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Zaepfel Stadium are:
Auxiliary |
Jimmy Fursman |
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Jimmy has been performing, teaching, designing and judging for marching bands, color guards and drum corps for over 16 years. He has participated with numerous groups including the Madison Scouts, Seattle Cascades, Every-Body Winterguard and Innovation Performance Ensemble of Fukuoka Japan. After years of designing and teaching at schools throughout the Pacific Northwest he is focusing on working as an adjudicator and the continued development Rhapsody Winterguard. Currently Jimmy is the proud Director of Rhapsody, based in his hometown of Seattle. |
Drum Major |
Melody Fisher |
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Melody Fisher is currently a Graduate Assistant at Eastern Washington University. She recently received her Bachelor's in Music from Whitworth University, where she served for three years as principal bassoon of the Wind Symphony and Orchestra. Melody holds a First Class certificate in the Corps style from the Smith-Wallbridge Drum Major Clinics. One of Yakima's own, she served as a Drum Major for A.C. Davis High School for three years. |
Music Effect |
Jeff Ray |
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Jeff Ray is in his 23rd year of public education, and is currently the director of the 350 member Olympic View Middle School Band from Mukilteo, WA. This group was won events all over the Pacific Northwest and California. They were also the first middle school in the United States to perform at a division one NCAA Bowl game, performing with Destiny's Child. Prior to entering education Mr. Ray spent 25 years in drum and bugle corps as a member, instructor, and as a director. Groups Mr. Ray has been affiliated with include the Percussionaut Patriots, Renaissance, Freelancers, Imperials, Marauders, Argonauts, Spartans, and Cascades Corps. Mr. Ray also keeps a very busy performance schedule as a lead trumpet player. He has backed artists from the Brecker Brothers to George Burns, played for cruise lines, and currently plays for various Latin and Rock groups in the Seattle area. |
Music Performance Ensemble |
Jim Johnson |
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Jim Johnson is the former director of the Cascade High School Bands, in Everett, WA, and has been teaching band in the public schools for the past 44 years in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Australia. His concert, jazz and marching bands at Cascade traveled extensively throughout the U.S and toured Australia, England, Mexico, and Russia. The concert bands consistently earned Superior ratings in festivals and contests. The marching bands at Cascade, competing in the Open Category, have won every marching band contest, in which they have competed, in the Pacific Northwest at least once and earned dozens of caption awards. Mr. Johnson was the director for the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps for several years, taught jazz band at Treasure Valley Community College, performed with the Columbia Basin Community Band, performed with the Tri-Cities Symphony, performed in numerous brass ensembles, and has directed several community musicals. He has adjudicated in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, and Colorado in both marching band and concert band contests and festivals. Mr. Johnson retired this past year after his 44 years of teaching and will be traveling with his wife between their home in Marysville and Maricopa, AZ. He will be judging marching band, color guard, concert band contests and will do clinics with middle and high school bands. |
Music Performance Individual |
Dr. Chris Neal |
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Dr. Christopher M. Neal is the Director of Bands at Washington State University. In this capacity, he conducts the Wind Ensemble, teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting, and maintains an active role in the training of future music educators. In addition to frequent guest conducting appearances throughout the country, Neal also remains active as a clinician and marching band show designer. His drills have been performed at the Texas State Marching Band Contest, Bands of America Southwest Regional, and by the famed Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band at the nationally televised Orange Bowl Halftime. Neal has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Music degree in Conducting from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Oklahoma. He began his teaching career at Waco High School in Waco, TX, where he assisted in developing an inner-city band program into one of national prominence. Guest conducting appearances have included The United States Coast Guard Band, The University of Oklahoma Wind Symphony in performance at the CBDNA Southwest District Conference, The University of Texas Wind Ensemble, and the Waco High School Wind Ensemble at the National Concert Band Festival. |
Percussion |
Ron Crenshaw |
