Adjudicators

Music Panel

Theodore Tinker

Ted Tinker resides in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he currently serves as the Assistant Director of Bands at Mac Williams Middle School and Cape Fear High School. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and his Master of Music in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Ted was a performing member in the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps from 2013-2014. After aging out, he has been an active brass instructor in the Drum Corps activity. He was a brass instructional staff member with the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps from 2016-2022, the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum & Bugle Corps in 2024, and the Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps in 2025-2026.

In addition to his Drum Corps teaching experience, he has been an adjudicator, music consultant, and movement specialist for groups in North Carolina and South Carolina. Groups he has taught have consistently placed in class at Bands of America Regional Championships (in addition to being Bands of America Regional Finalists), and Bands of America high visual achievement recipients in their respective classes. Outside of the marching arts, his concert ensembles have consistently received Superior with Distinction Ratings at the North Carolina Music Performance Adjudication and South Carolina Concert Performance Adjudication festivals.

His professional affiliations include: the North Carolina Southeastern Band Director Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America.

Joe Gulledge

Joe Gulledge, a native of Lilesville NC, holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and a Master of Conducting Degree from the American Band College in Ashland, Oregon from Sam Houston State University. In 2003 he earned his National Board Certification in Music.

Mr. Gulledge served as Director of Bands at Clover High School for seven years and previously as Director of Bands for Rock Hill High School and Central High School in Pageland, SC. Bands under his direction have consistently earned superior ratings on and off the field. Concert ensembles under Mr. Gulledge’s direction have received consistent superior ratings at the South Carolina CPA in Grades VI; and VI Masterworks for the past twelve years. Most recently, the Clover High School Wind Ensemble was a feature-performing ensemble at the 2022 SCMEA Professional Development Conference. Mr. Gulledge’s marching bands have been named finalists for the SCBDA Marching Band Championships 25 times including 3rd place in 2003, 2007, 2009; and 2011, and 2nd place in 2008; and 2010 winning the “High Music Caption” both years. Bands under his direction have been finalists at Bands of America Regional or Super Regional events 8 times. Band programs under his direction have also received the South Carolina Band Directors Association’s Outstanding Performance Award, the state’s highest award, for the past 25 years.

Mr. Gulledge currently serves as Past-President of the South Carolina Music Educators Association and is a past president of the South Carolina Band Directors Association from 2015-2017. He is also an active adjudicator, clinician and performer across the Southeast. Mr. Gulledge was inducted into the South Carolina Band Directors Association Hall of Fame in 2022. His professional affiliations include the South Carolina Band Directors Association, South Carolina Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Educators, American School Band Directors Association, Phi Beta Mu, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Mr. Gulledge recently retired after 28 years teaching band in South Carolina and residesin Rock Hill, SC with his wife Suzanne. They have 2 children, Daniel, Assistant Director of Bands at Northwestern High School Director and Katie, art teacher at Forest Creek Middle School

Chris Hedges

Chris Hedges just finished his 32nd year of teaching. Originally from Pikeville, KY, he completed his music education degree at Morehead State University.

Chris was most recently the band director at Williamstown Jr/Sr HS. In addition to teaching band for grades 6-12, he also taught elementary music for grades 3-5. His concert bands and orchestras have consistently performed well at KMEA District Large Ensemble assessment events. His marching bands have consistently performed at the KMEA State Marching Band Championships Finals competition, including 2 KMEA State Championships and 2 MSBA Class Championships. In addition, his 2016 Williamstown marching band was a BOA National Semifinalist and the BOA National Class A Runner-U.

In 2019, he was named as one of the 50 Band Directors Who Make A Difference by School Band & Orchestra Magazine.

As a trumpet player, Chris has performed with the Cincinnati Wind Band, Rock and Soul Tent Revival Band, and The 4+Brass German Party Band. He has also performed our National Anthem and/or God Bless America/O Canada for the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Cyclones, Florence Y’all’s, Louisville Bats, Lexington Legends, KMEA State Marching Band Championships Finals, and the Daytona Tortugas.

Chris has been a member of KMEA, MENC, American School Band Directors Association, and Phi Beta Mu. He is also the proud parent of 5 children. He also has 2 grandchildren. His wife, Amber, is a saint.

Visual Panel

Doug Casteen

Doug Casteen currently resides in Richmond, Virginia where he is a Project and Program Management Consultant. He holds professional certifications as a SAFe Agilist, Scrum Master, Project Management Professional (PMP), and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Doug currently sits on the Executive Board for the Virginia Marching Band Cooperative (VMBC) and the Atlantic Indoor Association (AIA) as their Chief Judge. He has been judging marching bands, drum corps and color guard contests around the country for 30 years. He was inducted in the AIA Hall of Honor in 2006 for his contributions to the circuit since its inception.

Doug has judged all visual captions for Drum Corps International (DCI) and currently judges the overall effect and visual analysis captions for the Winds Division of Winter Guard International (WGI). He previously served as a General Effect Judge for Color Guard Division of WGI for 12 seasons where he judged numerous Regional & World Championship contests. Doug was a former marching member with the Avant Garde, 27th Lancers, and Star of Indiana Drum & Bugle Corps.

Blaine Bomar

Blaine Bomar, a native of Paris, Tennessee, has over 15 years of experience in music education and the marching pageantry arts. He serves as a Program Coordinator, Visual Designer, and Educational Consultant for marching bands and indoor units across the Midwest and Southeast. The organizations he collaborates with have achieved significant success in the Bands of America (BOA), Winter Guard International (WGI), and USBands circuits, as well as in their local and state competitions. Recently, these groups have earned titles such as WGI Regional Finalists and BOA Regional Class Champions at several events, along with various caption-based awards.

