All judges for the 2026 Tournament of Bands are listed below. (Please note that different judges will be adjudicating the Small School Showdown.)
Ken Martinson is a Minnesota native whose impact on the marching arts has reached the national stage. Ken’s involvement spans virtually every facet of the marching activity – performer, instructor, event manager, journalist, clinician and judge. His passion for marching began early. By age five, he was organizing mini-parades with neighborhood friends, and by 16, he had produced his first full-scale community parade.
To many Minnesotans, Ken is best known as co-founder of the Vikingland Band Festival in his hometown of Alexandria. The event is regarded as the state championship for summer parade bands and is held annually on the last Sunday of June. Over its 41-year history, it has attracted bands from seven states, three Canadian provinces and Norway. More than 80% of his Hall of Fame peers have participated in the Festival as judges or directors, including many who earned prestigious Grand Champion or Class Champion titles.
In 1996 Ken founded the pioneering website Marching.com, the original online portal for marching events, links, resources, news and photos. Before long, the site was generating millions of hits from fans around the world. Now celebrating its 30th Season, Marching.com – along with its social media channels – continues to provide a dedicated and positive voice for the marching arts. It is a media partner of major organizations including BOA, DCI and WGI. Ken’s commitment to showcasing outstanding performances takes him to celebrated events such as the Tournament of Roses Parade, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Portland Rose Festival and the Calgary Stampede.
Ken’s 11 years as color guard designer in Alexandria alongside band director John Anderson earned numerous top guard awards and national appearances. He also worked with Ken Nelson at Bertha-Hewitt, where together they proved that bands from small schools can achieve big success. Ken is a sought-after judge and educator, serving on judging panels at parade and field competitions in 23 states and Canada. His affiliations include Central States Judges Association and Tri-State Judging Association. He marched with DCI finalist Sky Ryders Drum & Bugle Corps and was a founding board member of Music City Drum & Bugle Corps.
David Armbruster (Northville, MI) David Armbruster has been a music educator for the past 25 years in both Michigan and Ohio. He is the former Director of Bands of the nationally recognized Plymouth-Canton Educational Park High School. He has also been the Director of Bands at Northmont High School as well as the Co-Director of Bands at Jenison High School.
Bands under his direction have received many state, regional, and national honors which include numerous Michigan Competing Band Association Flight 1 and 2 State Championships. His bands have been consistent finalists at Bands of America events where they have earned numerous Class and Regional Championship titles. In addition to state and regional accomplishments, his bands at P-CEP were also a Bands of America Grand National Finalist.
The P-CEP Marching Band also marched in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. His concert programs have performed throughout the country and in 2015, presented at The Midwest Clinic.
He is very active as a concert band and marching band adjudicator, program consultant, and clinician throughout the country. He is also a drill designer for numerous high school programs across the United States and currently serves as the Music Caption Head for the Michigan Competing Band Association.
Greg White (San Antonio, TX) Greg White is a music educator from San Antonio, Texas, most recently serving as the Director of Bands at Ronald Reagan High School, where he taught for 13 years. During his tenure, the Ronald Reagan Marching Band won seven Bands of America Regional and Super Regional Championships, setting a record score at the 2019 BOA San Antonio Super Regional, and was a finalist at the Bands of America Grand National Championships three times. The Ronald Reagan Marching Band was also a finalist at the UIL State Marching Contest every year they competed. Additional performances for the marching band including marching in the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade and the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
On the concert band stage, the Reagan Concert Bands received Superior ratings at all contests and festivals, and the Reagan Wind Ensemble was a multiple-time TMEA State Honor Band Finalist. The Reagan Band has had two groups invited to perform at The Midwest Clinic, their saxophone quartet in 2015 and the Reagan Wind Ensemble in 2018.
Greg is known for developing an award-winning chamber music program, consistently winning events up to and including national and international prizes. Greg has sent thirteen ensembles to the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition since 2016, winning all available prizes during this time frame, including the junior wind gold medal in 2024.
Greg maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, working with students and directors from around the country. He has presented at the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention, the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention/Clinic, and The Midwest Clinic. During the summer, Greg travels to campuses, working with student leadership and drum major teams for the SASI Leadership Company, where he serves as the Director of Operations.
Scott Johnson is a distinguished marching percussion educator and performer, who recently finished his 45th season with the prestigious Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. Renowned for his exceptional contributions to the field, Scott has amassed an impressive record of accolades, including twenty-one DCI Gold Medal Championships, fourteen DCI. High Percussion titles, two WGI Gold Medal Championships, three DCA Gold Medal Championships, two DCA High Percussion titles, ten DCE Championships, nine DCE High Percussion titles, and twelve High Percussion titles in Japan. In addition to his teaching accomplishments, Scott has also won several individual marching snare competitions including the 1977 DCI and 1978 PAS Individual & Ensemble snare competitions.
Scott's influence extends beyond performance; he was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame and the WGI Hall of Fame in 2012, followed by his induction into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame in 2015. While primarily focused on drum corps, he has also taught privately and arranged percussion scores at various educational levels, including elementary, junior high, senior high, and university.
An esteemed judge, Scott has adjudicated at numerous marching band and percussion competitions worldwide, including the PAS Championships, WGI. Championships, South African Championships, Indonesian Championships, and the Bands of America Grand National Championships.
As one of the most sought-after marching percussion clinicians globally, Scott has conducted numerous clinics across the United States and in countries such as Japan, Canada, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Indonesia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Australia, China, and Italy. His dedication to the art of percussion continues to inspire musicians around the globe.
Scott is proudly sponsored by several industry-leading brands, including Ludwig drums and hardware, Promark sticks and mallets, Zildjian cymbals, Evans drumheads, and Offworld drum pads. These partnerships reflect his commitment to excellence in percussion and his belief in the products that enhance the musical experience.
Tony Gamez. is a trombonist and music education major at the University of Texas at Austin. From 2023 to 2026, he marched four seasons with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps, where he developed his skills in performance, teamwork, and discipline at the highest level of the activity.
Those experiences shaped his passion for teaching, and he is now working toward a career as a music educator, helping students grow as musicians and as people. At UT, he continues to perform and study while preparing to lead his own ensembles someday.
Jeff Whipple is a full time visual designer, educator, clinician, and adjudicator based in Centerville, Ohio. With more than two decades of experience in the pageantry arts, he is active year-round as an adjudicator across the full visual spectrum, including Winter Guard International, and numerous local circuits.
Jeff has served on visual teams for The Blue Knights, The Cavaliers, and The Mandarins, and currently serves on the visual leadership team with The Blue Stars. His design and instructional work spans highly competitive programs across state and national circuits, with ensembles appearing in Bands of America Regional Finals, multiple state championships, and WGI regional and World Championship finalist ensembles—including numerous Visual and General Effect caption winners.
He currently serves as the Visual Caption Head for The Centerville Jazz Band, contributing to the program’s rich history and continued success. Jeff is a graduate of The University of Iowa, where he performed with the Hawkeye Marching Band and also served as the university’s mascot.
When not immersed in the pageantry arts, Jeff enjoys traveling and exploring new hiking trails around the world.
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New Mexico State University
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