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Introduce the judges

Jimmy Wong – Malaysia 『Supervising Judge 』

    

    Mr Jimmy Wong has been actively involved in the development of marching bands in Asia for the past 25 years and has brought many local and international accolades to the bands under his direction, more so with the Victoria Institution Cadet Corps (VICC) Band from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He has actively participated, adjudicated and consulted in various international marching band competitions and festivals over the years in countries like Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, The Philippines, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Belgium, Denmark, The     Netherlands, Italy, and Canada.

 

    Mr Wong was also the main coordinator, instructor, and choreographer for the Mass Band displays during the 1998 Commonwealth Games, the 2001 SEA Games, and the 50th Malaysia’s National Day Grand Celebrations in 2007. He has successfully organized the Kuala Lumpur World Marching Band Competition from the year 2007 till 2010. In the year 2011, he organized the WAMSB World Championship of Marching Show Bands 2011, and in 2012 and 2013, Mr Wong has successfully organized the 1st and 2nd Hong Kong International Youth

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​    Marching Band Competition, acting as its Festival Director and Chief Technical Consultant. Present, Mr. Wong sits in the Board of Directors of the World Association of Marching Show Bands (WAMSB) and the Executive Board of Directors of the Asia-Pacific Bands’ Association (APBA). Mr Wong has also established the WAMSB South East Asia affiliate chapter and holds the position of its first President. He is also currently still active in teaching and consulting for bands in Malaysia, China and Hong Kong.

Chris Herard  /  Judjing Captions: General Effect

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Chris Herard is a highly sought after educator, conductor, performer, clinician, adjudicator and producer from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  He has been involved in music education for over 25 years as a performer, instructor, director and choreographer.  He is currently Head of Fine Arts and Director of Bands at Bishop Carroll High School and also directs for the Westwinds Adult Community Band Association. 

 

Chris’ ensembles have won numerous gold medals at top-level events around the world.  Chris holds bachelor degrees in Music and in Education from the University of Calgary, and a Masters Degree in Music Education from the University of Hawaii.

 

Chris often adjudicates and guest conducts at many local, national and international events.  He is currently “Chief Judge” for the Calgary Stampede Showbands Live! Competition, and was named to the International Judging Bureau of the World Association of Marching Showbands where he has judged the European Championships (Germany) and the World Championships (Brazil).   In 2014, Chris was appointed to the Board of Directors of WAMSB International.  

 

As a performer, Chris has travelled around the world as an instrumentalist and singer, has well over 20 recordings to his credit.   His band - the Heebee-jeebees, have received numerous CARA awards and nominations - the Grammys of A Cappella. (Their music is available around the world on iTunes.)    Chris was inducted into the Canadian A Cappella Hall of Fame in 2009. 

 

Chris is very passionate about music education and its benefit for students.  Chris is a proud founding member and sits on the board of the Calgary Association for the Development of Music Education (CADME), an organization that has granted over $750,000 to music education initiatives over the past 11 years.  A highlight for Chris was coordinating and directing the largest band ever assembled in Calgary – close to 4000 students celebrating music education at the Juno awards music festival in 2008.

 

Chris resides in Calgary with his wife and two young children.

Mike Townsend / Judjing Captions: Music

   

​     Mike Townsend, Supervisor of Music (retired), Grande Prairie School District, Alberta Canada, taught concert band, jazz band, orchestra, for 38 years and community marching band for 45 years. Presently a member of Alberta Band Association, the Vice President of WAMSB International (World Association of Marching Show Bands), Newsletter Editor for PhiBetaMu International, President of the Alberta Chapter of PhiBetaMu-MuAlpha, and Regional Coordinator for MusicFest Canada.

 

     Mike’s bands have represented Canada in the United States, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Brazil, China, United Kingdom and Austria. Mr. Townsend is active as an international adjudicator and clinician in Canada, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Caribbean, Indonesia, Brasil, Colombia, and has recently assisted in procuring instruments and establishing band programs in Dominica, West Indies.

