Our Mission

The IMPA sponsors percussion and indoor winds competition and education throughout the Intermountain Region. The organization is run by volunteers from within the local music community who dedicate their time to creating a better experience for all the musicians involved.

IMPA is established for the benefit of the percussion and marching ensembles that participate in the activity at all levels of achievement. Our purpose is to provide a venue for young people to achieve the extraordinary through education, performance, and competition. We seek to foster positive experiences for all who participate, by promoting education, creativity and freedom of expression through the unification of marching, music and performance education.

Get in touch

The Board of Directors at IMPA would love to hear from you! If you have questions, concerns, ideas, or need help with your ensemble, just reach out.

Executive Director

Tyler Hess

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. From there, Weber State Indoor Percussion grew from a small ensemble into a flagship program in the Intermountain Percussion Association, winning two WGI Regional Championships and four Intermountain Percussion Association Championships. Mr. Hess now takes this heritage into the future with the newly formed Gold Spike Percussion.

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 as Percussion Supervisor and Visual Designer for the Weber State Wildcat Band, Battery Instructor and Program Coordinator at Davis High School, Program Director for Gold Spike Percussion, Percussion Consultant for Roy and Riverton High School, and Tour Manager for the Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps. Mr. Hess the Exectutive Director for the Intermountain Percussion Association 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, and Evans Drumheads.

President

Sarah Jennings

Sarah started her music career at the age of ten as a clarinetist. During high school she learned to play saxophone, violin, and percussion and participated in every music ensemble possible, including marching band (where she was a drum major for two years), concert band, symphonic band, orchestra, mariachi band, jazz band, pit band, and various choirs. After graduation, she attended Northern Arizona University where she majored in Education but continued performing in the symphonic band and joined the marching band drumline (cymbals) under the direction of Dr. Steve Hemphill.

Sarah began her instructional career in 1998 with various marching bands in Arizona as a marching, music, and leadership instructor. She had the honor of working with her role model Dr. Keith Preston at Peoria High School and Sharon Woodard (current director of Dark Sky Percussion) at Page High School. This later led to her involvement in indoor percussion in 2000 with the Centennial Indoor Percussion Theatre in Peoria, Arizona where she served as Assistant Director. In 2005, Sarah and her family moved to Kansas where she worked with the Blue Valley Southwest Emerald Regiment from Overland Park as a woodwind and music instructor. Her family once again relocated, this time to Idaho Falls where she and her husband began working with Troopercussion Indoor, an independent indoor drumline associated with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps. Sarah served as the Assistant Director for two years as well as Administrative Assistant. Sarah now helps run North Star Independent, a percussion ensemble based in Rexburg, ID.
 
Sarah brings her knowledge of the marching arts from all across the country in hopes of building stronger music programs in Southeast Idaho.

Vice President

Mark Hartman

Mark Hartman has been involved in the marching arts for more than 20 years as a performer, instructor, and designer. He began his drum corps career with the Blue Knights from Denver, Colorado as a member of the mellophone section in 2003. In 2008, he was on the visual staff for Revolution from San Antonio, Texas and was on the support staff for the Blue Knights in 2009, serving as the public relations intern. 

Mark graduated from Brigham Young University in 2012 where he was a member of the Cougar Marching Band, serving as drum major and band president in his final year. Following his time at BYU Mark spent seven years as the assistant director for the award-winning Westlake High School Marching Band from Saratoga Springs, Utah. During his tenure Westlake was the Utah 4A State Champion in 2012 and 2013, was a seven-time Bands of America Regional Finalist in Utah and California, and represented the state of Utah in the 2018 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. 

Mark is currently the Operations Director for the Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps and Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at Farmington High School in Farmington, Utah. He is also an active clinician, drill writer, and program consultant for many groups across the western United States.

Secretary

Kenton Nielson

Kenton is the the Director of the Utah Valley University Drumline (UVU Green Man Group) and CEO of the Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps in Salt Lake City, UT.

He marched as a member of the Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps where he had the opportunity to study marching percussion under the direction of such great music educators as Pat Amon, Nick Angelis, Thom Hannum, Jeff Queen, and Colin McNutt. 20 years after marching in Drum Corps International he remains very involved with the Troopers where he currently sits as an elected member of the Troopers TAA Board of Directors. Kenton is very active in the performing arts and music education communities. Five years prior to becoming the musical director of the UVU Green Man Group, he worked as the Associate Conductor of the Wasatch Chorale conducting alongside Dr. Dyanne Riley. Over the past 15 years, he has directed and or worked as a visiting clinician for numerous high school drumlines and marching bands. 

