All Independent Units are required to show proof of insurance including colleges and schools that have decided to compete in the independent classes.

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

Listed below are the requirements that must be met in order to compete as an independent unit at WGAZ events. This information should be submitted to the director’s dashboard on a one page Certificate of Liability Insurance.

• $1,000,000 General Liability
• Accident Medical ($5,000 minimum) (Note:“Med Exp”listed under the general liability category is not the same as the Accident Medical requirement.)
• All WGAZ unit names to be covered must be indicated on the certificate.
• Expiration date must cover your last WGAZ performance for the current season.
• Certificate Holder should read: Winter Guard Arizona; PO Box 1103, Gilbert, AZ 85299

PURCHASE INSURANCE WITH FRANCIS L. DEAN

Units can purchase insurance with any company that will provide the correct coverage. However, WGI has arranged a group rate through Francis L. Dean Associates, LLC. CLICK HERE TO BUY INSURANCE ONLINE. All policies are annual (12 month) policies and cannot be negotiated for less than the minimum premium amount. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Wojciechowski, Francis L. Dean & Associates of Colorado, LLC at (773) 972-1235 or [email protected].

INSURANCE FAQ

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACCIDENT MEDICAL AND MEDICAL EXPENSE?

• Accident Medical covers all participants, volunteer workers and staff members while participating in sponsored and supervised activities and while traveling, directly and without interruption, to and from sponsored and supervised activities and their homes or places of residence. Accident Medical coverage is going to pay medical bills of an injured participant or staff person, thus lowering the likelihood a lawsuit is filed against your organization.
• Medical Expense is within your General Liability policy and is a no fault medical insurance for any spectators or non-performing participants, non-staff. No lawsuit needs to be filed for this limit to cover these types of “slip & fall”, bodily injury incidents.

WHAT IS GENERAL LIABILITY?

• General Liability policy protects your unit, instructors, directors and officers against claims of bodily injury liability, property damage liability, and the litigation costs to defend against such claims. This coverage should also allow a unit to rent rehearsal facilities, as most require proof of coverage.

WOULD THE INSURANCE PROVIDED BY MY SCHOOL DISTRICT SATISFY THIS INSURANCE POLICY EVEN THOUGH I AM AN INDEPENDENT UNIT?

• WGAZ will accept insurance from a school, school district, university, or other educational institution for those units participating in the independent classes if the school insurance covers all members. If the name of the unit differs from the entity providing the insurance, the unit name must appear on the certificate of insurance.

HOW DO YOU UPLOAD PROOF OF INSURANCE FOR A UNIT?

• Insurance certificates can now be uploaded in the Directors Dashboard in Competition Suite. It must be uploaded as a one-page document.

WHO SHOULD BE LISTED ON THE CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE?

• All performing unit(s) must be listed on the Certificate of Insurance. If the unit(s) name differs from the entity providing the insurance, the unit(s) name must appear on the certificate of insurance. Multiple units can be covered under one policy.

WHEN IS THE INSURANCE CERTIFICATE DUE?

• Insurance certificates are due two (2) weeks prior to the WGAZ season starting regardless of division.

All Independent Units (excluding college and university units) will be required to provide proof of nonprofit incorporation in their home state in the form of a certificate of good standing. High school units electing to compete in independent classes will need to provide proof of incorporation from a sponsoring organization such as a booster club or other supporting body. Please contact the WGAZ for additional guidance.

Incorporation Requirements

Each unit must submit proof of nonprofit incorporation from their state in the form of a current certificate of good standing. A certificate of good standing for a corporation, also known as a certificate of status or certificate of existence, is a document that verifies that a corporation is legally registered in their home state and is authorized to conduct business. The certificate is issued by a government authority, usually the Secretary of State, and shows that the corporation has met all requirements, including filing reports and paying fees.

This documentation should be uploaded in the Director’s Dashboard in Competition Suite. Units required to be incorporated and not fulfilling this requirement by January 1, 2025, will be denied participation in WGAZ events.

Though it may seem daunting initially, with numerous resources available to help, it doesn’t have to be. In most states, incorporating an organization does not require costly attorney fees, and incorporation happens quite regularly without any professional guidance at all. That said, there is no replacement for sound legal advice. If your unit can afford an attorney and want advice, contact a licensed attorney in your state.

There is a wealth of resources on the internet, including professional companies such as LegalZoom, that also offer this service.

BASIC STEPS OF INCORPORATION

Incorporating is a state level activity and requirements vary by state. It is important to check with your state’s specific rules and regulations, but here are some common incorporation steps:

• Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number used to identify a legal business or organization. You may apply for an EIN in various ways, including applying online. A free service offered by the Internal Revenue Service, you can get an EIN immediately. You should check with your state to ensure you need a state number or charter.
• Search for the name of your unit to incorporate under on your Secretary of State website. Every corporation has a unique legal name in the state of incorporation. One requirement is to include “Inc.” or “Corp.” in all formal correspondence and legal documents – this varies by state.
• Draw up corporate by-laws. This will be a legal outline of how the corporation is run. Great care must be taken to cover all the bases in the by-laws. Legal issues can be avoided when the ruling document is clear and addresses common issues.
• Appoint independent directors of the corporation. These required positions also vary in number by State (usually a minimum of three).
• File Articles of Incorporation with state authorities. The state in which a unit is incorporated will determine the actual forms. Filing fees are usually under $500.

RESOURCES BY STATE

The process of incorporation differs from state to state. Units should research requirements with their Secretary of State to obtain more detailed information. The information below is subject to change and is not intended as legal advice.

EXPLORE YOUR STATE’S INCORPORATION GUIDELINES HERE!

Additional Resources

SCORE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping small businesses and organizations get off the ground, grow, and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. This organizations, supported by U.S. Business Administration, provides mentoring, access to tools and templates as well as workshops.

Are WGAZ Independent Units Required to be 501(c)3?

No. The terms nonprofit and 501(c)(3) are often used interchangeably, but they all mean different things. Nonprofit means the entity, usually a corporation, is organized for a nonprofit purpose. 501(c)(3) means a nonprofit organization that has been recognized by the IRS as being tax-exempt by virtue of its charitable programs.

Units may apply for 501(c)(3) status and the benefits that come with that designation should they choose depending on what is best for their situation, but it is not required to fulfill the incorporation requirement.

For more information, visit the Internal Revenue Service website.

INCORPORATION FAQS

WHEN DOES MY GROUP HAVE TO BE INCORPORATED?

• All units participating in the Independent classed must provide proof of incorporation to WGAZ by January 1, 2025.
• Medical Expense is within your General Liability policy and is a no fault medical insurance for any spectators or non-performing participants, non-staff. No lawsuit needs to be filed for this limit to cover these types of “slip & fall”, bodily injury incidents.

DOES MY UNIT HAVE TO BE A 501(C)3 ORGANIZATION AS DEFINED BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE?

• No. Groups may pursue a 501(c)(3) designation, but it will not be required by WGI to participate in our events.

IF MY ORGANIZATION HAS MULTIPLE UNTS, DOES EACH GROUP NEED TO BE SEPARATELY INCORPORATED?

• No. An organization may have separate entities under one incorporated entity. Check with your Secretary of State for your situation.

HOW DO I SEND PROOF OF INCORPORATION FOR MY UNIT?

• Proof of incorporation is not required for the 2024 season. WGAZ will begin accepting documentation beginning next summer to satisfy the January 1, 2025, deadline.

Any unit participating in WGAZ events is required to obtain a national criminal background check (or some satisfactory equivalent for country or locale) for all adult supervisors prior to working with students. Background checks must be completed at least once every two years. A valid Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card satisfies this requirement. (More information on the Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card)

WGAZ in partnership with WGI Sport of the Arts is committed to building a community where participants can learn together in an atmosphere free of emotional, physical, and sexual misconduct. It is WGAZ policy that all adult supervisors must complete the “SafeSport™ Trained” Abuse Prevention courses before working with participants.

WGAZ defines adult supervisors as “adults in a unit’s managerial, instructional, design, creative, or volunteer team who spend considerable amounts of time with the unit or have a short-term interaction with the unit. Considerable is defined as a weekly in-person interaction with performers and short term is defined as two (2) total hours or more per season of in-person interaction.”

Adult supervisors must complete ONE Safesport™ course each season in the following order:

1. SafeSport™ Trained
2. Refresher 1: Recognizing and Reporting Misconduct
3. Refresher 2: Preventing Misconduct

To view completed courses and enroll in the next required course, log in to your account at safesporttrained.org.

Adult supervisors who have completed SafeSport™ Refresher 2 are already in compliance for the 2025 season.

RETURNING USER: REFRESHER 1 & 2 COURSE DIRECTIONS

FIRST TIME USER: SAFESPORT TRAINING COURSE DIRECTIONS

Documentation of SafeSport course completion for all adult supervisors should be kept on file by the unit – it does not need to be uploaded to the Director’s Dashboard in Competition Suite. During the season, WGAZ will conduct weekly random audits of registered units and units should be prepared to provide this documentation upon request. Units not in compliance will be removed from their registered event.

SafeSport now allows you to make purchases on behalf of others. Please follow the directions, and if you have any questions, please reach out to the SafeSport Support Portal directly.

PURCHASE MULTIPLE ENROLLMENTS DIRECTIONS

SAFESPORT FAQ

WHAT IS THE U.S. CENTER FOR SAFESPORT?

• The U.S. Center for SafeSport is an independent 501c(3) non-profit organization focused on ending all forms of abuse in sport through abuse prevention, education, and accountability.
• The Center opened its doors in Denver, Colorado, in March 2017, and soon after became federally-authorized under the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 (which became Public Law No: 115-126 on February 14, 2018). The law entrusts the Center as the exclusive authority to respond to reports of allegations of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct within the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and their recognized National Governing Bodies (NGBs).
• The Center is a trusted educational resource for all sports entities, from grassroots amateur sports organizations to professional leagues.

WHY IS ABUSE PREVENTION TRAINING IMPORTANT?

• Training, on its own, does not prevent abuse. But a key component of developing this policy is to convey WGI’s commitment to creating a culture of safety and equipping all within our organization to understand and identify the problem. When everyone has the facts, we can all protect the young people in our care.

HOW CAN WE PAY FOR THE TRAINING FOR OUR STAFF MEMBERS?

• If your organization wants to purchase training for multiple individuals with one payment: please follow these purchasing instructions.
• Email [email protected] for any support or additional questions regarding setup.

MY SCHOOL DISTRICT ALREADY REQUIRES DIFFERENT ABUSE PREVENTION TRAINING. WILL THIS COUNT TOWARDS FULFILLING THE WGI REQUIREMENT?

• No. It is difficult to find a universal approach to this sensitive subject, and we respect the efforts of some school districts in this area. However, as each district has its specific requirements, scholastic units participating in WGAZ should understand that we have adopted this requirement so that everyone in our community has the same information. We are confident that the required training will provide that baseline for everyone participating in WGAZ.

IS THIS REQUIRED FOR PARTICIPATION IN WGAZ VIRTUAL EVENTS?

• Yes. Our commitment to providing a safe, supported, and strengthened environment extends to those groups participating in our virtual events.

CAN INDIVIDUALS SHARE THE "SAFESPORT TRAINED" ABUSE PREVENTION COURSE?

• No. All individuals required to take the training will receive a personalized certificate of completion. Directors of participating units must collect these certificates and keep a copy on file for each active instructional or administrative personnel. Participating units must provide documentation to WGAZ upon demand or through regular and random audits.

OUR UNIT HAS SOMEONE UNDER 18 INSTRUCTING OUR GROUP. WOULD THEY NEED TO FULFILL THE ABUSE PREVENTION TRAINING REQUIREMENT?

• Yes. Anyone in an instructional position of authority over participants would still be subject to this policy.

WHY IS THE EXPENSE OF TAKING THIS MANDATORY TRAINING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PARTICIPATING UNIT?

• WGAZ believes abuse prevention training is as essential as insurance, eligibility, and other requirements units must follow to participate. All units should invest in a culture of safety at their organization as much as travel, instruction, equipment, and costumes to protect participants during all their unit activities, not just WGAZ events.

Winter Guard Arizona (WGAZ) has adopted comprehensive documents and procedures as developed by WGI Sport of the Arts. Please direct any questions regarding these policies to the officers of WGAZ at [email protected].

The newly revised Code of Conduct for Participating Units covering participants, staff, and volunteers has been expanded and more clearly defines expectations of conduct, compliance, and reporting for units participating in any WGAZ-sanctioned event. While a Code of Conduct for WGAZ Personnel has also been adopted and strengthens the expectations already in place for all WGAZ staff, Executive Board, and administration.

