Our Team.
Great percussion education takes great teachers. Seattle is full of incredible and passionate players and educators. We are excited to add them to our team as Seattle Percussion Works grows.
Storm Benjamin (he/him)
founded SPW in 2022
Storm Benjamin holds a Bachelors Degree in Percussion Performance from Central Washington University and Masters Degree from Central Michigan University. While attending university, he toured nationally with the Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corp, and performed in two years with the Oregon Crusaders Indoor Drumline.
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As an educator, Storm is dedicated to creating life-long musicians. His teaching style centers on creating a strong emotional connection to music while building proficiency and knowledge.
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As a performer, he has been featured as a contemporary percussion soloist across Seattle. His ensemble experience includes symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, percussion ensembles, and opera companies. Storm also composes and performs with his collaborative, percussion-centered multimedia ensemble, Striking Music, and the alt-rock band Terra Nobody.
Jonathan Rodriguez (he/him)
joined the team in 2023
Jonathan Rodriguez is an interdisciplinary artist from the borderlands of Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. Born and raised in the vibrant environment of the US-Mexico border, his artistic sensibilities are shaped by the dynamic interplay between diverse cultures, languages, and landscapes. He works (mostly) with composition, sound design, technology, and percussion in a diverse range of spaces, reflecting his deep-rooted curiosity and commitment to pushing his creative boundaries. Spanning various disciplines, his practice engages with dance, film, ethnography, sculpture and improvisation. Rodriguez holds a degree in History/Spanish and Music Performance from Millikin University, a master's in Performance from the University of New Mexico and a doctorate in Performance from the University of Washington. He currently teaches in the Interdisciplinary Visual Arts department at the University of Washington and Seattle Percussion works.
Rose Martin (she/her)
joined the team in 2023
Rose Martin is a sound explorer and educator centered in percussion and voice. With her emerging band, Irisanna, Rose explores themes of courtship, grief, and tender love through song and texture.
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As an educator of all ages, Rose grounds her teaching in empathy, creativity, compassion, and empowerment. She is honored to lead and learn alongside young musicians, nurturing a deeper understanding of sound, silence, and listening.
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Rose holds a Master of Music from University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Denver, Lamont School of Music. With great honor, Rose has studied with John Kinzie, Dr. Sarah Morelli, Ghanaian master drummer Johnson Kemeh, Ghanaian master of gyil Aaron Bebe Sukura, Ayano Kataoka, Stuart Saunders Smith, and Bonnie Whiting.
She is currently pursuing a doctorate at University of Washington in Seattle.
Paulina Michels (she/her)
joined the team in 2023
Paulina Michels is a percussionist currently residing in the Pacific Northwest. Though her background is rooted in classical music, her curiosity and love of contemporary chamber music has driven her to find ways of combining improvisation and experimental ideas with new compositions.
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She is a founding member of Troika, an all-female percussion trio with a focus on commissioning and performing works by women. Prior to moving to the PNW, she performed with Alia Musica, Uncommon Instruments Orchestra, the Dublin Silver Band, and regularly improvised as part of the Crucible Sound Series.
Paulina holds a degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (MM, 2017), where she studied with Rusty Burge, Allen Otte, and Jim Culley. While there she was actively involved in collaborations with the composition department, performing on both A View from the Edge and Sonic Explorations series as well as at Electronic Music Midwest.
Jesslyn Sene (she/her)
joined the team in 2024
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Jesslyn Sene moved to the Seattle area two years ago. She comes from a theatrical background with over five years of experience onstage and her love for music has only continued to expand to other areas of her life.
She is currently a music teacher at Seattle Percussion Works, as well as a vocalist in the band, Terra Nobody. For Jesslyn, music is an enriching opportunity to better understand people and their stories, which is why she strongly believes in teaching the next generations about music.
Introducing and fostering musicality within children's lives not only supports their personal development but also communities as a whole.
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