Blaine is a proud member of multiple judging associations across the country, including the Gulf Coast Judges Association, East Tennessee Performing Arts Association, Central States Judges Association, USBands Judges, and more. He is a graduate of the Marching Roundtable Judges Academy, where he had the opportunity to study General Effect and Visual adjudication with some of the top judges and mentors in the nation. He has also had the privilege of serving on championship panels in several states, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri. Presently, Blaine serves as the Judge Coordinator for the Arkansas Marching Arts Association (AMAA).

In addition to his work as a designer and judge, Blaine is a highly sought-after leadership clinician in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Arkansas. He holds annual summer camps aimed at educating student leaders in teaching, conducting, score study, and team building. Additionally, he has worked as an instructor for the Fred J. Miller Summer Clinics, where he taught student leaders and drum majors across the United States. Blaine was also featured on the Marching Arts Education podcast, alongside the late Dr. Joe Allison and Tim Hinton, discussing the evaluation of drum majors. Currently, Blaine resides in Memphis, Tennessee, with his dog, Bentley.

Marybeth Wiley

Marybeth Willey is from Centerville, Ohio and attended Miami University where she studied Music Composition. Marybeth marched trumpet and flugelhorn in the Centerville Jazz Band and the Miami University Marching Band where she served in various leadership roles and as drum major for both ensembles. Beginning in 2006, Marybeth worked with the Fred J Miller Summer Clinic Program instructing drum majors and student leaders across the country for over 10 years.

Marybeth has taught a number of ensembles across the country. She has worked with the Centerville Jazz Band in Centerville, OH (perennial BOA regional finalist and Grand National semifinalist) as a visual technician and drum major instructor for over 10 years. She has also worked with the Alter Marching Knights in Dayton, OH (1A BOA Regional Class Champion and BOA semifinalist), the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park High School Marching Band in Canton, MI (consistent BOA Regional finalist and Grand National Semifinalist), the Easley High School Marching Band in Easley, SC (State Champion in 2018) and the Clover High School Marching Band from Clover, SC. Marybeth also served on the visual staff of the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019. Marybeth currently consults & choreographs for multiple ensembles across the country and is a clinician with Marching Health athletic performance training.

Marybeth is also a graduate of Eastern Michigan University in Social Studies Education and taught US History and government at Easley High School beginning in 2017. She then received her Masters in Educational Leadership from Furman University in 2023. She currently lives in Greenville, SC with her husband and is an Assistant Principal at Clover Middle School.

Auxiliary Panel

Aaron Farris

A graduate of the University of Kentucky (UK) and a former student at

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), Aaron was afforded an

abundance of opportunities to perform in a variety of musical

endeavors. He proudly conveys the honors of having worked with

some of the best in the music business while enrolled. During his

collegiate years, Aaron was fortunate to study privately with

Dr. Jason Koontz of EKU. In addition, he performed in numerous

ensembles, including jazz band, jazz combo, world percussion,

steel band, orchestra, wind, percussion, and drumline. While at UK,

he participated in a jazz band, jazz combo, under Paul Deatherage,

along with being mentored by Jim Campbell.

Aaron has been involved in the Drum Corps activity since 2011,

when he started playing bass drum with the

Canton Bluecoats (2011-2013). Additionally, he spent 3 years as a

performer at WGI, one with TCIE ( 2010) and two with Rhythm X Inc

in 2012 and 2013, where the group was the WGI PIO World Champions.

In 2011, Aaron joined the Garrard County Marching Lions staff as the

Percussion Director under Chris Vance. In his tenure with the group was a multiple-time state and class AA Champion in 2013. After 14 years, he

"retired" as the Percussion Director with Chris Vance. Aaron has worked with The Blue Stars, Madison Scouts, The Mandarins, Father Ryan High School, Summit High School, and consulted with multiple programs across the country.

Currently, Aaron serves as the Percussion Caption Head and Co Ensemble Coordinator at the Cincinnati Tradition Drum & Bugle Corps (DCI ALL Age) and has worked with the group since 2019. In 2024, he led the percussion section to its first "High Drums" award in Open Class. The Drum Corps also made history, winning the inaugural DCI All Age Open Class Championship. He also works with the Colts Drum & Bugle Corps on the battery staff and has been on staff since 2021.

Neil Higginbotham

Neil Higginbotham is a Texas-born artist, director, and coach currently based out of Kansas City, Missouri. With 28 years of teaching and performing experience in: colorguard, marching band, drum corps, broadway, TV/Film, directing, choreography, and the circus arts, Neil has worked and performed with such groups as The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps (2001-2004), Tarheel Sun Drum and Bugle Corps (1999), The Winston Churchill HS Marching Band (2001-2003), Sunset HS (2003-2005), Taylor HS (2006-2007), Ridgewood HS (2015-2018), Northern Lights Winterguard (2003-2005), BLAST! Japan & National Tours (2005-2007), David Byrne’s “Contemporary Color”, Ke$ha, 3oh3!, Deerhoof, PHISH @ Madison Square Garden (NYE 2012, 2013, 2019), Bindlestiff Family Circus, Ugly Betty, Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order, Step Up 3D, Future Folk, Alison Chase Performance (of Pilobolus), Ben Munisteri Dance Projects, and Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company.

He is proud to be one of the assistant Directors of the Blue Springs HS

Golden Regiment Marching Band Colorguard (2021-present) as well as

The Director of the BSHS Open Guard.

Outside of Blue Springs HS, he is a federal employee with NARA, a designer/choreographer of large-scale stage productions, a satellite clinician for The Breakdown Camp and Marching Health, and owns a Health Coaching & Meditation practice. In his free time, he enjoys painting, black coffee, reading, and his 2 rescue cats.

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