It is essential for all members of the WGAZ community have information on how to address concerns that may not be in support of this commitment. With that in mind, WGAZ has also developed a Participant Protection Reporting Policy as well as a new process of reporting concerns on misconduct or alleged noncompliance directly to WGAZ. The Participant Protection Reporting Policy will assist an individual connect with the appropriate party to ensure any concerns brought forth are addressed.

WGAZ, in following the leadership of WGI Sport of the Arts, will require all employees, judges, and volunteers to undergo background checks in partnership with the National Center for Safety Initiatives using guidelines from the National Council of Youth Sports. These background checks will screen convictions and pending dispositions for felonies, crimes involving force or threat of force against a person, crimes of a sexual nature (including sex offender registrants), crimes involving controlled substances, crimes involving cruelty to animals, and crimes involving harm to a minor. Additional language in the contract for services has also been added for individuals to disclose any situation that might not appear on a standard background check but could disqualify their participation by violating the spirit and intent of the Code of Conduct.

WGAZ is also encouraging participating units to follow best practices within their organization. Units should follow their school district policies or state and local laws regarding employment of educational staff interacting with students. Steps should also be taken to formalize compliance and reporting procedures within their unit to align with the Code of Conduct.

Winter Guard Arizona, (WGAZ) values every participant, staff, volunteer and fan as a unique individual with inherent dignity regardless of race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, origin or cultural background. WGAZ also is committed to fostering positive and safe learning, performing, and working environments for all. It is important for all members of our community to know how to address concerns that may be contrary to this commitment. WGAZ has set expectations for the conduct and compliance for everyone associated with any WGAZ-sanctioned event:

CODE OF CONDUCT

Anyone who receives information of any kind that misconduct related to participant protection has occurred that is connected in any way to individuals or activities associated with any WGAZ-sanctioned event or activity must report the matter immediately to WGAZ management and the management of all Participating Units with which the affected individual(s) are associated.

VIEW OUR PARTICIPANT PROTECTION REPORTING POLICY

Concerns of noncompliance should first be brought to the leadership of the organization involved, who are expected to investigate the concerns promptly and address them. In addition, WGAZ is also available to help an individual connect with the right person of the organization involved to ensure the concern is considered and promptly addressed.

PARTICIPANT PROTECTION REPORTING FORM

The information below is educational and not intended as legal advice. While we believe the information is accurate, we provide no guarantee or warranty concerning these materials or the interpretation or applicability of the laws to your situation. Copyright compliance is the responsibility of the user of the creative works of others. Consult your legal counsel before taking any action.

WGAZ VIDEO POLICY

There is no video recording permitted at any WGAZ event. Any liability associated with unauthorized recordings will rest with the individual or organization making the recording. WGAZ does not condone, nor accept any liability for, any unauthorized recording during the event. In most cases, using musical selections in video recordings requires synchronization licensing to comply with copyright law. Consult your legal counsel.

COLOR GUARD COPYRIGHT REQUIREMENTS

1. All Color Guards must comply with copyright laws and hold for personal records.
2. All Color Guards must submit your units Song Selection Information via the director’s dashboard.
   
   1. Please remember this is only a declaration of your song so that your unit's copyright compliance may be tracked.

The musical selection(s) used in your program may require additional licensing other than blanket licenses obtained by WGAZ. Visit ClicknClear or Copyright.gov for additional information.

CLICKNCLEAR

ClicknClear has a catalog of hundreds of thousands of tracks, including selections from every genre of music. They are actively working on continually expanding their catalog. Purchasing music through ClicknClear allows you to license and download your music tracks instantly. The license purchased includes all the rights you need from the original recording artists and songwriters.

Licenses to recorded tracks from ClicknClear include:

• Rights to edit and adapt the tracks either alone or in a mix to accompany your performance.
• Rights to distribute audio copies of the track/mix to up to 35 individual students for training purposes.
• Rights to put a choreographed routine to the track/mix.
• Rights to perform the routine in public with the mix.

Select tracks also have commercial synchronization licensing as an optional “add on” purchase if your unit wishes to post a video recording on your website or for other uses.

WGAZ recommends purchasing your music through ClicknClear.

PERCUSSION AND WINDS COPYRIGHT REQUIREMENTS

Percussion and Winds units competing at any WGAZ Event are required to secure permission to arrange for all songs involved. We must stress that you do not ignore the Permission to Arrange requirement to participate in any WGAZ event.

• All Percussion and Winds units are required to secure permission to arrange for all songs involved within their performance.
• For assistance securing permission to arrange, we suggest you visit ClickNClear or Tresona
• All unit are required to submit the Repertoire Submission Form found in the Director’s Dashboard under copyright.
  • Units failing to have this information on file may not be permitted to compete.

Please remember this is only a declaration of your repertoire so that your unit's copyright compliance may be tracked this form is NOT a request for Permission to Arrange.

If units do not secure licensing prior to your performance, you may incur considerable penalties and be liable for any infringement of copyrighted materials. These penalties can potentially reach thousands of dollars for each song infringed.

ADDITIONAL COPYRIGHT MATERIAL

How do I determine the musical composition copyright holder?

Composition copyrights are typically managed by music publishers. To identify the music publisher(s) for a particular song, you should first consult a CD that contains the song. If the CD identifies the performing rights society (ASCAP, BMI or SESAC), you can go to the web site for the appropriate society and search the database to find the music publisher(s). Searching for the song title in the databases should give you at least the name of the music publisher, and will usually give you both the name and contact information. You can also check to see if you selection is located within the public domain.

Spoken Word / Literary Copyrights
Spoken word – Including movie quotes, and literary quotations, may contain copyrighted content. You should exercise care to ensure that you have permission to use any copyrighted words in your show.

Visual Arts
Visual pieces of art, including photographs, are most likely copyrighted. You should exercise care to ensure that you have permission to use any copyrighted visual image in your show.

Good Morning!

The 2025 season is coming up, and we wanted to provide some updated information regarding event sites and registration. If you have any questions please reach out to the board via email: [email protected]

EVENT SITE UPDATES

Due to scheduling conflict below are the updated site changes:

• February 22, 2025 - Percussion/Winds Focus Show will now be hosted at Gilbert HS.
• February 22, 2025 - Guard Focus Show will now be hosted at Eastmark HS.
• March 1 & 2, 2025 - WGI Phoenix Guard Regional has tentatively been moved to Younker HS upon administration approval.

After further review of the schedule, the budget and hearing the needs of the membership, we have added the following divisions to the following events:

• February 8, 2025 - Sahuarita HS will also host the color guard division.
• March 15, 2025 - Mountain View HS (Tucson) will also host the percussion/winds division.

REGISTRATION FOR THE SEASON

Our registration process will utilize CompetitionSuite, only an administrator of the unit’s CompetitionSuite account can complete the registration process. You can have more than one administrator listed if a booster treasurer, for example, is going to be registering your unit. Prior to registering, please log into your CompetitionSuite account and verify that the person who will register your unit is listed as an Administrator. If you need assistance with this, please contact [email protected]

Please follow these directions to register as a member of WGAZ.

1. If you do not have an account, please create an account here: https://competitionsuite.com/signup/
2. Click here to start your unit registration.
   1. Register for your membership starting on October 1.
   2. You will select your show preferences on this date.
      1. 🏁 = Color Guard Division
      2. 🥁 = Percussion Division
      3. 🎺 = Winds Division
   3. If you have multiple units you are able to register all of them at once.
   4. An invoice will be generated after your register. Turn that in to your bookstore with your approved PO or pay online via credit card.
3. Once WGAZ has received your payment, your payment date is locked in and you are officially registered for shows. (Waitlists are based off of pay date, not registration date.)
4. LATE FEES BEGIN DECEMBER 1st
5. If you have any questions, please email to [email protected]

(Be sure to provide your phone number to ensure you can access day of event text messages!)

2025 WGAZ FEE STRUCTURE

Full WGAZ Membership ($1,000.00) includes:

• Up to five (5) WGAZ sanctioned events, plus Evaluation Show
• $125.00 entry fee for each WGAZ sanctioned event after five (5)
• WGAZ Championship entry
• $25.00 Solo & $35.00 Small Group entry fee for each Solo & Small Group
• Voting privileges at membership meetings
• Online access to WGI Adjudication Manual
• All WGAZ mailings, email blasts, CompetitionSuite resources

Junior WGAZ Membership ($600.00) includes:

Applies to Prep, Elementary, and Junior High/Middle School classes.

• Up to five (5) WGAZ sanctioned events, plus Evaluation Show
• $125.00 entry fee for each WGAZ sanctioned event after five (5)
• WGAZ Championship entry
• $25.00 Solo & $35.00 Small Group entry fee for each Solo & Small Group
• Voting privileges at membership meetings
• Online access to WGI Adjudication Manual
• All WGAZ mailings, email blasts, CompetitionSuite resources

Registration will be online through CompetitionSuite beginning October 1. Members must be registered and paid by 5:00 PM on November 30, to avoid a late fee of $100.00 per unit.

Championship qualification info:

• Each unit will need three (3) performances to qualify for Championships; WGI Phoenix Regional & Evaluation Show qualifies as a performance.

Compete by date:

• 🏁 Guard compete by date is February 15, 2025 (Canyon View HS)
• 🥁 🎺 Percussion/Winds compete by date is February 22, 2025 (Percussion/Winds Focus Show).
• Evaluation Show does not count for the compete by date since it is not a scored event.

Exhibition Units:

• $75.00 during season events with no refund for cancellation
• $175.00 during Championships with no refund for cancellation

Plus Pass includes (limited to 1 unit per plus pass per event):

• Regular season: 7 additional passes; this is optional and must be purchased at time of registration. ($42.00 per event)
• Championships: 7 additional passes; this is optional and must be purchased at time of registration. ($105.00 per event)

*No refunds will be given after the first evaluation show of the season.

Unleash Your Creativity in 2025!

Join WGAZ as we Unleash Your Creativity in the 2025 season! Unleash Your Creativity as performers explore new avenues to express themselves through the marching and pageantry arts. WGAZ serves as the premier destination for performers to foster their creativity and unleash their potential. Join us in making your mark in the activity – one creative idea at a time!

Rule Changes

For the 2025 season, WGI has implemented a rule change concerning props. Most significantly, the height at which participants can be above the floor without railing has been reduced from 6ft. to 4ft. Click here to learn more about this and all other rule changes affecting the 2025 season.

Event Information & Registration

WGI Event Registration Change

WGI has implemented a new policy which requires all units to pay for their events at the time of registration. You must have a credit card or pre-approved PO at the time of registration. Please click here for specific dates and additional information so that you are prepared.

2025 WGAZ Event Registration

Show registration for 2025 WGAZ Season begins on October 1, 2024. Units may request shows on this date, but you are not officially registered for any events until payment has been received. Please avoid the risk of being waitlisted to one of your favorite shows of the season! In order to get ahead of the game now, go ahead and open your POs. Quotes are available to print/download your bookstore here. Any questions about payment or registration can be directed to our Treasurer at [email protected].

Free WGI Event Registration for New Winds Groups

For the 2025 & 2026 season, WGI has agreed to give winds units who are new to competition (or a returning unit who has not participated in a WGI Event since the 2022 season) one FREE EVENT REGISTRATION!

Learn more: Notes from Andrew Glen for WGI Winds

SafeSport Update

For the 2025 season, SafeSport continues to be an annual training. As a result, all adults interacting should have the initial training, Refresher 1, and/or Refresher 2, depending on the already completed courses, prior to the start of the season. Click here to learn more. Questions regarding compliance for this requirement should be directed to our Vice President at [email protected].

Ways to Get Involved

Event Host Selection Committee Interest Form

Seeking 8-10 Circuit members to join the 2025 Event Host Selection Committee!

2 members from each location (East Valley, West Valley, North Valley, Tucson*). Ideally 1 Color Guard and 1 Percussion/Winds from each location.

*Show sites North of the I-10 and West of SR 51 are considered “West Valley” (this includes show sites that are in the area of the I-10 and SR 303), while all other show sites in the Phoenix-metro area are considered “East Valley”. Show sites North of the I-10 are considered “North Valley”.

Interest form closes 11:59 pm on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Selection of the Committee will take place the week of August 25th.

Click here for more information

What do you want to see in 2025?

To help tailor the programming of WGAZ to the needs of our membership, we invite you to complete these feedback surveys. The information that you provide will help the Board in developing programming for judges’ training, clinics, Eval Show, etc. Click on the respective link(s) below:

• Color Guard
• Percussion
• Wind

New Members to the Board

We are excited to share that Keith Casey has joined the Board as our new Secretary. Additionally, the Board approved the appointment of the following Members-at-large:

• Beth Carlson, Color Guard
• Brandy Dubose-King, Color Guard
• Kristina Haney, Percussion
• Andrew Glenn, Winds

We are excited for the breadth of knowledge and talent these individuals bring and look forward to seeing the initiatives they bring to support the members of WGAZ.

