Welcome to the 2024
Harvest Marching Band Festival

Drum Major

Emily Hurd

General Effect Music

Steve Kuske

Before moving to Modesto, he taught successful band programs in Eugene and Salem, Oregon. The Sprague Wind Ensemble from Salem, Oregon, under Mr. Kuske’s leadership, placed in the top three at the OSAA State Band Championships during each of his three years at the school. In Mr. Kuske’s last year in Salem, the Sprague Wind Ensemble was the Oregon State Band Champion.

Mr. Kuske is in demand as a guest conductor and band adjudicator. He adjudicated across the country. In the past, Mr. Kuske has been guest conductor of the Oregon State University Symphonic Band, the California State University Stanislaus Wind Ensemble and both the Salem and North Coast Adult Concert Bands.

Over the past years, he has been invited to speak at the Oklahoma, Arizona, Oregon and Washington State Music Educators Association Conventions, presenting on “Technology in the Music Classroom,” “Creating Success in Your First Years as a Band Director,” “Building a Successful Marching Band Program with Limited Resources,” and “Motivating Band Students.”

He has received three citations of teaching excellence from the Bethel, Salem/Keizer and Evergreen School Districts, but his proudest moments are those he spends with his wife and two sons.

General Effect Visual

Max Logan

His recent clients include such groups as; Mountainside HS, Sherwood HS, Rex Putnam HS, and others. He also has served on the instructional teams of several independent ensembles such as; Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps, and Oregon Crusaders Indoor. Currently he serves as the visual caption head for IMPACT Percussion, based out of Kennewick, WA.

He was the director of the Sherwood Winter Winds ensemble for the four years of its existence, and served on the NWAPA board as Winds-VP for two terms.

Maximilian’s humble performance experience lasted from 2008-2012 with the Oregon Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps.

Guard

Darren Tanner

Darren currently resides in Seattle, Washington where he works as a research scientist at Microsoft. In addition to his background in colorguard, Darren maintains his chops as a French horn player in the Seattle community music scene.

Music Performance Ensemble

Nick Maupoux

Maupoux started his career in the Cle Elum - Roslyn School District, where he taught 6th-12th grade band/choir and built a competitive marching program from scratch. The small 2-B high school grew to winning 1st place in the A division at Harvest Marching Band Festival, Cavalcade of Bands, &/or the Pacific Northwest Marching Band Championships in 2019 & 2021. Maupoux and his Cle Elum band program won over 40 awards during his last five years there, including Teacher of the Year for both the Yakima Valley Music Education Association and the Cle Elum - Roslyn School District.

Nick Maupoux now teaches middle school band and orchestra in Longview Washington, where he continues consulting with marching bands throughout the state, and is the visual caption head for the local high school bands.

Music Performance Individual

Pat Vandehey

Mr. Vandehey is a Past-President of the Oregon Band Directors Association and serves as Committee Chair of the Adjudication Training Board of OBDA. He served for two years as the Band Liaison to the Oregon Schools Activity Association. He has served twice on the Oregon Music Education Association’s Board as Band Chair served on the OMEA Executive board as President in 2005-2006.

In 1993 Mr. Vandehey was the State, Regional and National recipient of the ASBDA- Stanbury Award for Outstanding Young Band Director. In 2000 he was inducted into the Band World Legion of Honor by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Also in 2000 he was named one of Oregon’s top ten Music Educators by the Oregon Music Educators Association in the Teaching Music Magazine. In 2002 Mr. Vandehey received the Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association. He is a founding member of the Oregon Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, and in 2006 was inducted into the Northwest Bandmaster’s Association. Mr. Vandehey was named the Oregon’s Outstanding Music Educator in 2010 by OMEA.

Mr. Vandehey began his career at Aloha High School and from 1980 to 1994 built an award-winning program in concert, jazz and marching band. Aloha High School placed in the top three at the Oregon State Band Championships from 1990 to 1994 placing 1st in 1992. He moved to Westview High School when it opened in 1994. Under Mr. Vandehey’s direction all aspects of the band program excelled. The Westview Symphonic Band qualified for the State Band Championships each year of its existence and placed in the top three in the last six years of Mr. Vandehey’s tenure there, winning in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

The Band program at George Fox University grew significantly under Mr. Vandehey’s direction. In 2007 and 2009 George Fox was selected to perform at the MENC Northwest Convention. In 2008 and 2016 the George Fox Symphonic Band was the featured ensemble at the Oregon Music Educators Association conference. In 2010 the Symphonic Band was invited to perform at the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington.