 

    Mike has served on the board of Canadian Band Directors Association, Alberta Band Association, Music Alberta and PhiBetaMu International. Mike is a recipient of the Tommy Banks Jazz Educators Award, the Alberta Band Association’s David Peterkin Award of Excellence, the Vondis Miller Legacy Award, the PhiBetaMu International Award of Merit and most recently the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal of Honour.     ​

　　

Jim Forde /  Judjing Captions: Music

   

     Jim Forde joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1964 and after graduation from the Canadian Forces School of Music in 1967 became a member of the Stadacona Band of the Royal Canadian Navy in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Between 1988 and 1993 he was the band’s Director of Music and Commanding Officer. Following an appointment as Training Officer at the School of Music, Jim returned to Halifax as Maritime Forces Atlantic’s senior staff officer to The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.  In 2001 he joined the civilian Tattoo Production Team where he retired as Producer in July 2017.  The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo is the world’s largest annual indoor show featuring military and civilian marching bands, gymnastic teams, dance troupes and unique acts from around the world.

     Jim is Past-President of the Nova Scotia Band Association and the Canadian Band Association and is a former Manager of The National Youth Band of Canada.  He remains Principal Director of the Sackville Concert Band and over the past 20 years has acted as a WAMSB judge in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Malaysia, Korea and the United Kingdom.

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Jun Kumagai  / Judjing Captions: General Effect

        Jun Kumagai studied music composition and trumpet at Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi and San Francisco Conservatoire of Music, and he is known as a program coordinator/arranger for competitive marching bands in Japan including Hoshino High School, Kashiwa HS, Minokamo HS, Rissho University Shonan High School, Noda Nanbu Junior HS, Okuda Junior HS and many other groups. Kumagai is also known as an official Judge of Drum Corps Japan. Judging experience include Japan Marching Band Association Championships, many regionals and DCJ competitions.

Hans Dieter / Judjing Captions: Visual

       

     Hans-Dieter Buschau's musical career started in a flute band that was converted into a marching band, where he played the flute and the trumpet. After having become conductor of the band it became very successful and became German Champions. He still is an active musician in a wind band today. He successfully took part in various organizations, e.g. the Lower Saxony Band Association NMV and Drumcorps Germany. He became a member of WAMSB Judges Bureau in 2007.  He has been a judge in numerous competitions and is an active clinician all over Germany, France, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Canada, Malaysia, Brazil and the USA including jury assignments in six WAMSB world championships.

      Besides his job as a public school teacher in the city of Hildesheim Dieter Buschau is Director of Music in the Lower Saxony Music Association, vice Director of Music in BDMV (German Band Federation) and member of the WAMSB Board of Directors.

Katsumi Okawa / Judjing Captions: Visual

       

    Beginning his music and marching career in the mid 1970s as a soprano bugle player in Soka youth drum & bugle corps.  He also did drum major and brass arrangement in the corps.
    In Soka University, Okawa was a member of Royal Kilties drum & bugle corps (now it’s called Pride of Soka).
During that time he was a soprano bugle player, brass arranger and drill designer as well.
    After graduate Soka Univ. he studied under Mr. Raymond Kotwika at the Berklee College of Music in Boston MA. and the Cadets, Star of Indiana and Boston Crusaders through their tour and training camps from 1992 to 1997.
    After came back to Japan, Katsumi has been working for many bands as a program coordinator, music arranger and drill designer.
    Since 2001 he's been band director of Shonandai High School "White Shooting Stars" which were awarded the gold prize every year since 2005. and won Grand Prix (national champions) titles in 2008, 2012, 2013.
    Okawa has been also working as a adjudicator and a clinician for many organizations across the country and Taiwan. He is vice chairman of Judging committee of Drum Corps Japan and has judgement experiences in Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Paul Doop / Judjing Captions: General Effect

                                                   Color Guard

       

    Paul Doop is a very active and much sought-after educator and clinician in the international drum corps and marching band circuit. As front ensemble member of the Reading Buccaneers (USA), Jubal (NL) and multiple time world champion drum & bugle corps The Concord Blue Devils (USA) he gained the ultimate experience on the competition field in Europe and the United States. He continued his drum corps career as arranger and instructor for numerous international corps including The Colts(USA), Reading Buccaneers(USA), Bluecoats (USA), Poynton Commodores (UK), Blue Wave (NL), Southern Knights (UK), Starriders (GER), Jubal (NL) and Beatrix (NL). With the front ensembles under his direction Paul won numerous award such as 15 Best Percussion trophies, 8 National Championships Indoor Percussion and 5 National Championships Percussion Ensemble.He was also member of the Cavalry Military Band of The Netherlands as percussionist.