Save the Date: September Membership Meeting

The September Membership Meeting will take place on Sunday, September 22, 2024. Details regarding location will be shared closer to the meeting. If you wish to submit an amendment to the Bylaws or Policies & Procedures, please do so here. These must be received by 11:59 PM on September 8, 2024.

Upcoming Dates & Deadlines

• September 1, 2024: Event Host Bid Deadline
• September 8, 2024: Deadline to Submit Amendments to the Bylaws and/or P&Ps
• September 22, 2024: September Membership Meeting
• October 1, 2024: WGAZ Registration Opens
• December 14, 2024: WGAZ Judges Training Clinic & Hands on Clinic for Students

Good Afternoon!

The time has come to submit your event host bid for the 2025 season! Click here to access the bid form. Please read the form carefully so all questions may be answered properly to ensure your best chances at being awarded an event.

A few reminders about the bidding process:

• Events are awarded by the WGAZ Event Host Selection Committee, which includes representatives from Percussion, Color Guard, and Winds from across the state of Arizona.
• The WGAZ Event Host Selection Committee makes its choices based on many factors, including feedback from the WGAZ Membership about things including, but not limited to, event location, venue size, and event quality.
• Bidding on numerous dates gives you a higher chance of being awarded an event, however nothing guarantees you an event.
• WGAZ is incredibly thankful to everyone who has hosted an event in the past and is interested in hosting in the future. Please keep in mind that being an event host in previous years does not guarantee that you will be awarded an event this year.
• Attached to this email is a draft of the 2025 Event Host Handbook for you to look at. This was included in order to give prospective event hosts a chance to see what they are bidding on. A few minor changes may occur, however those will be communicated by the Event Host Coordinator.

The application will close on September 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM.

Click here to bid!

WGAZ is looking for an individual to serve as Secretary of the Executive Board. This is an exciting opportunity to participate in the day-to-day operations of the circuit while aiding its membership in finding success. If you are interested, please complete the Secretary Interest Form.

This position, as it is vacant during a term, will be appointed by the WGAZ Executive Board and will serve until May 2025 where it will be up for election by the membership. Interested individuals must be at least 21 years of age; must have a current SafeSport Certificate; and must be able to pass a background check or provide a copy of a non-expired Level One IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card.

All interest forms must be completed and submitted by 11:59 PM on June 30, 2024. Applicants will then interview with the Officers of WGAZ during the week of July 8, 2024; and the position will begin on July 22, 2024, or upon the successful appointment by the WGAZ Executive Board – whichever happens latest.

If you have questions, please email [email protected].

Good morning,

As we reflect on our successful 2024 season, we're thrilled to remind you about our upcoming annual May membership meeting scheduled for May 4th. This meeting serves as a crucial moment for all seasoned and new members to come together and influence the trajectory of our organization.

Mark your calendars with the following details:

• Date: May 4, 2024
• Advisory Meeting: 11:00 a.m.
• General Membership Meeting: 1:00 p.m.
• Location: Williams Field HS (2076 S Higley Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85295)

During the meeting, we'll cover essential agenda items, including:

1. Reflecting on the achievements and highlights of the 2024 season.
2. Discussing proposed amendments to our bylaws and policies and procedures manual.
3. Electing individuals to key open positions within the organization, such as Vice President, Treasurer, Colorguard Liaison, and Percussion/Winds Liaison.

If you have ideas for amendments or wish to nominate someone for a board position, don't forget to submit your proposals by April 20, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. using the links provided below:

Amendment Proposal Submission | Board Nomination Submission

Your active participation in these discussions is instrumental in shaping the future of WGAZ. We value your insights and eagerly anticipate your contributions during the meeting. Plus, attending will earn you your first badge for the 2025 season!

Should you have any questions or concerns leading up to the meeting, please feel free to email us at [email protected]. We're here to assist you in any way we can.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to WGAZ. Let's make this May meeting one for the books!

Warm regards,

The WGAZ Board

Fans as we near the end of the season and want to celebrate every performer on their last performance at Championships, we would like to remind fans the following:

EVENT LOCATION
Millennium High School
14802 W Wigwam Blvd
Goodyear, AZ 85395

TICKET COST/INFORMATION

• Block 1 $20 - Friday: PSRA, PSCA, PSCO, PSJH, PSE
• Block 2 $20 - Saturday AM: PSA Prelims
• Block 3 $20 - Saturday PM: PSA Finals, PIA, PSO, PIO, PIW, WSJH, WSA, WIA, WIO
• Multi Block Combo Pass $32 (good for both days)
• 5 and under – Free

EVENT INFORMATION

• Percussion/Winds Championships Day 1
• Percussion/Winds Championships Day 2

KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY

• WGAZ recommends all fans to arrive 30 minutes before units performance.
• All tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Seating is first-come-first-served general admission. Front-side seating is not guaranteed once those sections hit capacity.
• Check standard schedule of the event to confirm ticket purchases.
• Performing units may re-enter the arena with their performer wristband and sit in the backside seats at no additional cost.
• Anyone with a performer wristband MUST sit in the backside seating.
• Ticket purchases will be online or through a QR code only.
• Show proof of tickets on GoFan App to receive a wristband.

HOW TO BUY

• Tickets will be available ONLINE ONLY via a link on the WGAZ Championships Event Page and a QR Code on site.
• NO CASH OR CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
• The link to purchase tickets will be made available on the WGAZ Championships Event Page or here: https://gofan.co/app/school/AZ86318
• Once ticket sales meet the capacity limit, sales will close, and no additional tickets will be made available.

AT THE SHOW

• Once fans arrive at the event, they will proceed to Fan Check In. Fan Check In will open 30 minutes prior to the first performance and close 30 minutes before the last performance.
• If you have purchased a ticket(s) ahead of time, you will proceed to the next available volunteer to have your ticket(s) redeemed. After your ticket(s) is redeemed, you will receive a wristband that will allow you entrance into Millennium Arena or Gym 2. A ticket(s) can be accessed by the GoFan App.
• If you have not purchased a ticket(s) ahead of time, and if tickets are still available, you will scan a QR code on your mobile device near the Fan Check In and purchase your ticket(s) online. Once your ticket(s) has been purchased, you will proceed to the next available volunteer to have your ticket(s) redeemed. After your ticket(s) is redeemed, you will receive a wristband that will allow you entrance into Millennium Arena or Gym 2.

VIDEO AND PHOTOS

Video and Photos Tripods and/or monopods are prohibited in the stands. No recording or live streaming is permitted. Still photography (without a flash) from a phone is welcome for personal, non-commercial use.

CONCESSIONS AND VENDORS

Please help support our event host and vendors by checking out their booths!

NO OUTSIDE FOOD/DRINK PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.

Fans as we near the end of the season and want to celebrate every performer on their last performance at Championships, we would like to remind fans the following:

EVENT LOCATION
Millennium High School
14802 W Wigwam Blvd
Goodyear, AZ 85395

TICKET COST/INFORMATION

• Block 1 $20 - Friday: SRA Prelims
• Block 2 $20 - Saturday AM: SRAA Prelims, SJH, IP, SE, SRA Finals
• Block 3 $20 - Saturday PM: SRAA Finals, SJHA, SA, IA, SO, IO, SNR, IW
• Multi Block Combo Pass $32 (good for both days)
• 5 and under – Free

EVENT INFORMATION

• Guard Championships Day 1
• Guard Championships Day 2
• Guard Championships Day 2 - SRAA Prelims

KNOW BEFORE YOU BUY

• WGAZ recommends all fans to arrive 30 minutes before units performance.
• All tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Seating is first-come-first-served general admission. Front-side seating is not guaranteed once those sections hit capacity.
• Check standard schedule of the event to confirm ticket purchases.
• Performing units may re-enter the arena with their performer wristband and sit in the backside seats at no additional cost.
• Anyone with a performer wristband MUST sit in the backside seating.
• Ticket purchases will be online or through a QR code only.
• Show proof of tickets on GoFan App to receive a wristband.

HOW TO BUY

• Tickets will be available ONLINE ONLY via a link on the WGAZ Championships Event Page and a QR Code on site.
• NO CASH OR CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
• The link to purchase tickets will be made available on the WGAZ Championships Event Page or here: https://gofan.co/app/school/AZ86318
• Once ticket sales meet the capacity limit, sales will close, and no additional tickets will be made available.

AT THE SHOW

• Once fans arrive at the event, they will proceed to Fan Check In (entrance of Millennium arena or Gym two depending on class). Fan Check In will open 30 minutes prior to the first performance and close 30 minutes before the last performance.
• If you have purchased a ticket(s) ahead of time, you will proceed to the next available volunteer to have your ticket(s) redeemed. After your ticket(s) is redeemed, you will receive a wristband that will allow you entrance into Millennium Arena or Gym 2. A ticket(s) can be accessed by the GoFan App.
• If you have not purchased a ticket(s) ahead of time, and if tickets are still available, you will scan a QR code on your mobile device near the Fan Check In and purchase your ticket(s) online. Once your ticket(s) has been purchased, you will proceed to the next available volunteer to have your ticket(s) redeemed. After your ticket(s) is redeemed, you will receive a wristband that will allow you entrance into Millennium Arena or Gym 2.

VIDEO AND PHOTOS

Video and Photos Tripods and/or monopods are prohibited in the stands. No recording or live streaming is permitted. Still photography (without a flash) from a phone is welcome for personal, non-commercial use.

CONCESSIONS AND VENDORS

Please help support our event host and vendors by checking out their booths!

NO OUTSIDE FOOD/DRINK PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.

Each year, WGAZ honors a Colorguard Director of the year, a Percussion/Winds Director of the year, and a Volunteer of the Year. These individuals are outstanding members of the community who have made an impact on the lives of their students and those around them. Their dedication to the activity, their unit, and their students go above and beyond. To show their impact, the nomination must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation, and at least two student testimonials.

Nominations close March 30, 2024 at 11:59PM Arizona Time

Director of the Year Guidelines

Any member of WGAZ can nominate a director, but we ask that you consider the following guidelines:

• Must be a current director of a Colorguard, Percussion, or Winds program in good standing with WGAZ
• Goes above and beyond required duties of a program director
• Inspires growth within students inside and outside the activity
• Consider units growth
• Can be nominated by students, staff, or other directors
  • Requires testimonial from at least two current students/members in the program

Click here to nominate a Director!

Volunteer of the Year Guidelines

• Volunteer of the year can be any individual volunteering for a WGAZ Unit or the WGAZ Circuit
• Must be someone who goes above and beyond the expected duties of a volunteer
• Can be nominated by students, staff, directors, or other volunteers
  • Requires at least 2 testimonials from any individual associated with the same unit or with the WGAZ circuit

Click here to nominate a Volunteer!

WGAZ is looking for scholarship applicants for the 2024 season! We encourage all current seniors and college students to submit their applications. For more information please contact Amy Kochis.

**NOTICE**

This application process requires the applicants to sign in with a valid G-Mail account.

Each applicant must provide the following in PDF Format: Two Letters of recommendation from individuals other than the group director. High School and/or College Transcript. SAT/ACT scores are optional.

PLEASE HAVE THESE ITEMS READY BEFORE COMPLETING THE FORM AS THEY WILL NEED TO BE ATTACHED AT TIME OF COMPLETION.

The 2024 Scholarship Application is now available. Applications are due March 15th, 2024.

Apply Here

Calling all high school students,

Are you ready for an out-of-this-world experience? We've got some thrilling news to share! On Friday, March 8th, we're ready to escape the ordinary and host a focus show that will set the stage for our incredible elementary, independent prep, and junior high groups.

But wait, the excitement doesn't stop there! We're calling on our high school students to join us in making this night legendary. Our rising stars are the future of the guard community, and we want them to witness the great feeling that we get to experience with an energetic crowd!

To sweeten the deal, we're offering an exclusive offer just for our high school students - $10 tickets at the door! Yes, you heard it right, only $10 for an unforgettable night of incredible performances. Grab your high school ID card and get ready to be amazed!

Quick details for your calendar:

Date: Friday, March 8th

Venue: Desert Vista HS (16440 S 32nd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85048)

Time: 6:00PM – 9:15PM

Price: $10 tickets (card only, cash is not accepted; must have valid student ID at the time of purchase)

This is not just an event; it's an EXPERIENCE. Imagine the energy, the passion, and the sheer talent all under one roof! Our young stars have been working tirelessly, and now it's time to show them the roaring support they deserve.

Got questions? Email us at [email protected]. We're here to make sure you don't miss out on this show-stopping celebration!

