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Matt Ponce has been a part of the marching activity in Southern California since 2006. Performing in a wide array of world-class ensembles, Matt has numerous memberships in groups such as Pulse Percussion, RCC Indoor Percussion, The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, and The Blue Devils International Corps.

Currently, he is active as both an educator and a performer. Performing in various roles as a musician at the Disneyland resort, he has been a member of Mickey’s Soundsational Parade, the Festival of Holidays Toy Drummers, the Magic Happens Parade, and the Jammin' Chefs. 

Matt currently serves as the Percussion Director and wind and percussion arranger at John W. North High School. He is also the wind and percussion arranger for Patriot High School, and the percussion arranger for Canyon Springs High School. Matt is an audio engineer for RCC Indoor Percussion, and the Lead Audio Engineer for the Santa Clara Vanguard.

Matt holds his Bachelor’s in Music Education from the Bob Cole Conservatory at CSU, Long Beach. Matt proudly endorses Innovative Percussion, Remo Inc., and the Avedis Zildjian company.

Elias Villalobos is a dedicated percussion educator and performer with experience in the Southern California marching arts community. His experience includes working with Impulse Drum & Bugle Corps, where he served as a member of the percussion instructional staff, specializing in bass drum instruction.

As a battery percussion instructor, Elias brings a strong emphasis on musicality, technique, consistency, and ensemble performance. He is passionate about helping students develop both their individual skills and their ability to contribute to a cohesive and powerful percussion section.

As a member of the Blue Star Regiment instructional staff, Elias is committed to creating a positive and challenging environment where students can grow as musicians, performers, and members of the BSR community.

Max Morales is a percussionist and educator from Rancho Cucamonga, California.

Throughout his time as a performer, Max has appeared with numerous DCI and WGI ensembles including Blue Devils B (2019), Vanguard Cadets (2022)—where he earned both an Open Class World Championship and a High Percussion title—and The Blue Devils (2024). Outside of the corps circuit, Max performed with the Marching Tigers at Riverside City College (2021-2022) and with the Independent World Class ensemble RCC Indoor Percussion (2023-2025), earning a WGI World Championship title and performing in the ensemble's inaugural appearance at PASIC in 2024.

As an educator, Max currently serves as a Front Ensemble instructor for John W. North High School, Ayala High School, Meraki Percussion, and RCC Indoor Percussion

He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Music Education at California State University, Fullerton, after transferring from Riverside City College. His teachers include Steve Schmidt, Jason Goodman, Ken McGrath, and Ray Llewellyn.

Esteban Ramirez is a dedicated percussion educator and performer with experience in the Southern California marching arts community. Based in the Inland Empire, Esteban has served on the percussion instructional staff at Ramona High School in Riverside, bringing his experience and passion for percussion education to developing young musicians. Esteban has also been a consistent member of reknown RCC Indoor Percussion.

As a front ensemble instructor, Esteban focuses on developing strong musicianship, technique, ensemble awareness, and performance skills across the mallet and auxiliary percussion sections. He understands the unique role the front ensemble plays in supporting the musical and visual identity of a marching program.

As a member of the Blue Star Regiment instructional staff, Esteban is committed to helping students grow as confident musicians while fostering a positive, collaborative, and supportive environment within the percussion section.

Crystal Ortiz is a dedicated color guard educator and instructor with extensive experience teaching and developing performers throughout Southern California. She has served in leadership and instructional roles with competitive marching band programs in the Inland Empire, including most recently as Color Guard Director and Caption Head for Bloomington High School.

With a passion for performance, mentorship, and student development, Crystal brings a thoughtful and energetic approach to color guard instruction. Her experience encompasses the development of choreography, performance technique, equipment work, and the teamwork required to create a cohesive visual ensemble.

As Color Guard Director for the Blue Star Regiment, Crystal is committed to building a welcoming, challenging, and supportive environment where students can grow as performers and as individuals. Her dedication to excellence and her belief in the power of the performing arts make her an integral part of the BSR instructional staff.

