The New Mexico Pageant of Bands panel of marching band adjudicators (judges) for the 2018 competition consists of:
Nancy Beley
Nancy Beley has a wide-range of experience in the performing arts activity, from teaching, directing, to adjudicating for numerous marching bands, drum corps, and indoor ensembles throughout Canada, Washington, Oregon and California. Nancy enjoys guiding the performing experience while sharing knowledge of percussion, colorguard and dance.
At a competitive level, Nancy began marching in Canada as a percussionist with the Alberta Girls then states-side with the Seattle Imperials. She directed winterguard in Canada for 10 years, then taught and directed the Northwest Passage Performing Arts Organization from 1993 to 1997, San Jose Raiders Winterguard 1998 to 2004 and the Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps from 1998 to 2002.
Nancy continues to adjudicate today at marching band and winterguard contests in California, Canada and Utah. She is an early childhood education teacher and speech language therapy assistant.
Andria Foerch
Andria is the co-founder and director of Paramount Winterguard from Atlanta, Georgia, and has participated in the pageantry arts for more than 20 years. As a performer, Andria performed with The Company Colour Guard from Tampa, FL and her drum corps marching experience was spent at Carolina Crown.
As an instructor, Andria has taught various successful colorguard programs such as Tarpon Springs High School, Seminole High School, Kiski Area High School, Westfield High School, Kell High School, Harrison High School, Phantom Regiment Winterguard, Georgia State University, and Paramount Winterguard, where she serves as assistant director. She has spent her summers working with such groups as Phantom Regiment, Santa Clara Vanguard, the Bluecoats, Crossmen, and most recently back at Carolina Crown.
Andria received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Mercer University and received her undergraduate from the University of South Florida. She currently works at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as an Application Analyst Team Leader. Andria is passionate about developing strong colorguard performers and assisting students through the many challenges they face as performers and as young adults. She demonstrates her leadership and organizational skills through mentoring young instructors and guiding instructional teams.
Brian Giddens
Brian Giddens has a rich set of experiences in the world of the marching arts. He has been actively involved in successfully directing, designing, consulting, choreographing, and instructing for 26 years, working with numerous winter guard programs. Today, Brian is a program, staging, choreographer, visual designer, as well as an adjudicator and consultant for winterguard and marching band programs.
He is also involved in circuit administration, currently serving his third term as President of the Board of Directors for the Southern Association for Performance Arts. In addition to past and current work in winter guard and marching band, Brian also has a history in the drum corps activity. After marching in the inaugural season of the Magic of Orlando, Brian went on to teach such programs as Magic of Orlando, Crossmen, Carolina Crown, Spirit of Atlanta, Phantom Regiment, and the Madison Scouts, serving in a variety of teaching and/or consulting roles.
His work has not been limited to the world of pageantry, however. Brian also brings 17 years of experience in the field of education, beginning his career in the classroom and transitioning to school-based administration. Brian is most passionate about being husband to his wife Jennifer, and father to his 11 year old daughter McKinley, 9 year old son Maddox, and 2 year old son Mays.
Mike Lewis
Mike Lewis has been a music educator for 38 years, a judge for USBands the last 8 years and the Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) for 25 years. He retired as the Head Band Director and Fine Arts Supervisor for the Burnet CISD in Burnet, Texas. Bands under his direction were awarded First Divisions in UIL marching 24 times and advanced to UIL Area marching contest 9 straight times in Texas class 4A and 5A. Marching bands under his direction advanced to the Texas State Marching Contest 5 times.
Mr. Lewis Studied at Howard Payne University and Wayland Baptist University where he received his Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1980. He earned a Masters of Science degree from Texas A&M University in Commerce in 1990. He was presented the “Marabou B. Lamar Educator of the Year” award in 1999. In 2001 Rotary International named Mr. Lewis an honorary “Paul Harris Fellow.” In 2010 he was recognized as the “Outstanding Educator of the Year” for the Burnet CISD.
Mr. Lewis is a member of Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB), Texas Music Adjudicators Association (TMAA), and the Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA). He is an active marching and concert band clinician, as well as a judge for the Texas University Interscholastic League and USBands. He and his wife Judy have been married for 34 years and have two adult sons.