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Ron Crenshaw is currently the Instrumental Director at Rogers High School and the Director of the Rogers High School Steel Drum Ensemble in Spokane, Washington. Mr. Crenshaw has received his Bachelors in Music Education from Eastern Washington University and his Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. In addition, he was the Percussion Instructor for the Eastern Washington University Marching Band and the caption head for the Northwest Champion Ferris High School Drumline in Spokane, Washington from 1987 to 1998. In 1998 this ensemble was selected to perform in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California on New Years day. Mr. Crenshaw has performed with Windham Hill Recording artist Scott Cossu and Jazz artists, Michael Brecker, and Larry Coryell. He has 15 years of Drum Corps experience, both as a performer and Instructor and formerly the Percussion Caption Head and Corps Director for the newly formed Spokane Thunder Drum and Bugle Corps. He is the founder of the Inland Northwest Marching Percussion Camps and is a Percussion adjudicator in the Northwest and Canada. Presently, Mr. Crenshaw is a featured clinician for Yamaha Sound of Summer Percussion Camp, published Marching Percussion Arranger for Matrix Publishing, Educator endorsee for Pro-Mark and Remo as well as a Marching Percussion Clinician for the Yamaha Corp. of America. |
Visual Effect |
Mitch DeGrace |
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After a career in the food industry and two seasons on an Alaskan commercial fishing vessel. Mr DeGrace returned to school to pursue his aspirations of becoming a musician, composer and teacher. He earned a Bachelor's of Music in composition from Western Washington University in 2004 and a Masters in Teaching in 2009. Mr. DeGrace has taught and performed in the marching arts since 1985. He performed four years as a brass player with the marching band at Tahoma Senior High School from Maple Valley, one year with the Imperials Youth Band, from Renton, and four years with the Marauders Drum and Bugle Corps from Longview.. After aging out of drum corps in the summer of 1992, Mitch joined the Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps as a visual instructor where he was on staff until 1998. His final year with the Cascades he held the position of Tour Director where he was responsible for planning and executing all aspects of a full drum corps tour. Mitch has been working with the Cascade High School Band since the fall of 1993. In this time, he has been a visual instructor, visual designer, music arranger, program coordinator and assistant director. He has also written drill and consulted for Eisenhower and AC Davis High Schools from Yakima, Washington, Shelton High School and Tahoma High School. In addition, he has also worked as an adaptation specialist for Marching Show Concepts of Sarasota, Florida. Mr. DeGrace is also the director of music at Meridian High School just north of Bellingham where his program has grown 60% in the last 2 years and his music department currently serves 30% of the high school population.
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Visual Performance Ensemble |
Eric Smedsrud |
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Eric Smedsrud is 36 years old and in his twelfth year teaching high school band, seventh year of instruction at Mountain View High School. The Mountain View Band program is home to over 300 student musicians (20% of the student body)- three concert bands, two jazz bands and string orchestra. Prior to his employment in the Evergreen School District, Mr. Smedsrud taught five years in the Richland School District at Hanford High School. Mr. Smedsrud received his undergraduate degree in 1998 from the University of Idaho, and Masters Degree in trumpet performance from Washington State University in 2000 and earned his National Board Certification in 2008. In addition to his work in the public schools, Mr. Smedsrud is an active musician and clinician. Mr. Smedsrud is married to his wife of seventeen years Carol- 1st grade teacher in the Evergreen School District. They have two boys, thirteen-year old son Jake and six-year old son James. |
Visual Performance Individual |
Jarid Norman |
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Like most music students, Jarid got started in the marching band scene in high school. From there, he extended his marching experience by participating in Drum Corps International, having marched with some of the top drum and bugle corps in the world, including the Madison Scouts from Madison, Wisconsin. After aging out of drum corps, Jarid served as interim visual caption head with the Troopers Drum and Bugle corps from Casper, Wyoming. While attending Western Washington University, Jarid was honing his teaching skills helping local high school marching bands, Kamiak High School and Newport High School, with their visual program. After receiving his degree in Music Education, Jarid taught High School Band at Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, CO and 6-12 music at the American Community School of Athens, Athens Greece. In 2006, Jarid took a year hiatus to pursue a Masters in Music. Currently, Jarid teaches middle school band in the Bellingham School District and is the visual program coordinator for Bellingham High School. |
Finalist Policy
Twelve bands from Preliminary Competition will be selected to participate in Finals Competition in the following manner:-
The top two bands from each division (A, AA, AAA-S and AAA-L) with more than three bands will be selected. If a division has one, two or three bands then the division winner in Preliminary Competition will perform in finals. Bands performing in the Novice division are not eligible for Finals.
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The remaining positions are filled by bands from any division in Preliminary Score order.
- Bands perform in Preliminary Score order
- Caption Awards (Best Marching, Auxiliary, etc.) are awarded to the highest scoring band in Preliminary Competition
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Saturday, October 15, 2011 Zaepfel Stadium Preliminary/Finals Competition |
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