Melissa De La Mora is a passionate color guard educator and performer whose journey in the activity began in Central California. She first discovered her love for color guard while watching a winter guard perform at a school assembly. Inspired by what she saw, she auditioned the following year and began her color guard career in 8th grade at La Joya Middle School.

Melissa continued performing at El Diamante High School, where she competed at the Big Orange Classic for three consecutive years. During her junior year, she had the opportunity to watch Riverside Community College (RCC) perform their 2011 production, A Spanish Celebration, up close. That experience inspired her to pursue RCC, and in 2013 she joined the RCC Marching Tigers, followed by performing with Fantasia Winterguard in 2014.

Melissa began her coaching career in 2014, returning to where her color guard journey began. She served as the head coach at La Joya Middle School and assistant coach at El Diamante Middle School. After returning to Southern California, she continued expanding her coaching experience through her work with Bloomington High School, Rialto High School, Citrus Hill High School, and Vessel Drum and Bugle Corps.

She is thrilled to be a part of the Blue Star Regiment staff and looks forward to helping the organization and its performers continue to grow. Melissa is excited to share her passion for the activity, challenge students to reach their full potential, and help them become confident, expressive, and amazing performers.

Rosie Schive is a Colorguard Educator new to Riverside, CA. She has been involved in the activity for the past decade and has been teaching since 2021. Rosie performed with the ASU Colorguard and FeniX Independent World Winterguard from 2018–2023, serving as captain for three of those years. Most recently, she spent four years teaching at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, AZ, where she had the opportunity to work with students of all experience levels and help the program grow into WGI A-Class Semifinalists. Rosie is passionate about creating a positive and encouraging environment where students can build their skills, confidence, and love for the activity.

Outside of guard, Rosie holds a Master’s degree in Counseling and works as an Associate Therapist in the Inland Empire. Her work has further strengthened her passion for supporting young people and creating spaces where they feel comfortable learning, challenging themselves, and being part of a team. After recently moving back to California, Rosie is excited to begin a new chapter in the Riverside community and spend her first season with the BSR!

Steven Candelaria is a visual and marching instructor with John W. North High School in Riverside, CA. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Applied Science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2018, where he was also an active member of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band. He later completed his Master of Arts in Mathematics, Teaching at California State University, Fullerton in 2021.  He is also currently pursuing a teaching credential to teach Mathematics at the secondary level.

Since 2021, Steven has taught mathematics and statistics courses in the Mathematics and Information Systems and Decision Sciences departments at CSUF. He began working with the Blue Star Regiment in 2022 and looks forward to contributing to the professional and artistic growth of its members throughout their time with this formative program.

Ashley Kocour is a Southern California performer and educator with a strong foundation in the marching arts and music instruction. She currently works as an elementary music teacher in Riverside, California, and has experience teaching students across all levels of music education, from elementary and middle school to high school and collegiate ensembles, as well as private instruction.

Ashley’s marching arts experience includes five seasons with Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps, where she performed euphonium and later served as a Drum Major. She spent three seasons on the brass staff of Gold Drum & Bugle Corps and has continued to work with marching programs throughout Southern California in both brass and visual instruction at programs such as Gahr High School, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and the RCC Marching Tigers.

Matthew Haros is a trumpet player and visual instructor from Riverside, California. Matthew’s previous marching experience includes Pacific Crest 2023, RCC Fall 2023, and Blue Knights 2025. He is proud and excited to be teaching at John W. North for a second term. Matthew hopes to make marching fun while simultaneously keeping students satisfied with their hard work.

Reggie Alaman is a visual designer and drill writer with experience in the Southern California marching arts community. His work combines an understanding of movement, staging, musicality, and visual storytelling to help create engaging and effective performances on the marching field.

As the Blue Star Regiment’s Visual Designer and Drill Writer, Reggie works closely with the instructional staff to translate the musical and thematic concepts of each production into purposeful visual moments. His approach to drill emphasizes clarity, creativity, ensemble impact, and the development of performers at every level.

Reggie is passionate about helping students discover the connection between music and movement while creating productions that challenge performers and connect with audiences. His creative vision and collaborative approach make him an important part of the Blue Star Regiment design team.