Let's turn up the volume, ignite the spirit, and make this night one for the books. See you there, shining bright!

Congratulations to everyone on an outstanding marching band season! The fun doesn’t have to end here. Join us for one of our FREE upcoming clinics on December 9th at Desert Vista HS to refine your skills and continue improving in the marching arts!

Guard

• Ira Jenkins for Educators/Staff & Judges
  • Ira Jenkins is the newly appointed Director of Bands at Decatur High School in Georgia. Prior to joining Decatur High School in July 2022, Mr. Jenkins was the Director of Bands at Alpharetta High School. While at Alpharetta High School, the concert bands were featured performers at GMEA's In-service Conference, UGA's JanFest Honor Band Clinic, Music For All's Southeastern Concert Festival, and a host of other special performances. The marching band was a Bands of America regional finalist as well as Grand Champion at the Jacksonville University Invitational. Alpharetta's Indoor Percussion ensemble was GIPA's Scholastic A champion in 2022 as well as the WGI Atlanta Scholastic A champion. All three of Alpharetta's winter guards have been repeat SAPA championship medalists. In 2019 the Alpharetta varsity winter guard was a Winter Guard International World Championships finalist.
    
    Prior to Alpharetta High School, Jenkins taught elementary, middle, and high school bands in City of Atlanta, Cobb County, Fulton County, and in Westchester County (NY) as well as Bergen County (NJ). His bands consistently earned superior ratings at performance evaluations, and his winter guards have received state championships honors. Jenkins' students have earned chairs in county and district honor bands as well as all-state bands and university honor clinics. Many of his students continue their passion for performance in college bands, professional ensembles, drum and bugle corps, independent drumlines, and independent winter guards.
    
    Mr. Jenkins' responsibilities have extended far beyond the classroom. He has served as an assistant high school marching band director, visual caption head, color guard caption head, and director of numerous winter guard programs throughout the east coast. He has also served as band chair and the district chair for GMEA's District 5 as well as vice president of the Southern Association for Performance Arts (SAPA).
    
    Mr. Jenkins' professional affiliations include marching band and winter guard adjudication with the WGI, DCI, BOA, USSBA, and various circuits around the country. He holds memberships with GMEA, NAfME, and NBA.
    
    Education:
    PhD. (in progress); Music Education, Georgia State University (2024-anticipated)
    Ed.S; Music Education, University of Georgia
    M.Ed; Education Administration, Kennesaw State University
    B.M.; Music Education, Georgia State University and Florida A&M University
• Students
  • Schedule
  • Niko Matsamura Equipment Master Class for Students
  • John Escalante Movement Master Class for Students
  • Jordan Casey Flag Master Class for Students
    • Jordan Casey has been involved in the pageantry arts since he started marching band back in eighth grade. Jordan has performed with various DCI groups, WGI groups, and spent time performing internationally with BLAST! The Music of Disney. Jordan has continued his passion for pageantry through the realm of education and choreography by working with high school programs as well as independent groups throughout the country. While he is not in a gym or on a field for colorguard, Jordan enjoys outdoor adventures and spending time with friends and family.
      

Percussion

• w/ Vision Percussion
• Beginner and Intermediate/Advance Tracks for Students

Winds

• w/ Foreword Winds
• Brass & Woodwinds Pedagogy for Students

Students, remember to bring your own equipment, athletic wear, & water!

Register here: https://gofan.co/event/1262659?schoolId=AZ86318

WGAZ is pleased to announce that registration for the 2024 season will begin on Sunday, October 1st, 2023 at 12:00AM.

Membership/Event Registration Link

During the registration process, units are able to register for a maximum of 5 regular-season shows and Championships. Performance order will be determined by payment date then registration date.

Per the conversation from the September Membership Meeting - The Color Guard Focus Show for Elementary, Independent Prep, & Junior HS class has moved to March 8 or 9 depending on facilities. (East Valley area)

Requirement for the season:

• Your units 's first performance must be by 2/24/2023
• Review WGAZ's Code of Conduct, Policy & Procedure, and Bylaws
• Participating Unit Master Agreement (PUMA)
• Background Check & SafeSport Training for all adult instructional and administrative staff having regular contact with, or authority over, participants
• Insurance
• Copyright
  • One example on how to obtain copyright: ClickNClear (wgi.clicknclear.com)
• Permission form for Independent Units with High School Students

Helpful Links:

• How to register
• WGAZ website (under construction)
• WGAZ Events
• WGAZ Calendar and Future Dates (including Championships through 2031)

Registration questions? Please email [email protected]

Classification questions? Please email one of these individuals:

• Color Guard - Brandy King
• Percussion - Wardell King
• Winds - Ian Hoffman

September Membership Meeting

The September Membership meeting will be held in person at Williams Field High School on Sunday, September 24, at 1:00 PM. You can find directions to the school parking lot by clicking the link here. We will discuss season fees, competition dates and hosts, and more. This meeting will also be another opportunity to earn an extra staff badge for your group!

The Advisory committee meeting will take place before the membership meeting on Sunday, September 24, at 11:00 AM at Williams Field High School. All are welcome to attend the advisory meeting.

Last Call - Bylaws/Policy & Procedure Change Proposals:

The September meeting is the last meeting to propose changes to the bylaws or policy and procedures manual. If you would like to propose an amendment to the Bylaws or the P&P, please click here to complete the form. The last day to submit a change is September 15 at 11:59 PM.

Pursuant to the new rule change adopted in May, please remember that only members of the Percussion and Winds Advisory Boards will vote on changes to the Policy and Procedures as well as the Bylaws specific to their sections, and all Color Guard Units will vote on changes to the Bylaws and Policy and Procedures specific to color guard. Any proposal that affects the entire WGAZ membership will still be voted on by the entire WGAZ membership (guard, percussion, and winds).

Thank you, and we hope to see you on September 24 at Williams Field High School!

Introducing the newest WGAZ Winds Advisor: Ian Hoffman

We are thrilled to announce a fantastic addition to our team! Please join us in welcoming Ian Hoffman as the newest Winds Advisor at WGAZ. With his extensive experience and passion for the world of indoor winds, we are confident that Ian will contribute immensely to the growth and success of our organization.

Biography:

Starting his musical journey singing with the Dreaming Summit Honor Choir in the 4th grade and the Arizona State Choir the very next year, Ian has a deep seeded connection and passion for the arts.

He has been a trumpet player through and through from his first day of middle school band. With over a decade’s worth of trumpet playing experience and now his sixth season instructing winds at AzMBA Grand Champion and consecutive division 4A high music award winning Millennium High School, as well as instructing the Millennium and Sandra Day O’Connor Jazz Bands, he has a plethora of knowledge and experience in the areas of jazz, marching brass, and trumpet pedagogy respectively.

As an on field performer in the Superbowl 49 Halftime show, a member of gold medalist Phenom Soundsport and later a section leader and multiple year soloist with The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, he has learned first hand what the demands of high level performance require from an ensemble. He has had the opportunity to perform with world renowned trumpet players Wayne Bergeron, Jens Lindemann, Michael Martin and José Sabaja and carries this experience into his teaching endeavors.

Ian is the director of consecutive WGAZ Champion Foreword Winds, the premier independent winds group in Arizona. He is also starting his first year as assistant director at Millennium High School and plans to help take the program to new heights.

The time has come to submit your event host bid for the 2024 season! Click here to access the bid form. Please read the form carefully so all questions may be answered properly to ensure your best chances at being awarded an event.

A few reminders about the bidding process:

• Events are awarded by the WGAZ Event Host Selection Committee, which includes representatives from Percussion, Color Guard, and Winds from across the state of Arizona.
• The WGAZ Event Selection Committee makes its choices based on many factors, including feedback from the WGAZ Membership about things including, but not limited to, event location, venue size, and event quality.
• Bidding on numerous dates gives you a higher chance of being awarded an event, however nothing guarantees you an event.
• WGAZ is incredibly thankful to everyone who has hosted an event in the past and is interested in hosting in the future. Please keep in mind that being an event host in previous years does not guarantee that you will be awarded an event this year.

Attached is a draft of the 2024 Event Host Handbook for you to look at. This was included in order to give prospective event hosts a chance to see what they are bidding on. A few minor changes may occur, however those will be communicated by the Event Host Coordinator.

The application will close on September 1, 2023 at 11:59 PM.

Click here to bid!

Congratulations on an amazing 2023 season! Here are a few items that will be coming up in the month of May.

Upcoming Business:

The May Membership meeting will be held in person at Desert Vista High School on Saturday, May 6th at 1:00PM.

The Advisory committee meeting will be held prior to the membership meeting, on Saturday, May 6th at 11:00AM at Desert Vista High School. Be on the look out for an email from your Liaisons, also note that all are welcome to attend the advisory meeting.

Updated Policy and Procedures:

Attached are the updated Bylaws and Policy and Procedures that include the updates from last year's meeting.
If you would like to propose an amendment to the Bylaws or the P&P, please fill out this form.

Please remember that only members of the Advisory Board will vote on changes to the Policy and Procedures as well as the Bylaws. Members of the Advisory board have been notified via a separate email.

Board Elections:

Several Board positions are up for election this May. The following positions are up for election:

President
Color Guard Judges Coordinator
Percussion/Winds Coordinator
Secretary

If you would like to nominate someone for the board, please fill out this form.

All WGAZ Units have one vote to cast for Board Positions. A delegate must be in attendance at the WGAZ membership meeting in order to vote. Delegates must be on your staff list for the 2023 season. Each delegate must only vote for one unit.

Thank you, and we hope to see you on May 6th at Desert Vista High School.

Schedule: (subject to change)

11:00AM - 12:30PM | Advisory board (All members welcome)
12:30PM - 1:00PM | Break and snacks
1:00PM - 3:00PM | Full membership meeting

Nominee Bios:

Percussion/Winds Judges Coordinator:

• Bryan Scheidecker
  • Bryan Scheidecker’s initial introduction to music happened when he took up the saxophone at Jellick Elementary in Rowland Heights, California. At the time, he had no idea that making this decision would alter his life forever; for it was on a big blue hollowed-out school bus known as the “Note Boat” where his musical journey began.Since 1999, Bryan has provided instruction for schools and Drum Corps in California, Massachusetts, and Arizona. He is currently the Visual Caption Head for Williams Field High School and is part of the visual team for Pacific Crest Drum & Bugle Corps. In addition to instructing, he is also responsible for adjudicating and directing competitions for the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA), Winter Guard Arizona (WGAZ) and Winter Guard International (WGI) indoor percussion circuits, as well as the Arizona Marching Band Association (AzMBA) and Bands of America (BOA) fall circuits. Bryan also serves as a board member for WGAZ and AzMBA. Additionally, he had a previous role as the Assistant Director of Education for the Vic Firth Company and presently serves as an Education Sales Rep for Music & Arts.
    As a performer, Bryan spent his four years at Ruben S. Ayala High School heavily involved in the instrumental music department, three of them in leadership roles. As an adult, he has played with artists such as Steve Wilkerson, Jeff Hamilton, the Jazz on the Latin Side All-stars, Poncho Sanchez, and as a soloist for Grammy Award winner Celine Dion.

Color Guard Judges Coordinator :

• Scott Montoya
  • Scott Montoya has been involved in the Pageantry Arts for 33 years. He has served as visual designer, coordinator, visual tech and brass instructor for marching bands and winter guards throughout Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. He is currently the Brass Caption Head at Williams Field High School in Gilbert, AZ. Scott is currently a Design Analysis Judge for Winter Guard Arizona, Texas Color Guard Circuit, West Texas Color Guard Association and other organizations around the United States. He is also an active adjudicator for marching band for various organizations such as: Arizona Marching Band Association, California State Band Championships, USBands and other local and regional competitions around the country.Scott is a founding board member of the West Texas Color Guard Association in El Paso, TX serving on the board from 1998 – 2000, 2006-2010 and served as the board President from 2010 – 2014. Scott also acts as the judge coordinator for WTCA (2019 – present). Scott is currently serving on Winter Guard Arizona Board of Directors as the Color Guard Judge Coordinator facilitating judge coordination for the season, maintaining open communication with instructors, working with the color guard liaison to facilitate judge and instructor education and training, active member of the reclassification committee, staying current with all WGI judge adjudication trends and maintaining relationships with current judges from various circuits around the county and WGI, as well as other duties assigned by the WGAZ Board. Scott also served as a board member for WGAZ from 2001-2004. Scott teaches Criminal Justice at the East Valley Institute of Technology, a Career and Education Public High School in Mesa, AZ. Scott is married to his awesome wife, Robin Montoya who also has strong ties to the pageantry arts. They have two growing young men, Anthony and Joshua, both involved in music.
• Keith Casey
  • Keith has been involved in the pageantry arts for over 40 years. He has performed with Spirit of Atlanta and Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps. Additionally, he performed with State Street Review Winterguard where he was an Independent World Class Bronze Medalist. He taught guard at Lassiter HS (Marietta GA) where they were named the BOA Grand National Champions twice, WGI Scholastic A and Open Class Champions, and also a two-time Scholastic World Class Finalist. Since 2011, he has been the Guard Caption Head and Visual Coordinator for the 9-time, ABODA Div. I State Champion Desert Vista HS Thunder Marching Band in Phoenix AZ. His winterguard was most recently named the WGAZ Scholastic Open Class Champions.In the past, he has served on the Winter Guard Arizona Board as the Color Guard Liaison. One of his main goals for this potential position is to foster more out-of-state judges who are adjudicating on the WGI Regional and National panels to better prepare our growing circuit with the tools necessary for success outside of Arizona. Given his resources with working in multiple circuits from across the country, he wants to give our circuit more access to adjudicators who are judging in the most competitive areas to give us a better sense of what to expect based on the national scale. This would increase our exposure and viability as a circuit in out-of-state regionals as well as on the national stage. He has devoted his life to the pageantry arts and would love the opportunity to serve in this capacity.Keith is also a 25-year veteran teacher who currently teaches Senior English and is the Senior English Level Chair at Desert Vista HS in Phoenix AZ. When he is not working on English, band, and guard, he enjoys spending time with his lovely dog, Sadie.