    Paul serves as consultant for many Bands, Drum Corps and Percussion units in The Netherlands and abroad because of his expertise and experience in both corps style show bands as well as more traditional and military style bands.As program coördinator and consultant he worked with many fine bands including A dest Musica (WMC 2005-2013), DVS (WMC 2009-2013) Beatrix (1996-2010). In The Netherlands he is a member of the National Technical Advisory Board for Show bands and Drum &Bugle Corps. Since 1988 he is invited to judge all over the world including Drum Corps Holland, KNMO(NL),VLAMO (B), IMSB (IT), WAMSB and several international competitions including Malaysia, Thailand, Canada, USA, Germany, Italy, France, The United Kingdom, Denmark and Belgium.Paul is co-founder(1995) of the very successful international Designers & Music consultants collective Corps Style Concepts.

    Paul is Chairman of Color Guard Netherlands(CGN)and is heading the Technical Committee Indoor Percussion/Indoor Winds. He is a Marching Percussion Specialist with the Vic Firth Education Program and Evans/D’ad dario. He was member of the Music Advisory Committee of the World Music Contest (WMC 2005 - 2013) which is held every four years in Kerkrade The Netherlands and member of the Board of Directors of the Royal Dutch Music Federation(KNMO). In his professional life he is Managing Director for a Consultancy firm specialized in Organizational Development and Business Process Redesign. He lives in Vijfhuizen with his wife and twosons.  

Edwin Been / Judjing Captions: Visual

                                                      Color Guard

       

  Edwin Beens, born on August 27th 1968 in The Netherlands, started his marching & music career at a very young age. He started as a drummer when he was 8 years old in the cadet group of the corps that later became Avalance from Vlaardingen. In the main corps he soon became a drum major and visual designer. After that he joined the staff of one of Holland’s most successful drum corps of that time, ‘Blue Wave’ that captured many visual awards. In the winter he joined the Art Development Winter Color Guard and captured the Dutch title 3 times. He travelled to the USA and performed twice at the Winter Guard International World Championships. Edwin also was visual staff member of the Kiwanis Kavaliers from Kitchener (Canada).

 

    After his teaching and marching career he started judging in 1996 for many Dutch organizations like Drum Corps Holland and Color Guard Netherlands. In 2000 Edwin became a judge for Winter Guard International and shortly after that became a Drum Corps International judge. Since 2010 Edwin is also judging for Drum Corps Europe. Edwin has judged for many organizations in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, South-Africa, The United States of America and Malaysia. Edwin is the technical leader and chief judge of Color Guard Netherlands since 1998 and because of his excellent work was inducted in the CGN Hall of Fame in 2011. Outside the judging world Edwin is a project manager for the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice

Mikio Wanibe / Judjing Captions:  Music

       

     Mikio WANIBE is one of well-known percussion teachers, arrangers, clinicians and judges in Japan. He is best-known for his accomplishments with championship including Kochi High School, RYOHOKU Mercury Winds, and numerous Bands/Corps, and his drumline is highly-respected.

    Mikio grew-up in Yokohama, Kanagawa, and started marching percussion when he was 10 years-old. He entered Kanto-Gakuin middle school, Yokohama Japan, and played Snare drum and Tenor drums, and Drum Major in marching band. After graduation of Kanto-Gakuin high school, he played snare drum, tenor drums and percussion arranger as well in Nippon Drum and Bugle Corps which is the oldest Drum Corps in Japan.

    Mikio completed his undergraduate degree in biology at Azabu University, Kanagawa, and received his Ph.D in medical sciences in 2002. He has been working for pharmaceutical company as a researcher, and working for many marching bands and Drum Corps as a percussion arranger, program coordinator, and as an adjudicator and clinician for many organizations too. He has judged Marching band/Drum Corps competitions for over twenty years, and works for Regional and Championships as a judge more than ten - fifteen times every year.

Since 2011, Mikio is a percussion caption head, also the vice chairman in Judges’ Committee, Drum Corps Japan.

    Mikio currently lives in Yokohama, Japan, with his wife and daughter. He enjoys experiencing the outdoors, driving and exercise including running.

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