Auburn Veterans' Day Marching Band Competition

Parade Judges: 2009

John Scott Fry ~ Parade Music
Scott Fry is the Director of Bands at Emerald Ridge High School in the Puyallup School District.  He completed his undergraduate degree at Pacific Lutheran University, where he majored in Music Education.  He was a graduate assistant at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he was the assistant director of the Golden Buffalo Marching Band, and assisted with all other aspects in the Wind Studies department.  Scott has also done graduate studies at the University of Washington, Seattle.  Mr. Fry has taught for 9 years in Bethel, Auburn and Puyallup public schools. 

Rick Bassham ~ Parade General Effect
Rick Bassham attended Auburn High School and the University of Washington.  He was a charter member of the Black Watch Drum and Bugle Corps in Auburn.  Rick has taught marching band, drum corps and color guard throughout western Washington as well as Hawaii and British Columbia since 1981.  He has judged for the last twenty years for Northwest Pageantry Association, Winter Guard International and the Oregon Dance and Drill Association.  Rick currently resides in Lake Tapps, Washington with his wife of thirty-two years.

Brian Bailie ~ Parade Marching
Brian Bailie has spent the past 19 years as Drill Instructor & Designer for Auburn High School.  He has marched trumpet with Black Watch, the Marauders, Santa Clara Vanguard and the Vanguard Alumni Corps.  He has instructed for the Marauders and the Seattle Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps, as well as various high school marching bands throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Brian is the drill and visual designer for several area high school marching bands including Auburn.  Brian, his wife Teena and two children reside in Bonney Lake, Washington. 

Field Show Judges: 2009

Lewis Norfleet ~ Music Ensemble

Mr. Norfleet is in his 14th year of teaching. He is the founding band director of the Union High School Band Program (Camas, WA), having been at Union since the school opened in 2007. From the first year with 120 students, the program has grown to serve 200 students and offers students a wide variety of musical opportunities for students to participate in. The program includes 3 concert bands, 2 jazz ensembles, 2 percussion ensembles, chamber music, athletic bands, and marching band. The program's fundamental emphasis continues to be excellence on and off the stage.

From 2005-2007, Norfleet was the band director at Evergreen High School in Vancouver, WA. The Evergreen band program is one of the finest in the region, producing award winning ensembles annually. Under Norfleet’s direction, the Evergreen Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensemble 1 scored superior ratings at every festival and competition entered. The EHS Jazz Ensemble 1 was named a finalist at the Clark College Jazz Festival in 2006 and 2007, and won top honors at the Northwest Jazz Festival held at Mt. Hood CC in 2007. The Evergreen High School Marching Band was also a five-time Northwest Marching Band Circuit Champion, having earned this honor each of his two years at Evergreen.

Before moving to Vancouver, Norfleet was the director of bands at North Salem High School in Salem, OR. Under his leadership the North Salem Band was the 2003 Northwest Marching Band Champion, 2005 Oregon (OSAA) State Concert Band Champion, and was named a Grammy Signature school in 2004 and 2005. The Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and Symphonic Band earned superior ratings at every festival and contest entered during his tenure. Prior to his high school teaching experience, he was the Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands at Oregon State University for five years.

Norfleet is also active as a composer and arranger having produced over 250 works for concert band, jazz band, symphony orchestra, percussion ensemble, and marching band. While most of his works have been privately commissioned, some have been published by Matrix Publishing, Jalen Publishing, and Marching Show Concepts. He is also conducts the Southwest Washington Wind Symphony and is an endorsed adjudicator for the Oregon Band Directors' Association.

Dave Weatherred ~ Music Individual
Mr. Weatherred is the Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator for the Spokane School District, a position he has held for the last 13 years.  Dave graduated from Boise State University and received his master's degree from the University of Idaho.  He has spent 11 years as Band Director for Ferris High School and West Valley School District, Spokane.  Dave is the past president of the WMEA and currently the Northwest President of the National Music Educators Association.

Dennis Aquilina ~ Music Effect
Dennis Aquilina graduated with a Bachelor of Music performance in trumpet and teaching credentials from San Francisco State University.  Born in New York City, Dennis began his pageantry-teaching career after marching 10 years with the Immaculate Conception Hellgaters, the New York Skyliners and the Garfield Cadets.  He presently teaches at Thomas Hart Middle School in California.  Mr. Aquilina has also taught at Gilroy High School and Amador Valley High School in California where between both schools complied 5 Western Band Association Divisional Marching Band Champions, 6 California Color Guard Champions and placed 2nd at Winter Guard International in Phoenix, Arizona in Concert Percussion.
His other experiences include being a member of the percussion board for Winter Guard International, serving as Vice President of the Western Band Association, and has judged for Drum Corps International, Western Band Association, marching bands in Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, Indoor Percussion and Jazz festivals throughout the country.