Kenton is graduate of Utah Valley University. He holds degrees in Music (with an Emphasis in Conducting), Secondary Music Education (with a Choral/Wind Composite), and History. While in college, he served as the President of the Collegiate Music Educators National Conference. He also served as the Associate Conductor of the University Chamber Choir. In 2003, he was honored as the Outstanding Academic Student of the Year from the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. While at UVU he represented student interests as member of the University's Academic Senate. He was also a 3-year winner of the Collegiate Aria & Concerto Competition. 

Kenton currently lives in Orem with his wife Janna and their 3 children Scott, Emily & Daniel.

Board Member - at large

Cris Stiles

Cris Stiles is a native of Huntington Beach, California and is currently the Director of Bands at Mountain Ridge High School in Herriman, UT. He attended Huntington Beach High School and it's magnet The Academy for the Performing Arts (APA). Growing up in the 90’s in Southern California afforded Cris the opportunity to live at the epicenter of popular music and in a community long familiar with drum corps and pageantry. He cannot think of a better place to have started his music education. 

After moving to Salt Lake City in 2009, Cris had the privilege of working with several incredible programs throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Cris served in several capacities on the staff of the Bingham High School Marching Miner Band from 2010 to 2018 including visual tech, Director of Marching Percussion and Visual Caption Head. He also served as the Director of Marching Percussion at Alta High School in 2016-17. Cris is a celebrated clinician, a freelance drumset player and has taught private percussion lessons since 2005.

Cris graduated from the University of Utah in the Spring of 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Music Education. At the U he was an active member of the percussion studio, a member of the Utah Chamber Percussion Group, and performed with the Wind Ensemble,  the Utah Philharmonia, and the Utah Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Mike Sammons. In the fall of 2017 with the help of close friends Cris founded Cinq Percussion, Utah’s first professional percussion chamber group. 

Board Member - at large

Stephen Tullis

Stephen is currently the Percussion Director at Lehi High School, Associate Battery Caption Head at Gold Spike Percussion, and Battery Instructor with The Battalion Drum and Bugle Corps.

Stephen has performed with Orem High School, South County Percussion, Utah Valley University’s Green Man Group, The Utah Jazz Drumline, and Impact Percussion. He has also performed with the UVU Percussion Ensemble, UVU Wind Symphony, The Lyceum Philharmonic, Utah Wind Symphony, and The Millennial Choirs and Orchestra. 

Stephen started his teaching career at American Fork High School in 2014. In 2015, he was on staff with Westlake Indoor Percussion. He later taught with the Westlake Marching Band and Wasatch High Indoor Percussion.

Board Member - at large

James Densley

James has been a music educator, composer/arranger, clinician and adjudicator since 2010. His experience includes Drum Corps International, Winter Guard International Percussion, Bands of America, Music for All, as well as various state circuits, and state music educators associations. James spent 6 years as a high school band director in Utah, before moving to Honolulu, Hawaii where he now resides with his wife and two daughters. James is an active show designer and arranger for marching band and indoor percussion ensembles in multiple states including Utah, Washington, Hawaii, Texas, Nevada, and Oregon. He enjoys traveling as an adjudicator and clinician for marching, jazz, and large-group concert festivals.

James earned his Bachelor of Music Education with an emphasis in percussion and jazz performance from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2016 where he studied with the late Dr. David L. Taylor, Dr. Ryan Nielsen (UVU, Ra Kakalam Bob Moses, John McNeil), Dr. Aaron Miller (BYU-I, Glenn Miller Orchestra) Kobie Watkins (Sonny Rollins, Bobby Broom Trio, Branford Marsalis). In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Intermountain Percussion Association, he also currently serves on the Board of Directors, and as the battery arranger for Horizon Indoor Percussion. James regularly performs with the Mike Lewis Big Band at The Blue Note Hawaii, and is currently producing and recording a pop album. He happily endorses Innovative Percussion sticks & mallets, Evans drum heads, and Sabian cymbals.