaho and New Jersey. Currently, he serves as the Director of Bands at William J. Palmer High School, his Alma Mater, and is returning for his 5th year on Percussion Visual Staff here with the Surf.

Kc credits his knowledge to his time spent with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps, serving as one of their Drum Majors in 2016, and marching with Altitude Indoor, in its inaugural season, based in Colorado Springs, CO. While serving as director, Kc currently writes and arranges percussion for marching bands and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Percussion Performance and Conducting.  

Kc is very excited to get back to work with Surf! The unique environment and culture of the corps has made it the most enjoyable experience being on board and he hopes to continue serving the corps and its members for the foreseeable future!

Chris Gerlin, Visual Instructor

Chris Gerlin is excited to return to The Jersey Surf for his second season as both percussion visual instructor and tenor instructor for the 2024 season! Based in Connecticut, Chris is an active percussion educator, designer, and consultant, where he is currently the Percussion Director and Arranger at Hamden High School (CT). 

Chris grew up in Pennsylvania, where his marching experience began in seventh grade at Lake-Lehman High School (PA) as a member of the marching band and indoor percussion program. During his time at Lake-Lehman, the programs captured Atlantic Coast Championships in TOB Group I during the fall and TIA Novice Percussion during the winter in 2007.  Chris began his drum corps career while a sophomore at Lake-Lehman, joining Fusion ‘Core’ Drum and Bugle Corps (NJ) in 2010, winning the DCA Class A World Championship. Chris would continue to march with Fusion ‘Core’ for five more years, becoming the tenor line section leader in 2013 and 2014 and in 2014 the entire battery was honored with the “Vince Bruni Showmanship Award” at DCA Championships.

During his high school marching years, Chris began his teaching career with the Lake-Lehman Elementary Indoor Percussion program — a concert indoor percussion group made up of fifth and sixth grade students — as a sophomore in 2010. Chris would go on to become the group’s director and music arranger as a senior for his graduation project in 2012. The program would go on to become Atlantic Coast Champions in TIA Scholastic Elementary Percussion in all three years. After graduating from Lake-Lehman in 2012, Chris immediately joined the staff and helped lead the Indoor Percussion program to becoming Atlantic Coast Championship in TIA Intermediate ‘A’ in 2013. Shortly thereafter, Chris would be promoted to Percussion Caption Head and Arranger, Assistant Band Director, and Indoor Percussion Director in 2014. In addition to teaching with his home team at Lake-Lehman, Chris has worked with various other programs along the east coast, including: Pequannock Township High School (NJ), Morris Knolls High School (NJ), Easton High School (PA), and his current role with Hamden High School (CT). 

Outside of his involvement in the marching arts, Chris holds an Associate’s Degree in Secondary Education from Luzerne County Community College (PA) and a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Misericordia University (PA). Chris is an avid automotive enthusiast and currently works as a mobile electronics installation technician.