PARADE OF

CHAMPIONS JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

2015 ADJUDICATORS

DOUG CASTEEN currently resides in Richmond, Virginia and is a graduate of North Carolina State University. He has been judging and instructing marching bands, drum corps and color guards for over 20 years. His marching experience includes marching in (DCI) with Avant Garde from Saratoga Springs, NY, the 27th Lancers from Revere, MA, and the Star of Indiana from Bloomington, IN. He has been active as an adjudicator for the USBands, SCBDA, NCMEA, ISSMA, Oklahoma Bandmasters Association, AIA, CIPA, and FFCC. He is the Chief Judge for the Atlantic Indoor Association (AIA) and is a Visual Performance judge for DCI. He has also judged 12 seasons for Winter Guard International (WGI) in the General Effect caption. He was inducted into the AIA Hall of Honor in 2006.

TONY FALCONE is the Associate Director of Bands at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His duties include directing the Cornhusker Marching Band, conducting the Symphonic Band, teaching instrumental arranging, and assisting with the administration of all university bands. He is also active in the Percussion Studio, teaching lessons, and conducting the Percussion Ensemble. He has held previous appointments at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville; James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. He earned his B.M.Ed. and M.M. degrees from James Madison University where he studied percussion with C. William Rice and conducting with Dr. J. Patrick Rooney. He was also a student of concert artist Leigh Howard Stevens in his intensive Summer Marimba Seminar. Mr. Falcone is very active as a marching and concert band clinician, arranger, and adjudicator for school music programs throughout the country. He serves regularly as a guest conductor for honor bands and his clinics have been received at several state conventions and the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. Arranger’s Publishing Company and Alfred Publications have published his arrangements. He has also performed across the nation as a percussionist and percussion soloist appearing on national television, radio and motion pictures, and has performed with noted entertainers Shirley Maclaine, Mac Davis, Mark O'Conner, and Marvin Hamlisch. Locally he is a member of the Plymouth Brass, and a regular performer with the Lincoln Municipal Band, and Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra. He is also a charter member of the Education Committee for Vic Firth Inc. He currently serves as Concert Band Chair for the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association, Midwest District Governor and Chair of the Hazing and Values Committee for Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity and has served as Nebraska Chapter President of the Percussive Arts Society.

STEPHEN HOWARD is a native of Richmond, Virginia. Mr. Howard holds a Bachelor's of Music degree from Radford University in Radford, Virginia where he concentrated in both Instrumental and Vocal Music Education. At Radford, he studied trombone with Dr. Joseph Blaha and Dr. Steven Rice, percussion with Prof. Al Wojtera, voice with Prof. Elizabeth Curtis, and conducting with composer/conductor Prof. Mark D. Camphouse. After graduating, Mr. Howard attended George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where he earned a Master’s of Music degree concentrating in Instrumental Conducting. There, he studied conducting with Prof. Anthony Maiello and Prof. Mark D. Camphouse. After finishing graduate school, Mr. Howard moved to Austin, Texas to begin work at James Bowie High School as an Associate Director of Bands. At Bowie, Mr. Howard received Division 1 ratings with both the Freshman Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, and Wind Ensembles 3 and 2. The James Bowie High School Outdoor Performing Ensemble also experienced success during his tenure, being named a UIL 5A State Finalist in 2008, 2010, and 2012, a Grand National Finalist in 2009 and 2012, and a consistent BOA Regional Class Champion and Super Regional Finalist. As Co-Director of Bowie’s Color Guard, the program grew to include over 50 members, two Winter Guards, and a full level of course offerings. Most notably, the Winter Guards competed at the Texas Color Guard Circuit State Championships where both the JV & Varsity teams were named class champions in 2014. The Varsity team went on to appear in the Scholastic Open Class Finals at the WGI World Championships. Currently, Stephen serves as Director of Bands at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, a magnet school for women in the Austin Independent School District. He is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, and is a Past-President of the Texas Color Guard Circuit.

PAUL McGARR is currently teaching in Toronto at the prestigious Upper Canada College where he has been the Director of Bands at the Preparatory School since 2007. He has over 24 years of teaching experience throughout southern Ontario from the Director of Jazz Studies and Concert Band Director at Toronto’s Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts, Director of the Jazz Program at Westdale Secondary School, and Five years with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, to 15 years as musical director, composer, arranger and consultant to many prominent Drum Corps throughout Ontario. His Education consists of Majoring in Jazz Performance studies (trumpet) with a minor in composition at the University of Toronto and an Honours Degree from Mohawk College’s Applied Music program, including the Gold Medal Award (Mohawk College’s highest Accolade) and the Dr. Mitminger Award for combining Athletics and Academic Excellence. He is currently a member of the OBA and CBA. Paul is also in high demand as an adjudicator and clinician working all over North America for such sanctions as Drum Corps International, Bands of America, Drum Corps Associates, Fiesta-val and Heritage music Festivals, to name a few, having the pleasure of adjudicating the Drum Corps World Championships and the United States National Championships 15 times in recent years. He is also the former Judge Administrator for the Ontario Drum Corps Association. He, his wife, Jackie, with sons, Joshua, Mitchell and Andrew, and daughter, Jordyn, reside in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

