Staff

Heather Luck, Band Director
Heather Luck is originally from the greater Los Angeles County where she studied flute privately from Tamera Chadima. It was through her high school education and involvement with several music programs that she decided to become a high school band director. It is her passion to bring a sense of "home" to students like her musical experience brought her. She moved to the lovely and far superior county of San Diego in 2003.

Ms. Luck graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors in Music Education from San Diego State University. She studied flute from Lori Bell and September Payne, and conducting from Harold Warmen. She also participated in the Marching Aztecs for four years and served as drumline section leader for two years. It was through this ensemble that she performed with Shania Twain, Keith Urban, and for Travis Barker.

Ms. Luck has been teaching at the high school level since 2003. She started her career in music as a percussion coach and as a flute technician. Some of these schools included Rancho Buena Vista High School, Eastlake High School, Patrick Henry High School, and Clairemont High School. As percussion Captain Head she coached two drumlines to taking first place at The American Drumline Association Championships.

Ms. Luck started Steele Canyon in 2009 and has taught a variety of music classes including: Beginning Guitar, Intermediate Guitar, Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Colorguard, Percussion Ensemble, and Marching Band. She also works closely with Ms. Roncone-Harvey, and Mrs. Nicole Labella during the spring musical where she teaches the musical pit and the vocals. Under her direction, the Steele Regiment (Marching Band, Percussion Ensemble, and Colorguard) has consecutively placed at local and regional competitions.
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Lauren Paris, Percussion Instructor
Lauren Paris graduated from Rancho Buena Vista High School in 2008. She then went on to study under Norman Weinberg and Kim Toscano as a Percussion Performance Major at University of Arizona. While attending the University, Lauren studied under the baton of Gregg Hansen in University’s Wind Ensemble . She also was a key member of the University of Arizona Steel Drum ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and World Music Percussion ensemble.  She has been teaching Front Ensemble over a span of five years for several programs around San Diego County and has been arranging and composing for front Ensembles for three years. Her past and current employers include Orange Glenn, Escondido, Fallbrook, Point Loma, Rancho Buena Vista, Vista, and Steele Canyon High School.
Diana Gallardo, Colorguard Instructor

Diana was raised in San Diego, California where she attended Steele Canyon High School. She was a member of the Steele Canyon Colorguard for four years and played the tenor saxophone in Steele’s concert band for two years. Last year she had the pleasure of performing with Vox Artium, an Independent Open winterguard who took first place at WGASC Championships. She just recently graduated and came back to be the Colorguard Instructor for Steele Canyon High School and hopes to perform again with Vox Artium this upcoming winter season.
Jon Yenter, Drum Instructor

Jon has been playing drums over 24 years. He went to San Diego State majoring in music and is currently working on a masters degree. He has been teaching drumlines in the Grossmont district for 15 years. He likes burritos and ice cold Pepsi. 
Amy Lupsha, Marching Instructor

Amy is from San Diego, California. She attended Helix High school where she was in the instrumental program playing clarinet for four years and helping lead the band as a drum major for three years. She also participated in the winter drumline playing with the pit for three years and playing cymbals for one year. She has recently completed her second season marching with Drum Corps International, first playing cymbals for Gold Drum and Bugle Corps and then for Pacific Crest Drum and Bugle Corps. 
Derek Youngers, Marching Instructor and Jazz Instructor

Derek was born and raised in San Diego, California where he graduated from
Steele Canyon High School and currently attends the University of
California, San Diego. He has been a part of the Marching Band program
since Ms. Luck's first year teaching and since graduating from Steele
Canyon he has returned as one of their marching instructors. Along with
assisting the Marching Band, Derek has also begun teaching the Jazz Band
after school and hopes to build that part of our program back to
prominence.