Mark Martin
As a performer, Mark has marched with the Madison Scouts Drum Corps, and as a member of the Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project 2006, 2014 Macy’s Parade, and 2018 Mardi Gras Parade. He danced with St. Louis Black Repertory Theater, and taught choreography for the St. Louis YMCA Boys Choir. Mark has served as Designer/tech for Orange Bowl, Gator Bowl, Champs Bowl, Outback Bowl, Alamo Bowl, and Dallas Bowl half-time shows.
Mark Martin has an extensive career in teaching and design of color guard and winter guard programs at a number of high schools, including Normandy HS 1981-1996, Riverview Gardens HS 1990-2001, and Francis Howell HS 2005-2015. He has been a past consultant/designer for Tapestry Winter Guard(WI), Center Hill (MS), Terre Haute North HS(IN), Francis Howell Central HS, Parkway South HS, Ft. Zumwalt West HS, and Lindbergh HS.
Mark has achieved the MCCGA championship medal with several programs SRA-SA, and as a WGI SA Regional finalist and SA National semi-finalist.
Mark has been a color guard and visual judge for USBands and CSJA(IN), and is currently color guard caption head for Belleville East HS. He works as the 2018 color guard/visual designer for several high school programs.
Dave Matthys
Dave Matthys has 39 years of experience in music education. He recently retired from Lake Oswego High School (Lake Oswego, OR) where his marching, concert, and jazz bands received numerous awards. Mr. Matthys is a past president of the Oregon Band Directors Association and has been awarded several awards including Outstanding Music Educator Award (National Federation of High Schools – 2014), Outstanding Music Program (Portland Youth Philharmonic), Outstanding Teacher (Cleveland High School), and 50 Band Directors That Make A Difference (School Band and Orchestra Magazine – 2008). He is currently working at Portland State University as a supervisor for music student teachers. In addition, he has taken up acting and can be seen on several television shows, short films, commercials, and movies.
George Strickland
Mr. Strickland joined the Texas University Interscholastic League in 2002 as Associate Director of the Texas UIL Music Office and advanced to Assistant Director of Music in 2009. Prior to becoming a staff member, he taught instrumental music in the public schools for twenty-nine years. Bands under his direction were awarded consecutive UIL Sweepstakes honors. Individual members of his bands were recognized with All-Region, All-Area, All-State, and UIL Regional and State Solo and Ensemble awards. He was recognized in 1991 by being nominated for the UIL – Denius Award by his school district.
He has been an adjudicator for marching bands, concert and sight-reading band events, and instrumental solo and ensemble events in Texas. He has also adjudicated events in Colorado, Tennessee, Indiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas festivals held in Dallas, Denton, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Houston.
Mr. Strickland has served as President of the Association of Texas Small School Bands, Region President of Texas Music Educators Association Region 2 and 7. He is currently a member of the National Federation of High Schools Activity Association, serves as Chair Pro-tem and Treasurer for the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education, member of the State Board of Directors of the Association of Texas Small School Bands, a member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Educators Association, and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster Fraternity.
James Yakas
Mr. Yakas is currently the Director of Percussion Studies at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL. He is also currently pursuing a Doctoral of Musical Arts in Percussion Performance from the University of North Texas. He also holds a B.M. in Music Education from the University of North Texas and a M.M. in Percussion Performance and Pedagogy from Northern Illinois University.
Mr. Yakas’ diversity in percussion education and performance has led him to many unique opportunities. He spent a total of twelve summers in the drum corps activity spanning from performing as a snare drummer with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps to eventually becoming their Percussion Coordinator and Arranger in 2003. Mr. Yakas has studied and performed the music of many world cultures including performances with Northern Illinois University’s Steel Band at the World Steelband Festival in Trinidad/Tobago and the Seoul Drum Festival in Seoul, South Korea. He has also studied Afro-Cuban Drumming with Orlando Cotto and studied abroad in Ghana with Ethnomusicologist Dr. Steven Friedson, specifically the Ewe Culture of the Volta region. Mr. Yakas is also currently a member of the Percussive
Arts Society Education Committee as well as the Vice President of the Illinois
Chapter of PAS.
Mr. Yakas is an endorser of Yamaha Percussion, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Remo
Drumheads and World Percussion Instruments and Sabian Cymbals.
POB Judge Liaison – Bill Drotning