Lori Valenzuela has performed and taught at the highest levels of drum corps, marching band and WGI. As a performer, she was a member of the Star of Indiana Drum & Bugle Corps from Bloomington, Ind. for the 1986, 1987 and 1988 seasons, and a member of the 1988 and 1989 Winterguard International World Champion ‘State Street Review’ Winter Guard from Madison, Wisconsin. As an instructor, she taught the Freelancers Drum and Bugle Corps for two years, as well as the Bandettes drum corps from Canada. She has taught numerous high schools across the country including Plymouth-Centennial Educational Park Marching Band, which won the high color guard award at the Bands of America Championships in 1989, and the James Logan Marching Band from Union City, Calif. Currently, she serves as the colorguard instructor for the Huskie Marching Band of Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois.
Lori began her career spinning rifle and flag at Linden High School in Linden, Michigan. Prior to participating with the marching band at Linden she was a competitive baton twirler on the national level for 10 years. Lori went to Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich. where she was the captain of the color guard. In addition to her skill as a visual performer, Lori was an accomplished performer on the clarinet throughout high school and college.
In 1990 she moved to California to teach the Freelancers Drum & Bugle Corps for two years. That six month job turned into a sixteen year stay in California, during which time she met her husband Rick while she was teaching the Freelancers and he was with the Santa Clara Vanguard. Lori returned to her Midwest roots in early 2006 when her husband became the Development Director for the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps from Rockford, Illinois. When he became the Executive Director of the Phantom Regiment in the fall of 2006, Lori took over as the office manager for the corps. In addition to teaching the NIU color guard, she is an active color guard judge and clinician throughout the Midwest. She is an avid scrap-booker, busy mom to her two kids, and currently in training to return to the field as a performer with the Star of Indiana Alumni Corps.