Snare Staff
Ian Haas : Snare Staff
Ian Haas is a percussionist and marching arts educator & performer from Fort Wayne, IN. He currently teaches with Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, IN. Ian also graduated from Ball State University last December with a Bachelor's degree in Film and Media Studies.
Ian started his WGI marching career with Veritas for their 2020 production and stayed with the program until his age-out in 2023 where he served as a section & ensemble leader. As well as WGI, Ian spent two summers with the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps from 2021 through 2022. This will be Ian’s second year on staff with Veritas.
Ian resides in Fort Wayne, IN and is the percussion director at Homestead High School. He intends to grow the pageantry arts scene within his hometown as well as the greater Indianapolis area.
John Schexnayder : Snare Staff
John Schexnayder is a percussion instructor originally from Austin, Texas. While living in Texas, John worked with many programs as a battery instructor, including Claudia Taylor Johnson HS, Vista Ridge HS, and Westlake HS.
As a performer, John spent his time with the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps (2016-2019), and Vigilantes Indoor Percussion (2022).
John recently moved to Indianapolis, and currently works as a battery technician and private lesson instructor at multiple schools including Carmel HS, Center Grove HS, and Decatur Central HS.
Connor Speakman - Snare Staff
Connor Speakman is a musician based in Chicago, IL. He has had the privilege of marching with the Lincoln-Way Marching Band, Crystal Lake Thunder, Shadow Drum and Bugle Corps, Shadow Indoor, Avon High School, The Crossmen, Music City Mystique, The Mandarins, Broken City Percussion, and Carolina Crown. Notable educators of his include Zack Watson, Mike Jackson, Roger Carter, and Jared Andrews.
Connor’s teaching career includes Avon High School, Fishers High School, Bloomington High School, Veritas and Carolina Crown.
In addition to an abundance of experience in marching percussion, Connor is pursuing a career in Percussion Performance. His studies began at Ball State University, and will continue at Roosevelt University this Fall. The required mental refinement to be successful in orchestral percussion as well as the minute dexterity required in order to perform both forms of percussion is a bridge Connor has seen connected seldomly. He prides himself greatly in his effort to bridge the gap between the two unlikely similar percussive mediums.
Matt Pletcher : Snare Staff
Matt Pletcher is a marching arts educator and performer from Carmel, IN. He currently attends Purdue University for a Master’s in Chemical Engineering. His teaching experience includes percussion education at Lafayette Jefferson High School, Decatur Central High School, and Carmel High School.
Matt’s WGI career began with marching snare drum for Veritas in 2020. Following COVID-19’s challenges and shutdowns, he returned in 2022 and aged out with the program in 2024 as the snare drum and battery section leader. Additionally, he had the amazing opportunity to march with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps in 2022.
This will be Matt’s first year on staff for Veritas, and he is extremely excited to continue to contribute to the program’s growth and success.
Joseph Cheerva : Snare Staff
Joseph Cheerva is a percussionist and percussion educator from Indianapolis. He was born and raised in the Indianapolis area and now lives in Greenwood. He attended Center Grove HS, where he performed with their PSW Finalist percussion ensemble until his graduation in 2019.
Since then, Joseph has performed with Veritas in 2022 and 2023, Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps in 2022, and currently teaches at Franklin Community HS.
This is Joseph’s first year on staff for Veritas, and he is thrilled to share his passion for rudimental snare drumming and the marching arts.