Event Host Coordinator

• Tina Milyiori
  • Tina Milyiori is originally from Northeast Ohio and moved to Chandler, AZ in August 2018. Tina has been involved in the Marching Arts for 33+ years as a performer, color guard technician, director, adjudicator, volunteer, and parent in both the fall and winter color guard and marching band space. Most recently, she has been a volunteer at WGI World Championships every year since 2008 and is a member of the WGI Scholarship Committee. Her daughter, Lorelai, is a Sophomore fall and winter guard member at Corona del Sol and plays flute in the Symphonic Band. She is an active member of the Corona del Sol Boosters, and has been the Co-Chair for the Crown of the Sun Marching Invitational and WGAZ Sponsored Winter/Percussion Competition. She is currently Co-Guard Liaison for the CdS fall and winter guard and served as the interim Event Host Coordinator for WGAZ at the end of the 2023 season.

Secretary

• Kristina Haney
  • Kristina Haney has been involved in the percussive arts since 2007. Involved in her high school program, as well as at a collegiate and independent organization level, her knowledge of the activity makes her a perfect candidate for WGAZ Secretary. Currently, Kristina is the Assistant Director and Cymbal Tech at Vision Percussion, where she handles logistics, social media, and fundraising efforts throughout the year. She currently works as a Senior Specialist in the revenue operations department at a tech company, handling commissions and compensation for sales reps and managers. In this role, she communicates verbally and by email with stakeholders across multiple departments. Outside of the performing arts activity, Kristina has served on various boards ranging from the Homeowners Association where she is currently the Vice President, as well as previously serving on the board of Arizona Society of Homebrewers, and the Arizona Business Travel Association.
• Eryn Streeter
  • Eryn Streeter is the current color guard and winter guard director at Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, AZ. Born and raised in the West Valley, Eryn has performed with notable color guard groups, including the Arizona State University Sun Devil Marching Band, FeniX Independent, Sandra Day O'Connor High School, and, most recently, The ProcesS Independent. Outside of color guard, Eryn holds a master's degree from Arizona State University in public administration (MPA) and a paralegal certificate from the University of Arizona and works for a non-profit organization doing advocacy work. Eryn hopes to take her color guard passion and continue to support WGAZ and its mission to foster growth and quality in the performing arts.

  ---

  PROPOSALS

After a successful performance at the 2023 Percussion/Winds Focus Show on March 3-4, 2023, Queen Creek Indoor Percussion – upon the recommendation of the Percussion/Winds Reclassification Committee – was promoted to the Percussion Scholastic A National class within the Winterguard Arizona (WGAZ) circuit.

Queen Creek Indoor Percussion is based out of Queen Creek, AZ and under the direction of Connor Sullivan & John Davenport.

See Queen Creek Indoor Percussion at the following events!

• Campo Verde HS
• Buckeye HS
• Percussion Championships Day 2

About Winterguard Arizona

Winterguard Arizona, Inc. (WGAZ) is a nonprofit organization founded to draw together the growing indoor winterguard, percussion, and winds activity under standardized rules while providing leadership and guidance in a competitive circuit. Our mission is to foster growth and quality in the performing arts by offering exceptional performance and educational opportunities for our community.

After a successful performance at the 2023 Percussion/Winds Focus Show on March 3-4, 2023, Hamilton Indoor Percussion Ensemble – upon the recommendation of the Percussion/Winds Reclassification Committee – was promoted to the Percussion Scholastic A National class within the Winterguard Arizona (WGAZ) circuit.

Hamilton Indoor Percussion Ensemble is based out of Chandler, AZ and under the direction of Jason Poole & Charlie Baker.

See Hamilton Indoor Percussion Ensemble at the following events!

• Campo Verde HS
• Percussion Championships Day 2

About Winterguard Arizona

Winterguard Arizona, Inc. (WGAZ) is a nonprofit organization founded to draw together the growing indoor winterguard, percussion, and winds activity under standardized rules while providing leadership and guidance in a competitive circuit. Our mission is to foster growth and quality in the performing arts by offering exceptional performance and educational opportunities for our community.

After a successful performance at the 2023 Guard Focus Show on March 3-4, 2023, Youngker Emerald Guard – upon the recommendation of the Color Guard Reclassification Committee – was promoted to the Scholastic Regional A class within the Winterguard Arizona (WGAZ) circuit.

Youngker Emerald Guard is based out of Buckeye, AZ and under the direction of Brittany Kolopanis & Kyle Brown.

See Youngker Emerald Guard at the following events!

• Mountain Ridge HS
• Guard Championships Day 1

About Winterguard Arizona

Winterguard Arizona, Inc. (WGAZ) is a nonprofit organization founded to draw together the growing indoor winterguard, percussion, and winds activity under standardized rules while providing leadership and guidance in a competitive circuit. Our mission is to foster growth and quality in the performing arts by offering exceptional performance and educational opportunities for our community.

The I AM WGI: Future Leaders Program Returns in 2023 (FLP) aims to lay the groundwork for mentorship of aspiring leaders from within the WGI community.

This program is a comprehensive mentorship and leadership opportunity designed to foster the next generation of leaders in our activity.

The Future Leaders Program will provide opportunities for:

• Mentorship with the WGI Board of Directors.
• Outreach and Service to the WGI Community.
• Collaboration with peers from across the entire WGI community.

For more information about the program, please visit WGI Future Leaders

For more information about the 2023 class, please visit 2023 CLASS OF FUTURE LEADERS PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

After a successful performance at the 2023 Desert Vista HS on February 18, 2023, Desert Ridge Winterguard – upon the recommendation of the Color Guard Reclassification Committee – was promoted to the Scholastic A class within the Winterguard Arizona (WGAZ) circuit.

Desert Ridge Winterguard is based out of Mesa, AZ and under the direction of Alyssa Lambert-Garcia & Stephanie Campbell.

See Desert Ridge Winterguard at the following events!

• Corona del Sol HS
• Guard Focus Show Day 2
• Mountain Ridge HS
• Guard Championships Day 2

About Winterguard Arizona

Winterguard Arizona, Inc. (WGAZ) is a nonprofit organization founded to draw together the growing indoor winterguard, percussion, and winds activity under standardized rules while providing leadership and guidance in a competitive circuit. Our mission is to foster growth and quality in the performing arts by offering exceptional performance and educational opportunities for our community.

After a successful performance at the 2023 Eval Show at Canyon View High School on January 28, 2023, Ironwood Ridge Winterguard – upon the recommendation of the Color Guard Reclassification Committee – was promoted to the Scholastic Regional A class within the Winterguard Arizona (WGAZ) circuit.

Ironwood Ridge Winterguard is based out of Oro Valley, AZ and under the direction of Emily Poling & Damon Knepper.

See Ironwood Ridge Winterguard at the following events!

• Guard Focus Show Day 2
• Ironwood Ridge HS
• Guard Championships Day 1

About Winterguard Arizona

Winterguard Arizona, Inc. (WGAZ) is a nonprofit organization founded to draw together the growing indoor winterguard, percussion, and winds activity under standardized rules while providing leadership and guidance in a competitive circuit. Our mission is to foster growth and quality in the performing arts by offering exceptional performance and educational opportunities for our community.

Each year, WGAZ honors a Colorguard Director of the year, a Percussion/Winds Director of the year, and a Volunteer of the Year. These individuals are outstanding members of the community who have made an impact on the lives of their students and those around them. Their dedication to the activity, their unit, and their students go above and beyond. To show their impact, the nomination must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation, and at least two student testimonials.

Nominations close March 16, 2023 at 11:59PM Arizona Time

Click here to nominate a Director!

Click here to nominate a Volunteer!

WGAZ is looking for scholarship applicants for the 2024 season! We encourage all current seniors and college students to submit their applications. For more information please contact Amy Kochis.

**NOTICE**

This application process requires the applicants to sign in with a valid G-Mail account.

Each applicant must provide the following in PDF Format: Two Letters of recommendation from individuals other than the group director. High School and/or College Transcript. SAT/ACT scores are optional.

PLEASE HAVE THESE ITEMS READY BEFORE COMPLETING THE FORM AS THEY WILL NEED TO BE ATTACHED AT TIME OF COMPLETION.

The 2024 Scholarship Application is now available. Applications are due March 15th, 2024.

Apply Here

Our Know the Sheets: A Training for Judges and Instructors for a Successful Indoor Season Clinic will be held on December 3rd 2022 at Millennium HS! (Your last chance to earn another badge for your unit, up to 3)

• • Color Guard Judges and Instructors check-in will start at 8:30AM
  • Percussion/Winds Judges and Instructors check-in will start at 9:30AM
  • Combined Color Guard and Percussion/Winds course will start at 4:00PM
  • For our full schedule please click here!
• Our FREE Color Guard Student Clinic will be held on December 3rd, 2022 at Millennium HS. Check-in will begin at 8:30AM
• Our FREE Percussion/Winds Student Clinic will be on January 15th, 2023 (More info to come!)

September 18th from 9:30am - 2:00pm

Location: TO BE DETERMINED

WGAZ will be hosting a FREE Weapons Clinic featuring two AMP World Winterguard members. They will be featuring technique skills on rifle and some choreography. Sabre classes will also be offered as well and we hope that you will join us.

9:00am Registration

9:30am Sabre/Rifle Technique

11:30am Snack break (bring some snacks and meet other area performers)

12:00pm Rifle/Sabre Choreography

2:00pm Conclusion

Register here to attend: https://forms.gle/hGJEgXqXhnwtYrMM8

We are so honored to have these two educators with us this fall and want to help the community strengthen their weapon skills and gain some knowledge on a few skills for your upcoming season!!!!

Joshua Marrero has been an active member of the color guard community for 15 years. Born and raised in Southern New Jersey, Joshua began his color guard career in 2007 with AMP Winter Guard. In addition to AMP, his marching career includes Black Watch, Jersey Surf, Hawthorne Caballeros, Blue Knights, and the Santa Clara Vanguard. Joshua has had the pleasure of teaching a variety of programs such as Marple Newtown HS, Bryan HS AMP WG, and Hawthorne Caballeros. Outside of his color guard career Joshua is currently a Police Officer in the state of Delaware.

Jonathan Marrero has been an active member in the colorguard community. Beginning his journey at 8 years old with Amp winter guard and finishing his career this past winter in 2022 with that same program. In addition to Amp his marching career includes Jersey surf, Carolina Crown and The Blue Devils. John has had the pleasure of being an educator at high schools which include Marple Newtown HS, North Penn HS and currently Unionville HS. Outside of colorguard John is a full time student at Rowan University majoring in Psychology with a minor in education and plans to be a school counselor to continue to help educate students!

September Membership Meeting

Advisory: 11:00AM

Membership: 1:00PM

Link for amendment proposal to Bylaws, Policy & Procedure: https://forms.gle/ATNsJAbGc3fYacnZA

The 2023 Event Bid Form is now open! Please read the form carefully so all questions may be answered properly to ensure your best chances at being awarded an event.

