On a recent Thursday evening, the low hum of tuning instruments blended with the rhythmic clack of flag poles hitting the football field as the marching band settled into another rehearsal. Walking along the sidelines and watching for coaching points were two new staff members who have joined the marching band leadership team.
Timothy McAfee is the new visual coach while Hunter Mainguy is helping the color guard. Both bring in a mix of professional and creative energy aimed at elevating performance on the field.
McAfee brings over nine years of professional performance and coaching experience to the job.
As a performer, McAfee played baritone for the world-class drum corps Santa Clara Vanguard from 2018-22. As a teacher, McAfee has been the lead designer at Los Altos High since 2018, and is working with the SHS and Los Altos music programs simultaneously.
He also worked as a visual instructor at Homestead High from 2023-24, served as one of the lead visual instructors for Thesis Percussion, an independent winter percussion group, in 2025 and has been a visual instructor with the Santa Clara Vanguard since 2024.
McAfee aims to bring focused energy to rehearsals. He leads stretch routines and has implemented exercises to build dance fundamentals at the beginning of every rehearsal. One exercise, which focuses on the tendu movement, is meant to practice keeping the marcher’s upper body lifted while moving their feet at the same time. (Tendu originated as a ballet movement.)
“He’s really made me focus on the specific details,” said junior Madin Kaul, a tuba section leader. “Mr. McAfee taught us things I didn’t even think about; the way he teaches has made my marching 10 times better.”
During rehearsals, McAfee’s teaching style reflects his focus on the finer details of marching.
“He has a relaxed approach when it comes to teaching,” said senior Dylan Huang, a saxophone section leader. “When [McAfee] first taught us the tendu exercise, I remember while everyone was laughing, he was kind of laughing with us but still managed to get all of us locked in to understand how and why we do this exercise.”
Over the weeks of rehearsal, McAfee has seen the growth of the members’ dedication and progress in the band. While getting used to the new school, he has done his best to adapt with the process and the culture in the band while still bringing in a fresh take.
“The group has lots of veteran members that hold themself well and are kind to the newer members,” McAfee said. “The drum majors specifically are not only very helpful, but are good at creating a positive atmosphere.”
Mainguy, the newest addition to the color guard staff, has been performing in drum corps internationally in the summer in recent years and is happy to be back teaching high school students.
As Mainguy helps out with the remaining staff to develop various skills, his goal for the color guard is to get members more comfortable in trying new things and allowing them to grow in their skill set.
“Hunter teaches in a way that’s really easy to learn, and then he gives really personalized feedback which is really helpful,” junior Maahi Agarwal said. She recalls the guard having difficulty on spinning a triple, when Mainguy stepped in, she noticed that his feedback helped the entire color guard improve.
Mainguy is aiming to push the students further and to achieve more challenging skills rather than just going through the motions.
Junior Rachel Lee noted that his approach goes beyond just teaching technique: By teaching the guard to approach the show in parts, rather than as an 8-minute show, Mainguy has prevented the guard from feeling overwhelmed.
For Mainguy, the best part of the job is seeing those breakthroughs in real time.
“I really love watching their eyes light up when they have that moment of success,” he said. “That’s my favorite part.”
