BATTERY STAFF
BRENDAN CHRISTENSEN
Battery Coordinator
Brendan Christensen is a music educator and performer based in the West Valley. With experience across multiple instruments, he has performed with Flux, Breakthrough, and the Sun Devil Marching Band.
Since 2018, Brendan has taught drumline, percussion, and private lessons at Peoria Music Academy, drawing inspiration from mentors Daniel Christensen, Gordon Williford, Dakota McConnell, and Miles Kenobbie. He also performs with BOOM! Percussion Entertainment.
Outside of music, Brendan enjoys spending time with his cats, being an uncle, and geeking out over DOOM and Transformers. He’ll be serving as Battery Coordinator for Breakthrough A after teaching as a snare tech with Breakthrough Open since 2024!
ZACH SMITH
Tenor Tech
Zach marched at Breakthrough for 4 years (20,21,22,25). He has also marched with Phenom (2019), Flux (2023), and the Sun Devil Marching Band (2021 - 2023). Currently, Zach serves as an educator in the West Valley, working with several high school programs, including Agua Fría and Tolleson Union High School.
BEN FALKNER
Bass Tech
Ben Falkner has a very unique independent marching career that started with him marching bass drum with the Sun Devil Marching Band for 4 years, 2020-2023, the last two of which he was the bass drum section leader. He also marched with Flux Indoor Percussion playing marimba in a 2021 small ensemble duet, timpani in the 2021 show, vibraphone in the 2022 show, and marching bass in the 2023 show. He then went on to march bass drum at Breakthrough Indoor Percussion for our 2024 and 2025 productions. Alongside his independent marching career he taught as a percussion instructor at Coolidge High School, Maricopa High School, Shadow Mountain High School, and is currently with Perry High School, and Breakthrough A, as well as guest teaching all over the east valley. When he isn’t busy teaching, he enjoys playing video games and composing/arranging music.