A few reminders about the bidding process:

• Events are awarded by the WGAZ Event Selection Committee, which includes representatives from Percussion, Colorguard, and Winds from across the state of Arizona.
• The WGAZ Event Selection Committee makes its choices based on many factors, including feedback from the WGAZ Membership about things including, but not limited to, event location, venue size, and event quality.
• Bidding on numerous dates gives you a higher chance of being awarded an event, however nothing guarantees you an event.
• WGAZ is incredibly thankful to everyone who has hosted an event in the past and interested in hosting in the future. Please keep in mind that being an event host in previous years does not guarantee that you will be awarded an event this year.

Attached to this email is a draft of the 2023 Event Host Handbook for you to look at. There are a few updates that have been made, and a few updates that are still pending. Anything that is still pending, I tried to make sure I noted in the handbook. WGAZ included this in order to give prospective event hosts a chance to see what they are bidding on, but please keep in mind that changes to the packet may be made at any point and will be communicated accordingly.

If you are bidding on a Focus or Eval event, there are a few things that are different about those events. The Focus/Eval Event packet is not yet complete for 2023, however if you have any questions, please email [email protected] and I will answer your questions as best as possible.

CLICK HERE to bid!

We are working to get the bid form uploaded onto the WGAZ website as soon as possible. Thank you everyone, WGAZ is looking forward to 2023!

Vice President

Miles Denny

Miles Denny graduated from Arizona State University in 2016, where he received his B.M. in Music Education. During his time there, he Studied under JB Smith, Dr. Mark Sunkett, Simone Mancus, and Roberto Paz. Miles has taught at various ensembles throughout the valley such as Dobson High School, Basha High School, Poston Butte High School, Breakthrough percussion and currently at Vision Percussion With Wardell King. Upon graduation, Miles became the director of bands at Smith Jr. High School and Stevenson Elementary before joining Basha in 2017. In 2020, Miles was awarded the Winter Guard Arizona Percussion Director of the Year award for his continued contributions to the winter guard activity. In addition to his position at Basha, Mr. Denny currently serves as Vice President for Winter Guard Arizona, Member-At-Large for the Arizona Marching Band Association, and is the tenor percussion specialist for Vision Percussion Ensemble. He remains passionate about expanding and enriching the educational experiences for student musicians in Arizona.

Stephen Goodman

My name is Stephen Goodman; I am the director of Convergence Indoor Percussion and in my fourth year as a percussion instructor. I have extensive experience in non-profit organizations, with my current occupation being a Policy and Communications Manager for a national non- profit whose mission is to recruit the next generation of educators from among high school students. Previously, I was the State Adviser Assistant for a non-profit in Arizona that served the high school Career and Technical Education community. I have experience: developing marketing collateral; planning single-day, multi-site conferences; planning multi-day conferences; engaging with and recruiting partners and sponsors; and developing long-term strategic plans for non-profits.

Lydia Page

Lydia Page has been involved in the Arizona color guard community for over 13 years. She has been a student, instructor, and mentor in all levels of our circuit and currently serves as the director of Highland High School and as assistant director of Higley High School and Oasis Winterguard. Lydia also serves as the business manager of Oasis Ensembles.

Beginning in 2017, Lydia began the massive undertaking of establishing Oasis Ensembles as a non-profit performing arts business. With her leadership, the organization has grown to include two high performing winter guard programs, a summer clinic series, and a dance company. Oasis Ensembles now reaches over 100 participants throughout the state of Arizona.

On top of that, Lydia gives back to the circuit by volunteering for various committees and helping the growth of winterguard in Arizona by mentoring new instructors. Lydia is excited to give back to an organization that has given so much to her and cannot wait to help support the administrative goals of WGAZ.

Treasurer

Cari Eng

Cari Eng, originally from Indianapolis Indiana, started out in the marching arts as a clarinet player turned color guard member. She was a member of the band and guard at Franklin Central High School where she had the honor of being a member of the WGI Open Class World Champion team in 2000. After high school, Cari joined the staff with the Franklin Central HS World Guard until she moved to Phoenix in 2003 after graduating from Indiana University with a BS in Computer Science.

In 2003, Cari joined Teach For America and began teaching and coaching here in Arizona. She currently works as a Data Analyst for the Arizona Department of Education. Cari has been actively involved in the WGAZ circuit since 2005. She served as the Mountain Ridge HS Colorguard Director from 2005-2019 where she was responsible for managing both the Regional A JV Guard and the Open Varsity Guard including all of the finances in and out of the program. Cari is now working with the Color Guard programs of Boulder Creek and Desert Vista.

In addition to being a member of the circuit, Cari has served previously on the Executive Board as Secretary for multiple terms before stepping down after the birth of her daughter in 2013. Since stepping away from the Executive Board, Cari has served on multiple committees for WGAZ including the Promotions, Bylaw Revisions, and Show Selection Committees as well as being a member of the Advisory Board each year. Cari is currently finishing her first term as Treasurer where she helped the circuit navigate through the challenging financial situation of the pandemic. Cari is now well versed in Excel, Quickbooks, and filing non-profit taxes. She is eager to continue the role for another term.

Cari believes in the importance of the marching arts and is eager to once again serve the entire community by approaching each decision through the lens of supporting the performer experience because they are why we exist.

Color Guard Liaison

Brandy DuBose-King

Brandy DuBose King is in her fifteenth year as director and choreographer for the Arizona State University Sun Devil Color Guard and winterguard program. Prior to her time here in Arizona Brandy taught the Bobcat Marching Band Color Guard and Millennia Independent Open Winterguard for 11 years. In Texas, she taught the Seguin High School color guard and winterguard for 10 years.

Brandy has served as Caption Head for other organizations such as Tarheel Sun, The Academy and The Blue Knights; as well as a member of the Colorguard staff for the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps. She marched in the Colorguard at Phantom Regiment as well as a member of the Nouveau (IA), Speakeasy (IA) and Ascension (IW) Winterguard programs. In addition to her involvement with ASU, she is currently the Director of Colorguard at Corona del Sol High School and Designer and Consultant for the ASU SunDevils.

Brandy has served as a board member for the Texas Color Guard Circuit as the Vice President for 4 years, and once in Arizona has served as the V.P. (1) and Colorguard Liaison (8) for the past 9 years. She has developed various opportunities for instructors and students in the colorguard community and has a passion for education and advancement for all. Brandy has served on the Advisory Board for WGI for 5 years and will return again this year after becoming a World Class Finalist for the 6th year with Fenix Independent. With this appointment and dedication to our parent organization this proves to be valuable to the continued growth and knowledge that will help our local community.

Austin Yost

Austin is an Arizona native, growing up in Queen Creek and Gilbert, AZ. He attended Highland High School where he participated in Band, Choir, Orchestra, and of course, Colorguard. After his graduation, Austin marched Drum Corps for five years at The Academy (1) and The Bluecoats (4). He quickly discovered his passion for teaching and has been doing it ever since. Austin currently serves as the Colorguard Director at both Higley High School and Eastmark High School, as the Program Coordinator at Highland High School and does design work for many other schools in the greater Phoenix area. Austin also served as a Colorguard Instructor at the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2019-2021. Austin founded Oasis Ensembles in 2016 and has since pushed to expand the program to include multiple nationally competitive winterguard teams, a dance program, and an annual summer clinic series. Austin’s goals have always been rooted in the education and growth of the next generation. He strives to promote young performers and educators and often acts as a mentor to those entering the teaching community. He has extensive experience in business leadership through Oasis, Retail Jobs, and as a Manager of one of Arizona’s top haunted attraction companies. Austin wants to continue down the path paved by those before him in growing Arizona Marching Arts by focusing on offering accessible education to performers, educators, and designers. He wants to strengthen the community’s ties to each other to foster an environment where young educators feel well supported and integrated. Above all, Austin wants to strengthen WGAZ as a whole through open and clear communication to build trust, promote community involvement, and to help all voices be heard more than twice a year.

Percussion/Winds Liaison

Wardell King

Wardell has been involved with percussion education in Arizona for almost thirty years. Over the years he has worked with many high school ensembles as a clinician, consultant, designer and instructor. Knowing the need to inspire young performers, Wardell would often bring in feature artists like Ralph Hardimon for clinics and invite schools to come out and learn. Percussion in the state of Arizona is synonymous with the name Wardell King. He is widely respected by students and colleagues alike. Anyone who sits down to talk shop with Wardell understands the passion that he can ignite in everyone around him. He is driven to push boundaries and challenge those around him to keep up with him, and can be credited with much of the continuous growth of the percussion community in the state of Arizona. Recently Wardell has founded Vision Indoor Percussion which has seen immediate success, mirroring Wardell himself, the program has quickly grown and thrived. Wardell is currently on the WGAZ board, where he has served the WGAZ community several times over the last ten years. As an educator, Wardell brings a passion for percussion to all the students he works with. He challenges all of his students at all levels, and from all walks of life to be the best they can be. His approach to education holds his students to a high standard. His belief in his own students' success inspires them to be able to believe in themselves. Many of his former students are currently involved in the activity as instructors and continue to bring this philosophy to the next generation of students. Wardell has had a huge impact on the success of percussion and education in Arizona and in WGAZ.

The WGAZ Hall of Fame was formed to recognize and honor individual(s) that have had a positive impact on education and unit growth/awareness and have raised the level of creative and artistic standards of the winter color guard, percussion and winds activity in Arizona.

Our Inductees

Thien Quoc Pham

Thien grew up in Arizona participating with the Gilbert High School band and percussion programs. After high school he continued performing at ASU, ASU Indoor, and RCC. Thien gave back to Arizona and our youth by instructing at several high schools including Casa Grande, Basha, and Williams Field. Thien quickly became someone that you expected to see at any event. If there was something that needed to be done, he was the first person to step up and volunteer. His helpful and enthusiastic demeanor is what led Thien to join the WGAZ Board. Since joining the board in 2012 Thien has held multiple board positions, but more importantly, he has helped every single other board member through his time make sure they feel supported and are able to complete their job successfully. Thien has truly gone above and beyond for WGAZ, and throughout this time has always put the student experience first. As President, Thien has been an integral part of the success, growth, and newfound stability of WGAZ. His continuing support, dedication and ambition for WGAZ is going to push the circuit to new heights. Thien is truly worthy of having the honor of being the youngest person ever to be inducted into the WGAZ Hall of Fame.

Peter Gomez

Peter Gomez has been a member of the color guard community in Arizona for decades. He played a major role in the start and development of many color guard programs in the state, including the Academy Drum Corps Color Guard, Academy Winter Guard, and Academy Youth Guard. Peter served as the color guard caption head from 2004 to 2007 for the Academy Drum Corps as well as the Academy Independent Winter Guard which had the honor of being the first guard from Arizona to ever appear at WGI World Championship Finals. In just 4 short years with The Academy, Peter’s influence was spread throughout the circuit. He inspired a long lasting love for color guard into his students, and many of them are still involved with WGAZ to this day. Peter also served as a caption head, visual designer, and choreographer for Corona del Sol High School from 2005-2007 and held the same positions at Desert Vista High School from 2000-2009. His work both at the high school and independent level changed the trajectory of WGAZ, and was an integral part of bringing Arizona Color Guard into the modern world. Peter’s passion for his work was nothing short of inspiring. Those who have had the honor of learning from and working with Peter said:

“He was not only an incredible designer and choreographer, but he was also an amazing teacher. Peter was pivotal in the success of the programs he worked with and the further success of his students.”

“ Peter is truly one of the most knowledgeable, dependable, talented, and motivating individuals in this industry. He has significantly impacted the performing arts landscape across the nation and continues to be a champion for the growth of the activity here in Arizona.”

Wardell King

Wardell has been involved with percussion education in Arizona for almost thirty years. Over the years he has worked with many high school ensembles as a clinician, consultant, designer and instructor. Knowing the need to inspire young performers, Wardell would often bring in feature artists like Ralph Hardimon for clinics and invite schools to come out and learn. Percussion in the state of Arizona is synonymous with the name Wardell King. He is widely respected by students and colleagues alike. Anyone who sits down to talk shop with Wardell understands the passion that he can ignite in everyone around him. He is driven to push boundaries and challenge those around him to keep up with him, and can be credited with much of the continuous growth of the percussion community in the state of Arizona. Recently Wardell has founded Vision Indoor Percussion which has seen immediate success, mirroring Wardell himself, the program has quickly grown and thrived. Wardell is currently on the WGAZ board, where he has served the WGAZ community several times over the last ten years. As an educator, Wardell brings a passion for percussion to all the students he works with. He challenges all of his students at all levels, and from all walks of life to be the best they can be. His approach to education holds his students to a high standard. His belief in his own students' success inspires them to be able to believe in themselves. Many of his former students are currently involved in the activity as instructors and continue to bring this philosophy to the next generation of students. Wardell has had a huge impact on the success of percussion and education in Arizona and in WGAZ.

