MISSION HILLS HS
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Meet our Directors and Staff
Christopher Coughlin
Director of Bands
Mr. Coughlin joined the Mission Hills music program in 2016.
He began his teaching career in Mesa, Arizona where he taught band at Taylor Junior High School and served as Arts Department Chair and Technology Liaison, initiating the district’s pilot program in music technology.
Mr. Coughlin is an accomplished trumpet player and is a former member of the Tempe Symphony Orchestra and Tempe Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
Mr. Coughlin holds a BA degree in Music Education and Composition from Arizona State University, where he served as drum major for the celebrated ASU Sun Devil Marching Band. He also holds a Master’s degree in Band Directing from Sam Houston State University in Texas.
Joshua Hall
Director, Percussion
Mr. Hall began teaching at Mission Hills High School in 2013 as a drumline instructor and became a full-time music teacher in 2020. Mr. Hall specializes in rudimental percussion and digital music and as brought an overall wealth of knowledge to Mission Hills High School.
Mr. Hall has taught, arranged, and worked as a clinician for several high school percussion ensembles throughout Southern California, including Valhalla, San Marcos, and Carlsbad. He has worked as a snare technician and battery coordinator with Watchmen Drum and Bugle Corps, Gold Indoor Percussion, and has consulted for Catalyst Percussion.
His performance experience includes Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps, Dark Sky Percussion, the San Diego State University Marching Aztecs, and the SDSU wind symphony and symphony orchestra.
Mr. Hall holds a B.A. in Communication and a Minor in Classical Music from SDSU, as well as an M.A. in Communication from SDSU.
Ellis King
Director, Jazz
Mr. King has performed with several world class ensembles including the LA Pops and the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps.
Mr. King is passionate about public music education and firmly believes that it is an ideal medium for teaching the values of accountability, empathy, and communication.
Mr. King received his degree in Music Education from UCLA.
Zack Elliott,
Music Assistant / Percussion
Zach Elliott is a percussionist, composer, and educator from San Diego. He works as the Musical Assistant at Mission Hills High School and arranges percussion music for the program. Zach has taught in the San Marcos Unified School District and with other programs around San Diego County. He cares deeply about helping students develop both as musicians and as people.
Zach has performed with groups like the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, the Finest City Wind Orchestra, the Finest City Percussion Collective, and the Poway Symphony Orchestra. He also plays in orchestras for musical theater shows across San Diego.
In addition to teaching and performing, Zach arranges and composes music for ensembles across San Diego County. His students have performed at events such as the San Diego Percussion Festival, the Central California Day of Percussion, and the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival.
Alexander Bolender
Director, Color Guard
Staff
Josias Miguel, Jazz Band/Saxophone
Ed Spillane, Student Teacher
Anhita Pestonjamasp, Flute
Toni Cortez Aguilar, Flute
Shaina May, Oboe
Alan Elena, Bassoon
Breanna Haemor,Clarinet
Cameron Clements, Saxophone
Connor Bagheri, Trumpet
William Perrine, Horn
Kayla Aponte, Trombone
Tyler Shepard, Euphonium / Tuba
Mario Ledesma, Choir Assistant
Sydney Ash, Vocal Coach
Caleb Wohlgemuth, Vocal Coach
Ethan Icezalaya, Color Guard
Emily Heath, Color Guard
