Junior Varela

Cornelio “Junior” Varela, is a visual marching band educator from Phoenix, Arizona who has been involved with the music and marching arts for several years. In 2011 Cornelio began his involvement with the arts as a performer on mellophone in high school and was also a member of the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in 2014. After completion of high school, he continued performing with the Grand Canyon University Thundering Herd Pep Band and concert ensemble from 2015 – 2017. Since 2018 Cornelio transitioned to an educator role and has worked with both marching and indoor percussion/colorguard ensembles with Verrado High School in Buckeye, Arizona. While with Verrado High School, Cornelio has been able to assist the marching ensemble with achieving 4th place in the state in 2021 and qualifying for state championships and placing 8th in 2023. Cornelio has also assisted with the Millennium High School marching band in Goodyear, Arizona in 2023. In addition, Cornelio has also served as a Tour Assistant with the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps in 2022 and the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2023. From 2023 - 2024 Cornelio has been involved with Foreword Indoor Winds serving as a Visual Caption Head and Visual Caption manager respectively. He is very passionate about the music and marching arts and enjoys being able to learn and collaborate with an amazing team of fellow educators in order to provide a rewarding experience for members. Of utmost priority for Cornelio is to provide the best experience for members so they can achieve new skills and even learn life skills that can assist them in their future. Cornelio is very excited to be returning to Foreword for a third year with the opportunity to grow the program even further and provide students with the most enjoyable, educational, and rewarding experience possible.