Brandy Dubose-King

Brandy Dubose-King has been an active contributor to the color guard community here in Arizona for over 15 years. Brandy has been a designer, instructor, board member, clinician, and consultant for programs at all levels from elementary color guards to drum corps to the flagship of our winter guard circuit, Fenix Independent World Guard. Brandy is always ready to jump in and support any program in any way and has truly been a blessing to our circuit. Brandy currently serves as the director of the Arizona State University Color Guard, director of Corona del Sol High School Color Guard, and the director of Fenix Independent World and A guards.

If all of that isn’t enough, she also serves and has served on the WGAZ board for many years putting in countless hours every season behind the scenes to ensure every performer has the most positive experience they can. As the Color Guard Liaison for WGAZ, Brandy has truly gone above and beyond in her duties to the organization. She works hard to host student and staff clinics each year to continue the education of not only the students, but the instructors as well. She has served on countless committees, worked hard to not only organize, but to host championships for several years, and is always looking for the next thing to better the color guard community in Arizona.

Her web of impact is massive with hundreds of performers and staff members that she has taught and mentored going on to direct their own groups and spread her contagious inspiration to the next generation. Brandy’s school of thought when in front of her team is to always be “teaching teachers”. She educates her students with the philosophy that they can take the information and relay it to their students one day. It is difficult to look around the instructor pool of WGAZ and find someone that Brandy has not impacted and taught in some way. WGAZ would truly not be where it is today without the impact of Brandy DuBose King.

WGAZ is proud to offer scholarships ever year. These scholarships go to students attending an institution of higher education who also exhibit passion for the sport of the arts as well as commitment and dedication to whatever they pursue. Applicants are asked to submit an application, two letters of recommendation, transcripts, a video and an essay detailing the impact WGAZ has had on their personal lives as well as explaining their potential use and or need for the scholarship.

The WGAZ scholarship committee reviewed a number of very strong applicants for this year’s scholarship program. It was very rewarding and exciting to read through their essays. WGAZ is truly lucky to have such talented and intelligent members as a part of its organization and every one of these students is a great asset to this activity.

This year, a total of $4500.00 will be given to individuals who received the highest scores from the Scholarship Committee.

Our scholars:

Catherine Iben from Corona del Sol Percussion Ensemble

Catherine is a senior at Corona del Sol H.S. She has been a member of the Corona del Sol Percussion Ensemble for 4 years. Throughout HS she has participated in the Environmental Awareness Club, and the Tempe Sister Cities Exchange Program. She has been the president of the Political Debate club and also the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society. She was Homecoming Queen this year. She plans to attend Arizona State University and double major at Barrett, the Honors College in Political Science and the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. Congratulations, Catherine! We wish you all the best!

Krysten Simmons from Casa Grande Indoor Percussion Ensemble

Krysten is a senior at Casa Grande HS. Krysten has been part of the Casa Grande Indoor Percussion for 4 years. She has taken advanced placement and honors classes throughout HS and has also taken several college courses at Central Arizona College as a HS student. She plans to attend Arizona State University Honors College and major in Project Management with a minor in environmental design. She hopes to someday work for one of the biggest environmental design companies in the world GENSLER.

Rianna Miller from Fenix Independent World

Rianna is a sophomore in college at Arizona State University. She is a member of Fenix Independent World. Although she puts many hours into practicing with this group, she also finds time to teach at Corona del Sol. She is currently working on her Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice. After she graduates from college, she plans to have a job in behavioral analysis for the FBI. This summer will be her second one marching with the Boston Crusaders Drum Corp. Congratulations, Rianna! We wish you all the best!

Brelyn Fidler from ASU Prep

Brelyn is a senior at ASU Prep. Brelyn has been in the ASU Prep colorguard since 1st grade for a total of 12 years. She is a member of NHS and has a love for music and plays the guitar. After she graduates from college, she plans to attend Arizona State University and work towards either a doctorate in Forensic Psychology or Veterinary Medicine. She plans to continue with color guard and hopes to march with the ASU Sun Devil Marching Band and Fenix Independent. Congratulations Brelyn! We wish you all the best!

Jessica Li from Basha Winterguard

Jessica is a senior at Basha H.S. She has been part of the colorguard for 4 years. Jessica has participated in many activities in HS. She is the president of both the Band Council and the Asian Cultural Ethics Club and is a member of NHS. She is a youth Equity Ambassador for the district and is a member of the first ever Asian American Native Steering committee. She has also participated as an intern for several years in Science is Fun. After high school, Jessica wants to continue learning more about the brain functions when children grow up learning two languages and how that can affect intellect when it comes to leaning more languages. Congratulations Jessica! We wish you all the best!

Emmerson Bainter from ASU Prep

Emmerson is a senior at ASU Prep. She has participated in the ASU color guard for 9 years. She is a member of the Key Club and is the student body historian for Student Government. She is in charge of documenting the various events and memories for our school. She supports the marketing for our Student Council. After high school she plans to attend Northern Arizona University and major in Chemistry to work towards becoming a cosmetic chemist. Congratulations Emmerson! We wish you all the best!

Thank you to all of the members who applied, and to all of the instructors and staff who encourage and inspire their students each and every day! Congratulations to all of our winners!

WGAZ is excited to announce the winner of its Director of The Year Award and Volunteer of the Year Award! We asked our community, including staff, parents and students to nominate current WGAZ directors and volunteer who made an impact on their lives, inspired growth within their students, and goes above and beyond their duties as a program director.

Kyle Edwards - Color Guard Director of the Year

Kyle Edwards is the director of the color guard programs at Combs High School where winter guard had not existed for over 5 years. Kyle took the initiative to not only recruit, teach, and design for their first season in years, but he also worked with his students on an outreach program to find funding and quality staff for the program. In addition to being the director of the program at Combs, Kyle is also the co-director at Mountain View HS, and on staff for FeniX Independent A and FeniX Independent World. Kyle is the type of person that doesn’t just get it done, but he finds a way to always be teaching his students in the process and involves them in each step. In just the first two seasons of establishing the winter guard at Combs, he has grown the program by 50%. Kyle is described by his band director as an “indispensable asset to Combs” and that certainly shines through in his programs and performers. He is truly one of the most passionate and hard-working individuals you will ever meet, and his first priority is always his students’ experience. Kyle received student testimonials from all 4 color guards that he is working this winter, here are some of the things his students had to say.

“Kyle’s information is always so helpful, and I often pass it down to my own students. I can always count on him to help me fix my tosses or get a better understanding on how to move forward.”

“Working with Kyle has been one of the highlights of my high school career.”

“Kyle being my instructor throughout high school has made my experience at Combs so great. He gave me a space to come to where I could bond with my friends and have a creative and active outlet. He passed his perseverance and his attitude of “try and you will succeed” that inspired me to not only do well in guard but in the rest of my schoolwork as-well”

“I’ve truly never had a staff member who cares so much about his students and is so motivated to help students”

“Kyle has a very deep and true understanding of Color Guard and has the incredible ability to share his knowledge and advice to any level of performer in a way they can personally understand. Further, Kyle is widely respected among his students for his friendly and hard-working demeanor, always showing up to every rehearsal willing to give his best effort no matter how exhausted he may be. I truly have never seen an educator so passionately committed to teaching and developing their students”

Kyle Edwards passion and dedication to his students is what makes him the 2022 WGAZ Colorguard Director of the Year.

Michael Hancock-Percussion/Winds Director of the Year

Michael Hancock has been a dedicated supporter of the marching arts in Arizona for over a decade. In his 17 years as a director Michael has helped lead jr. high indoor groups at multiple schools to success. For 7 year now, Mr. Hancock has been an admired and valuable member of the San Tan teaching staff, teaching all levels of band, drumline, and guitar. Michael excels in establishing and maintaining a positive learning environment and is widely respected and liked by the students, staff, faculty and parents and San Tan Junior High. In the short two years that Michael has with students, he challenges his students to be the best they can be. He inspires them to take their love of music and performance with them to high school, and his biggest priority is always the student experience. Mr. Hancock provides his students with many opportunities inside and outside of the classroom to learn and grow, and is always willing to put in the extra time to give his students another chance to perform. This is what makes Michael Hancock the 2022 WGAZ Percussion Director of the Year.

Chris Panneton - Volunteer of the Year

Dubbed lovingly as “Band Dad” by the students at Verrado High School, Chris goes above and beyond for his group ALL OF THE TIME! Chris drives the equipment truck, leads the parents group through major fundraiser projects, and currently serves as the President of the Booster Program. As the President, Chris was able to update the financial system and his professionalism has rallied parents to join the Booster program, Chris is truly responsible for the growth and organization of the Verrado Band Boosters. Hosting a WGI Regional and WGAZ Championships is no small task for any booster program. Chris was able to handle these tasks with grace. His knowledge, communication, and commitment is the reason the WGI regional at Verrado High School was successful, and why Championships this weekend will be the same. Chris is always willing to jump in and help, and is always willing to adapt and problem solve when things go wrong. Band Director, Tracy Meldrum says “Anything he touches pretty much turns to gold. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this “jack of all trades.” Chris is truly deserving of being the 2022 WGAZ Volunteer of the Year.

Percussion/Winds Raffle | Color Guard Raffle

Each year, WGAZ honors a Colorguard Director of the year, a Percussion/Winds Director of the year, and a Volunteer of the Year. These individuals are outstanding members of the community who have made an impact on the lives of their students and those around them. Their dedication to the activity, their unit, and their students go above and beyond. To show their impact, the nomination must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation, and at least two student testimonials.

Nominations close March 13, 2022 at 11:59PM Arizona Time

Click here to nominate a Director!

Click here to nominate a Volunteer!

WGAZ is looking for scholarship applicants for the 2022 season! We encourage all current seniors and college students to submit their applications. New for this year will be an added 45-60 second video showcasing applicants talents. For more information please contact Amy Kochis.

**NOTICE**

This application process requires the applicants to sign in with a valid G-Mail account.

Each applicant must provide the following in PDF Format: Two Letters of recommendation from individuals other than the group director. High School and/or College Transcript. SAT/ACT scores are optional.

PLEASE HAVE THESE ITEMS READY BEFORE COMPLETING THE FORM AS THEY WILL NEED TO BE ATTACHED AT TIME OF COMPLETION.

The 2022 Scholarship Application is now available. Applications are due March 13th, 2022.

Apply Here

Continuing this year, WGAZ is pleased to announce that we will be continuing to using GoFan for mobile ticketing for our events. Fans can purchase tickets online through the WGAZ GoFan page.

The continuing ticketing policy allows WGAZ to operate a more efficient and professional ticket gate while creating a safer and enhanced fan experience. Buying tickets online allows fans to access and share tickets easily by email or text without standing in line. Digital ticketing will also help promote social distancing while limiting person-to-person contact and the physical exchange of cash.

Fans are encouraged to buy tickets online prior to reaching the facility. For your convenience, signage will be set up at the venue to help fans navigate an online purchase quickly and easily.

To purchase event tickets, please visit https://gofan.co/app/school/AZ86318.

The WGAZ Hall of Fame was formed to recognize and honor individual(s) that have had a positive impact on education and unit growth/awareness and have raised the level of creative and artistic standards of the winter color guard, percussion and winds activity in Arizona.

This nomination requires TWO letters of recommendation and may be made by any unit band director/delegate/staff, executive board member, advisory board member, WGAZ administrative staff, Hall of Fame member or adjudicator who is NOT currently serving on the HOF review committee.

Click here to nominate someone for The Hall of Fame!

The WGAZ Recognition of Service Award was created to recognize and honor individual(s) for their dedication and commitment to the Winter Performing Arts and for their service and significant contributions to the success of the Winter Guard Arizona organization.

This nomination requires TWO letters of recommendation and may be made by any unit band director/delegate/staff, executive board member, advisory board member, WGAZ administrative staff, Hall of Fame member or adjudicator who is NOT currently serving on the HOF review committee.

Click here to nominate someone for their Recognition of Service!

We will be hosting our Judges Clinic on December 4th at Canyon View HS!

• Color Guard Education Clinic - 9AM-5PM
• Percussion/Winds Education Clinic - 10AM - 4PM
• Contest Administrator and Time & Penalty Training - 2PM - 4PM

Meals will be on your own.

The Judges Clinic will be open to all members and encouraged. For the 2022 season we are offering those who attend our educational clinic their own badge for the 2022 season. These badges will not count against the badges you'll receive for your group.

Clinician Bios

Julie Davila (Percussion)

Julie Davila is renowned percussionist, performer, music educator and clinician specializing in concert and marching percussion. She was inducted in to the WGI Percussion Hall of Fame in 2014, in recognition of over 20 years contributing to the marching arts activity as a leader, teacher, designer and adjudicator. Julie is a member of the chamber percussion ensemble the CAIXA TRIO, winner of a 2011 “Drummie” award by Drum Magazine.

