Judging Panel
Keith Baker is judging ensemble visual. Mr.
Baker is a long-time adjudicator from Southern Illinois.
He has been involved in the pageantry arts activity as a
designer, drill writer, and color guard instructor for
22 years. Bands, winter guards, and indoor percussion
ensembles from Maryland to Missouri have won numerous
awards implementing his visual designs. His color guards
have won state titles in Illinois, Missouri, and
Virginia. Mr. Baker has also worked as a visual judge
for a variety of organizations including the Michigan
Competing Band Association, the Midwest Color Guard
Circuit, Kentucky Music Educators’ Association, and the
Utah Winter Guard Association. He recently completed his
first year as a design analysis judge for Winter Guard
International and his twelfth year as a visual judge for
Drum Corps International. Mr. Baker teaches Medieval
History in Edwardsville, Illinois.
Bart Dixon is judging
percussion. Mr. Dixon earned his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from Austin Peay State University. His teaching
experience includes concert band, marching band, jazz
band, guitar, and arts and humanities courses.
Additionally, Mr. Dixon has experience as a school
administrator, clinician, consultant, marching band
drill designer, as well as a marching percussion music
arranger for high schools, colleges, and drum and bugle
corps. He adjudicates at band contests and festivals
throughout the region. Currently, Mr. Dixon is a music
teacher at McCracken County High School in Paducah,
Kentucky.
Kent Hisaw is judging color guard. Mr. Hisaw
served as assistant director for the Grenada High School
Band from Grenada Mississippi for twenty-two years. He
was the program coordinator for the marching band and
the color guard instructor. During his tenure, Grenada’s
band participated in the 1995 and 2001 Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 1998 Tournament of Roses
Parade. The band also won two state championships. The
color guard earned fifty-five first-place titles in
eight states and placed second at the Bands of America
Grand National Championships. From 2006-2008, Mr. Hisaw
was Director of Bands for Southaven Middle school and
worked with Southaven High School’s marching band.
Southaven won a state championship in 2008. Mr. Hisaw is
an alumni of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps Color
Guard; he serves as the visual coordinator for the
Mississippi Lions All-State Band, and he is a member of
the Phi Beta Mu Honorary Band Directors’ Fraternity. He
currently judges within the Mississippi Indoor
Association. As a clinician, designer, and adjudicator,
Mr. Hisaw has traveled throughout the United States,
China, Australia, and Canada.
Dr. Dave S. Knowlton is judging overall
effect. Dr. Knowlton is a professor, author, and
educator. In college, he was a member of Memphis State
University's "Mighty Sound of the South" marching band,
the Bengal Lancers Winter Guard, and the University’s
Percussive Arts Society International Convention
drumline. He served as bass drum section leader in both
1988 and 1989. In high school, he was a member of the
Briarcrest Band. In 2012, he was an inaugural inductee
into the Briarcrest Fine Arts Hall of Fame. Over the
past twenty-five years, Dr. Knowlton has worked in six
different states as an instructor, show designer,
musical arranger, choreographer, and clinician for
middle schools, high schools, colleges, dance companies,
and drum and bugle corps. He has judged nationally for
USBands and regionally for both the Indiana Percussion
Association and the Mid-Continent Color Guard
Association. He is Professor of Instructional Technology
at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Jeffrey Mayo is judging overall effect. Mr.
Mayo is the band director at Brighton Middle School and
the assistant band director at Brighton High School. He
attended the University of Memphis where he received an
honors bachelor’s degree in music education and
graduated with the distinction of Summa Cum Laude. He
actively participated in many of the university’s
performing ensembles, including wind ensemble and
orchestra. While in college, Mr. Mayo served as a staff
member for the Brighton Band and as a spring training
instructor for the University of Memphis’ drumline. Mr.
Mayo actively performs throughout the mid-south area and
composes music for numerous ensembles. At Brighton, Mr.
Mayo works in virtually all areas of the program,
including marching band, concert band, percussion, and
winter guard; he also serves as a designer, arranger,
composer, and choreographer for the program. Mr. Mayo is
a Vic Firth artist and is a certified marching band
judge through The Judge’s Academy.
Dr. Martin Reynolds is judging ensemble music.
Dr. Reynolds is an Associate Professor of Music and
Director of Bands at Southeast Missouri State University
in Cape Girardeau. He was appointed to this position in
the fall of 2010. His duties at SEMO include directing
the Southeast Marching Band, as well as the Southeast
Wind Symphony and Concert Bands. He also teaches in the
music education sequence. Dr. Reynolds was born in
Little Rock, Arkansas, and received his degrees in music
from the University of Central Arkansas, the University
of Maryland, and the University of Arizona. Dr. Reynolds
is in demand as an adjudicator and clinician for public
schools and universities throughout the United States.
Dr. Armand Hall (drum majors) Assistant
Professor and Associate Director of Bands, conducts the
Symphony Band, directs "The Mighty Sound of the South
Marching Band", and teaches courses in Music Education.
He earned his Doctorate of Music Arts in wind conducting
at Michigan State University and Master of Music and
Bachelor of Music degrees in music education from the
University of Michigan. From 2002-10, Professor Hall
served as director of bands at Dunckel Middle School
and, from 2003-09, Assistant Director of the North
Farmington High School "Raider" Marching Band in
Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Dedicated to teaching, he is the educational director
for the Archipelago Project, a non-profit organization
charged with engaging students in music and their
instruments by teaching multiple folk idioms using
pedagogical techniques based on the Venezuelan El
Sistema. With the Archipelago Project, he has traveled
throughout the country and Venezuela teaching music
students and performing for their communities. He is
also active as an adjudicator and clinician; and is a
member of the College Band Directors National
Association, National Association for Music Education,
College Music Society, Michigan School Band and
Orchestra Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity
of America, and Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band
Fraternity. Mr. Hall joined the Rudi E. Scheidt School
of Music in 2012. |
Midwest Marching thanks
McGuire Band Instrument Service
for shared information on
Tennessee events! |