Ron Maier ~ Visual Ensemble
Ron Maier is a native of Bremerton and has performed in the Titans Drum and Bugle Corps, the Seattle Imperials Drum and Bugle Corps, the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, and the State Street Review Winter Guard.  Ron has designed for and taught many groups around the United States and Canada, including the Rhantom Regiment of Rockford, Illinois, the Thunderbolts of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, the Marauders of Longview, Washington and Les Eclipses of Montreal, Quebec.  His counsel and design has also been utilized by numerous high school bands and winter guards.  Currently Mr. Maier is Director of Bands at Finn Hill Junior High School in Kirkland, Washington, and serves as Judge's Coordinator for the Northwest Pageantry Association.  

Rick Bassham ~ Visual Individual
Rick Bassham attended Auburn High School and the University of Washington.  He was a charter member of the Black Watch Drum and Bugle Corps in Auburn.  Rick has taught marching band, drum corps and color guard throughout western Washington as well as Hawaii and British Columbia since 1981.  He has judged for the last twenty years for Northwest Pageantry Association, Winter Guard International and the Oregon Dance and Drill Association.  Rick currently resides in Lake Tapps, Washington with his wife of thirty-two years.

John Fisher ~ Visual Effect
Mr. Fisher is from Seattle and has performed with several drum and bugle corps including the 27th Lancers, the Madison Scouts, the Westshoremen and Reading Buccaneers.  He was on staff with the Troopers Drum Corp based out of Casper, Wyoming.   John has instructed, designed and consulted for various bands and drum corps throughout the United States over the past 25 years.  He is a member of the National Judges Association and judges for Winter Guard International, the Northwest Pageantry Association and the Northwest Marching Band Circuit, Florida Federation of Contest Judges and the Texas Color Guard circuit. 

Randy Grostick ~ Percussion

Darren Tanner ~ Color Guard
Darren is pleased to return as Color Guard Judge for the Auburn Veteran's Day Marching Band Competition.  Darren has performed for the Bluecoats and the Glassmen Drum & Bugle Corps.  He moved to the Northwest to perform with, and subsequently teach the Every- Body Winterguard.   Darren has instructed and been a clinician for numerous high school band and color guard programs throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Pacific Northwest.  He is a judge for the Northwest Pageantry Association.  He is currently completing his Ph.D. in cognitive science at the University of Washington, Seattle.

Scoring Guidelines:

Veterans' Day offers two groups of experienced music educators and professional adjudicators to adjudicate our Parade and Field Show Competition.  The Parade portion of our competition is referred to as "prelims".   Parade bands will be judged on their music performance, general effect and marching.  Parade judges will complete a written adjudication sheet for each parade band which will be available to directors after the awards ceremony on the field.

The Field Show portion of our competition is referred to as "finals".  Field Show performances will be judged on a minimum of 7 minutes and a maximum of 11 minutes.  We use the same standardized judging sheets and criteria as other Washington State marching band competitions.  

Field Show judges will complete a written adjudication sheet along with an audio tape in the following categories:  Music Ensemble, Music Individual, Music Effect, Visual Ensemble, Visual Individual, Visual Effect, Percussion and Color Guard.  Adjudication sheets will be available to directors after the awards ceremony on the field.  Decisions of the judges are final.  Our tabulator is Brian Lynch. 

There are five band classifications or divisions in our competition.  Divisions are based on band size only.  Bands compete in the division that applies to their band size, not school size.  Bands may choose to compete in a higher division, but may not compete in a lower division.  A five point penalty will be accessed to bands competing in a lower division then their band size.  A five point penalty will be accessed to bands warming up outside of their designated areas and/or assigned times.
Warning ~ DO NOT warm up at or near Fulmer Park or the Performing Arts Center.

Divisions & Classifications:

Novice     Bands with NO competitive experience in the past 3 years
A              Band size ~ 1-50 members including auxiliary
AA            Band size ~ 51-75 members including auxiliary
AAA         Band size ~ 76-99 members including auxiliary
Open       Band size ~ 100+ members including auxiliary

Trophies & Awards:

Trophies are awarded in every division for both the Parade and Field Show Competition. 
The Sweepstakes Trophy is awarded to the band with the highest combined total score for both
the Parade and Field Show Competition.

Caption Awards are awarded for Field Show performances only in the following four divisions:
A Division (1-50), AA Division (51-75),  AAA Division (76-99) & Open Division (100+)
Caption Awards are:  Best Drum Major, Best Music, Best Percussion, Best Colorguard, Best Marching
and Best General Effect. 

The Best "Pit Crew" Award is voted and sponsored by Auburn's Alumni Band Parents.  

11/2009