Mr. Vandehey was the coordinator of Music Education at George Fox. Through the development of a comprehensive Music Education program the number of music education majors has grew from five in 2003 to 30 in 2010. Because of his work with the Music Education Curriculum, Mr. Vandehey was invited to be a presenter at the Society of Music Teacher Education at North Carolina University in 2007.

Mr. Vandehey has been Director of Bands and Coordinator of Instrumental Music Education for the last four years. PSU was a featured performer at the 2019 Northwest Regional Convention of the National Association for Music Education in Portland. PSU Wind Symphony also was a featured performer in the 2020 NAfME Convention in Eugene.

Mr. Vandehey is married to Kristin, his wife of 44 years and has two daughters, both of whom are educators.

Percussion

Jeff Bush

For over 30 years Jeff has served as a director of percussion for many award winning high school and independent percussion programs around the Pacific Northwest. He established the Grants Pass HS Indoor Ensemble starting in 1995 until 2002. Grants Pass HS became the first World Class Percussion Ensemble in the Pacific Northwest. In 2009 Jeff founded the Oregon Crusaders Indoor Percussion Ensemble. In their first two years of existence, OCI earned the 2009 WGI Independent A Class Gold Medal and 2010 Independent Open Class Bronze Medal.

Jeff is currently the Director of Percussion for the Sherwood, OR School District. The Sherwood Percussion Ensemble has won numerous open class championships including the 2022 WGI Percussion Scholastic Open Class Gold Medal. SPE has also had success in the concert realm winning the OSAA Concert Percussion Ensemble Championship in 2018 and 2019.

Jeff’s marching experience includes the Blue Devils and Marauders Drum Corps organizations. He has served as the percussion caption head and Battery arranger with the Marauders, River City Railmen, Seattle Cascades and Oregon Crusaders Drum Corps.

Jeff is the co-founder of the Northwest Indoor Percussion Circuit which is now known as NWAPA.

Jeff is an Innovative Percussion Education Artist.

Visual Performance Ensemble

Robbie Rutherford

Professionally, Robbie has performed with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on the Legends and Out of this World tours around the United States. Additionally, he has worked as a high school, middle school, and elementary band director in Vancouver, WA, Ellensburg, WA, and Edmonds, WA.

Lastly, he was on the brass staff for the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps from 2014-2018. During this time, he often worked with high school bands in the Yakima and Seattle areas on visual and musical technique.

Mr. Rutherford is also an alumnus of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps of Concord, CA. He served as a split-lead trumpet player from 2012-2013 and was a soloist in the 2012 DCI World Championship season.

Currently, he is in his eighth-year teaching, working at Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie, WA. He likes to spend his down time camping, hiking, and spending time with his wife Emily and dog Ody.

Visual Performance Individual

Michael Tran

Prior to being a band director, Tran spent several years consulting numerous high school ensembles
throughout Washington State. Additionally, he devoted three years to coordinating and writing for the
Central Washington University Marching Band. Michael graduated from CWU, earning a dual degree in
music education and psychology. During his enrollment, he performed in a varying array of instrumental
and vocal ensembles and served as a collegiate senator and club president. Last summer, he earned his
master’s in music education from Eastern Washington University.

Tran’s marching band experience began back in sixth grade in parade band and continued through high
school. He then participated in the drum corps activity as a lead trumpet player for The Seattle Cascades
and The Troopers. After serving his final year as Drum Major, Michael returned to the Seattle Cascades
as an administrator where he would later be promoted to Executive and Corps Director. Under his
leadership, the group secured their highest finishing placement at the Drum Corps International World
Championships since 2010.

Michael now resides in Redmond, WA with his wife and enjoys spending his time in the wilderness,
completing over 1,000 miles of hiking through the Sierra, Rocky, and Uinta Mountain Ranges. Michael
enjoys the opportunity to make an impact each day and is thrilled to be back at the Harvest! He wishes
all the performing ensembles the best of luck and skill!