WARREN RICKART is an internationally recognized marching band and winter guard adjudicator. He is a veteran adjudicator for Winter Guard International, adjudicating their world championships and international and regional competitions for the past 16 years. He has served as a member of the WGI Judge Administration team and as the WGI Movement caption head. Mr. Rickart is a member of the Atlantic Indoor Association Adjudicators, where he adjudicates competitions in Virginia and North Carolina, facilitates training clinics, and mentors local judges. He was elected in 2008 to the Hall of Honor for the Atlantic Indoor Association. He is the former chief judge of the Southern States Judges Association and has held memberships in the Mid-East Judges Association, Southern States Judges Association and Gulf Coast Judges Association. He was a member of the Madison Scouts drum and bugle corps and Miller’s Blackhawks winter guard and has been visual caption head and color guard director for numerous award winning bands in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida. A graduate of the State University of New York, he currently resides in Washington, DC. JOSH SMITH is Associate Professor of Music at Bethel University in McKenzie, TN where he is responsible for all aspects of percussion, including teaching applied lessons, directing the Percussion Ensemble, leading master classes, and coaching percussion recital performances. Additionally, Dr. Smith conducts the top Wind Band and teaches academic classes within Bethel’s Division of Music, which is coupled with his years of experience directing marching drum lines and Marching Bands across the country. Smith earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas, a Master of Music Performance degree from James Madison University, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree from the University of Kentucky. As a performer, Joshua D. Smith maintains a healthy schedule that includes intimate venues for solo recital performances and orchestral halls for symphonic engagements. Through various performing entities, Smith has participated in a number of USA and World Premieres, including performances at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and at Carnegie Hall. As a recording percussionist, Smith has contributed to CD and DVD recordings through the GIA/Windworks label. As a regular section percussionist with both the Paducah Symphony Orchestra (Paducah, Kentucky,) and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra (Jackson, Tennessee,) Dr. Smith regularly performs some of the finest literature in orchestral repertoire, encompassing works from Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov to those of Bernstein and Stravinsky. Dr. Smith is an accomplished author, composer, arranger, and clinician, and also enjoys a teaching career that includes both university and public school experience. Dr. Smith is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist and is also affiliated with the Percussive Arts Society, Black Swamp Percussion, D’addario & Company, Innovative Percussion, The College Music Society, Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Beta Kappa, Kappa Kappa Psi (honorary,) Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (honorary,) TRI-M MUSIC National Honor Society, and a four-time honoree of WHO’S WHO Among America’s Teachers.

IBE SODAWALLA is the Executive Director/CEO and founder of the Legends Performing Arts Association from Kalamazoo MI. This organization sponsors the Legends Drum & Bugle Corps, Legends Percussion, Legends Indoor Ensemble, and Legends All-Star Band, along with programs for youth and events in the West Michigan area. Under his direction, Legends is rapidly becoming a household name in the activity and is a member of the Drum Corps International (DCI) Open Class. He is the Chair for the DCI Open Class Advisory Committee and was selected as the 2009 DCI Open Class Corps Director of the Year with Legends also being named the 2009 and 2012 DCI Open Class Most Improved Corps. Additionally, Ibe serves on the DCI Governance Committee. Ibe is a composer/arranger through his business Impax Productions, a company that focuses on creative music design and entertainment productions. He is currently the brass arranger for the Legends Drum and Bugle Corps and arranges for a number of high schools and colleges across the country. Ibe maintains an active schedule as an arranger for the Western Michigan University Bronco Marching Band, and is a sought out clinician and adjudicator for various programs/events. Ibe holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University, where he studied music education and entrepreneurship. He is currently a graduate student in the MPA program at Western Michigan University with a concentration on Non-Profit Leadership and Administration.

BRIAN TOPOLEWSKI is enjoying the world’s shortest retirement after retiring in 2010 from East Grand Rapids Public Schools where he was band director at East Grand Rapids Middle School and assistant at the high school. His seventh, eighth grade bands and high school concert band consistently earned first division ratings at both district and state contests. He has built the program from only fifty-five students to over two hundred students and enrollment remained consistent. After “retiring” from East Grand Rapids, Brian was employed as Assistant Band Director for Grandville High School where he taught beginning brass instruments assisted with the Marching Band and conducted two of the four high school concert bands. After the State of Michigan required him to more fully retire he currently teaches beginning Oboe, Bassoon, and does sectional, small group instruction for Grandville Middle and High School. As a member of the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA), he as served in many capacities. At the district level, he has served as Vice President for Band and Orchestra for five years, and President for two. At the state level, Brian has served as Elementary Instrumental Music chairman for three years, the task force on classification for one year, Vice President for Solo/Ensemble and Vice President for Band and Orchestra. He was also elected into the American School Band Director’s Association in 1999. Mr. Topolewski has been nominated two times for East Grand Rapids Foundation’s “Excellence in Teaching Award”, chosen as the District 10 MSBOA Teacher of the Year, and was awarded the Sheila Pantlind Award for “distinguished service to the Performing Arts students of East Grand Rapids. With degrees from Michigan State University (BMusEd with honors) and Miami University (Master of Music) where he was as Graduate Assistant of Bands, he has directed high school bands at Hazel Park (MI), Talawanda High School (OH), and Wyoming Park High School. Brian is constantly in demand as an adjudicator for the Michigan Competing Band Association, the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association, and the Michigan Scholastic Marching Band Association. He has adjudicated marching and concert bands along with solo/ensemble events in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia. He looks forward to being again at JMU and wishes all the groups today their best performance of the year!