In addition to her membership in the CAIXA TRIO, she currently serves as the 2nd Vice President on the Executive Committee for the Percussive Arts Society. She is the arranger and instructor for the Middle Tennessee State University Band of Blue Drumline, and additionally an adjunct professor of percussion at MTSU. Prior to her work at MTSU, she was the percussion specialist at several high schools in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of her groups have medaled in all divisions of the WGI activity and the John Overton High School Indoor drum line, under her direction won a National Championship.

Julie is a member of the WGI and DCI nationally recognized adjudication teams. As an active clinician specializing in contemporary and marching percussion, she has performed in Poland, China, Peru, Seoul, South Korea, Paris, France, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil and extensively throughout the United States. Julie is a proud alumni of the University of North Texas. She has published numerous marching and concert percussion ensembles and solos and is the author of the “Modern Multi-Tenor Techniques and Solos”, “Impressions on Wood” and “Inspirations 4 Mallets” and is a co-author of “Aptitude” an innovative solo snare book.

Julie is an endorser and clinician for Pearl/Adams, Innovative Percussion, the Avedis Zildjian Company, Grover Pro Percussion and Evans Drum Heads.

Ron Hardin (Percussion)

His visual designs have appeared in several BOA regional finals, won numerous state championships, circuit contests and have won three WGI Percussion Gold Medals.

Ron is in demand as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the world, having done many clinics throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Since 1999, Ron has served as a visual judge for Winter Guard International, annually adjudicating for many circuits, regionals and world championships.

Ron has performed judging clinics for NMEA, NSBA, WGI, numerous indoor percussion circuits and the Judging Association of Mid America. Ron has produced several instructional videos, and has appeared in WGI's "Meet the Judge" and “Top Secrets” series. He has also recorded several podcasts with Marching Roundtable. Ron has led instructional sessions in Tokyo, Japan and in the Netherlands.

As an instructor, Ron has led visual teams earning six DCI World Championships and ten High Visual Awards, most recently including the 2012, 2013 & 2016 John Brazale Best Visual Award, and the 2013 & 2015 Steve Brubaker Best General Effect Award.

Ron's experience in the drum corps activity is extensive, spanning over twenty years. As a performer, he spent the 1991 and 1992 seasons with the Star of Indiana. Upon the completion of his performing career, Ron joined the Blue Devils as a member of their visual staff. After eight seasons, he then spent five years as the Visual Caption Head of the Santa Clara Vanguard, and four years as Visual Caption Head of the Canton Bluecoats before his last stop as Visual Caption Head of the World Champion Carolina Crown, where he led the caption from 2012 to 2018.

In addition to instructing, Ron has designed visual programs for several drum corps, and mentored staff at many others. Ron has served as an instructor representative on the DCI Instructors' Task Force, Rules & Systems Task Force, the DCI Medical Project Advisory Board and WGI Percussion Advisory Board.

Before his career with Stanbury, Ron Hardin served as the director of Bands at Papillion - La Vista South High School. Ron took this position in 2014, and quickly led the program to national level recognition over two years. Prior to that appointment, Ron was the director of Bands at Bellevue East High School for 14 years, and led the Chieftains to many successful performances in all areas, including Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Jazz Bands, Indoor and Concert Percussion, Chamber Ensembles and Indoor Color Guard. Under his watch, the band programs have performed in ten different states. Ron spent the first six years of his career as the Director of Bands at Clayton Valley High School in Concord, CA.

Ron also has extensive history as a professional music educator and performer. He was the founder and past conductor of the Diablo Wind Symphony, and the Principal Conductor of the Omaha Symphonic Winds. In addition, he was the recipient of the Jack R. Snyder Young Band Director Award.

Courtney Allyson Mills (Color Guard)

Courtney Allyson Mills (she/her/hers) has over 25 years of dance education, freelance choreography and teaching experience in several facets of the performing arts. A graduate of Seminole High School in Seminole, Florida, Ms. Mills holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Texas Woman’s University nd a Master of Arts in Performance Psychology from National University. She also holds a specialization in Teaching Social-Emotional Learning from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Courtney is the Modern/Contemporary Dance teacher at the Center for Visual & Performing Arts in Arlington, Texas. Her responsibilities include the creation of the modern/contemporary dance program, as well as forming two dance companies that serve all six high schools in the district; The Contemporary Company: Arlington ISD and Company E. Previously, Ms. Mills was the dance and yoga teacher at Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, CO as well as the Director of the Smoky Hill Dance Collective. She also served as the Director of Dance at Bowie High School in Austin, Texas, where she taught the Silver Stars Drill Team and a myriad of other dance classes.

A Carolina Crown alumni, Courtney is proud to currently be on the visual team of the Phantom Regiment. This is her fifth consecutive year with Regiment and ninth overall. Courtney attributes her growth into the human she is today to her years marching and teaching drum corps and winter guard.

Ms. Mills is an active clinician, adjudicator, and choreographer. Additionally she frequently provides lectures, webinars, and presentations to a variety of organizations, most recently the National Congress for USA Gymnastics. A seasoned explorer, Courtney loves the mountains, hiking, and nature, as well as anything sports-related. When at home she is the caretaker of numerous (entirely too many) plants, Olive (her bulldog) and Betty (her tortie cat).

Bryan Scheidecker (Contest Administrator & Time&Penalty)

Bryan Scheidecker First got involved with music playing the saxophone in 4th grade at Jellick Elementary in Rowland Heights, CA on a big blue hollowed out school bus called the “Note Boat”. Little did he know that by walking onto that bus, his life would be changed forever.

Since 1999, Bryan has instructed at various schools and Drum Corps in Southern California and the Boston area in Massachusetts. In addition to instructing, Bryan is also a T&P adjudicator for the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA), Winter Guard Arizona (WGAZ), and Winter Guard International (WGI) indoor percussion circuits, as well as serving as a Contest Director for SCPA and WGAZ. Bryan was formerly the Assistant Director of Education for the Vic Firth Company and is currently the team lead for the Customer Service department at Fender Musical Instrument. Bryan also serves as co-chair for the Black Employee Resource Group helping grow diversity and inclusion at Fender.

As a performer, Bryan spent his four years at Ruben S. Ayala High School heavily involved in the instrumental music department, three of them in leadership roles. As an adult, he has played with artists such as Steve Wilkerson, Jeff Hamilton, the Jazz on the Latin Side All-stars, Poncho Sanchez, and as a soloist for Grammy Award winner Celine Dion.

Click here to check out the raffle

WGAZ is excited about the start of the 2022 season!

WGAZ uses the CompetitionSuite system for communication, tabulation, and commentary. It is free to sign up and is required for membership. Please follow these directions to register as a member of WGAZ.

1. If you do not have an account, please create an account here: https://competitionsuite.com/signup/
2. Click here to start your unit registration.
3. If you have multiple units you are able to register all of them at once.
4. If you have any questions, please email to [email protected]

(Be sure to provide your phone number to ensure you can access your commentary from your phone!)

WGAZ Fee Structure

Full WGAZ Membership ($900.00) includes:

• Up to 5 WGAZ Sanctioned Events plus Evaluation Show (Eval show equals 6 shows total)
• $125.00 Entry Fee for each WGAZ sanctioned IN-person event after 5
• WGAZ Championship Entry
• $25.00 Solo & $35.00 Small Group entry fee for each Solo & Small Group
• Voting Privileges at General Membership Meetings
• Online Access to WGI Adjudication Manual
• All WGAZ Mailings, Email Blasts, Competition Suite resources

General WGAZ Membership ($200.00) includes:

• $150.00 Entry Fee to each WGAZ sanctioned event (same cost for Evaluation Show)
• $100.00 Entry Fee to each WGAZ Virtual Event
• $300.00 Entry Fee to WGAZ Circuit Championships
• $25.00 Solo & $35.00 Small Group entry fee for each Solo & Small Group
• Voting Privileges at General Membership Meetings
• Online Access to WGI Adjudication Manual
• All WGAZ Mailings, Email Blasts, Competition Suite resources

Junior WGAZ Membership ($100.00) applies to Prep, Elementary, and Junior High/Middle School classes ONLY and includes:

• $85.00 Entry Fee to each WGAZ sanctioned event (same cost for Evaluation Show)
• $175.00 Entry Fee to WGAZ Circuit Championships
• $25.00 Solo & $35.00 Small Group entry fee for each Solo & Small Group
• Voting Privileges at General Membership Meetings
• Online Access to WGI Adjudication Manual
• All WGAZ Mailings, Email Blasts, Competition Suite resources

Registration will be online through Competition Suite beginning October 1st. Members must be registered by close of business **November 30th ** to avoid a late fee of $100.00, per unit.

Exhibition Units during Season Events – $75.00 - No refund for cancelation

Exhibition Units during Championships - $175.00 - No refund for cancelation

Plus Pass, each unit will be able to purchase additional passes for each regular season event, plus pass will include 7 additional passes for $42.00 per event selected. This is optional and not required. Championship Plus Pass will be made available once venue is set for both Championships. If interested please email [email protected]

****No refunds will be made after the 1st Evaluation Show of the Season****

A few changes this year:

The deposit for the event bid is now $300 for the 2022 season. This change was made to include floor tape that was previously purchased by individual event hosts. 8 rolls of floor tape are now included in the event deposit, and you will not be required to purchase tape after the fact, unless you require more than 8 rolls.

***WGAZ Clinic dates are now listed on the Event Partner Bid Form. When bidding for a CLINIC DATE ONLY, the fee does not apply***

When selecting events for 2022, the committee will be considering requests made from the WGAZ membership to enhance the performer and event experience. This can include things like bleacher height, gym size, and indoor warm up facilities (color guard only).

If you have any questions about hosting an event, please email Event Host Coordinator Mellanie Risch.

CLICK HERE to access the 2022 Bid Form!

The following nominees have accepted their board nominations, bios will be uploaded soon.

President - Thien Pham

Event Host Coordinator - Mellanie Risch

Color Guard Judges Coordinator - Scott Montoya

Secretary

(In submission order)

Tom Cervenka

Thomas Cervenka, a native of Tucson, is the director of Sahuarita Indoor Percussion and has been an educator in the marching arts for the last 10 years. He has worked as both a percussion instructor and Assistant Director for the Sahuarita High School Marching Band since 2012. After directing the Indoor Percussion program at Sabino High School during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Mr. Cervenka established the Sahuarita Indoor Percussion program in 2019 and formed Sahuarita Indoor Percussion Cadets as part of the 21st Century after school program at Sahuarita Middle School and Wrightson Ridge School. As an active drill writer, designer, and clinician for numerous marching and indoor programs across the state of Arizona, Mr. Cervenka’s impact has gone beyond the students he works with on a regular basis.

A lifelong musician, Mr. Cervenka began as a saxophone player in the Sahuarita music program. He continued his involvement with music at San Diego State University where he marched as part of the color guard before returning to Tucson. He is currently a saxophonist in the Green Valley Concert Band and gives private lessons in his spare time.

Mr. Cervenka’s dedication to his craft stems from his passion for creatively taking a small idea and developing it into a large artistic production. Through his programs, his hope is that students will learn valuable skills that will benefit them both in school and beyond. Mr. Cervenka has also been a valuable asset to his programs through grant-writing, coordinating local sponsorships, fundraising, and event-host for various fall and winter marching events.

During this past year, Mr. Cervenka worked tirelessly to provide his students with a worthwhile musical experience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. For his dedication and passion, he was awarded 2021 Percussion Director of the Year by WGAZ.

In addition to his commitment to WGAZ and the marching arts, Tom enjoys dining out, reality television, office supplies, and spending time with his partner (and their two ornery cats).

Juan Olivaros

Juan Jose Oliveros Saldana is an alumni of Arizona State University where he received his BFA in Studio Arts with a focus in Painting. Juan started his career in the marching arts in 2013 as a member of Breakthrough Indoor Percussion’s Front Ensemble. He performed as a mallet player for Breakthrough Indoor Percussion from 2013 through 2017, as well as for the Sun Devil Marching Band from 2013 through 2016, becoming section leader for both ensembles.

During his time as a performer, Juan also began his career as a music educator in 2015. Coming up on his 7th year of teaching, he is proudly the front ensemble coordinator at Basha High School (since 2019) and a front ensemble instructor for Flux Indoor Percussion (since 2019).

Through his years as a musician, educator, artist, and designer, Juan has developed a strong sense of communication skills that allow him to effectively present his ideas to his peers. He has also developed strong organizational skills, and is a strong problem solver for those around him.

Having been under WGAZ and WGI as both a teacher and performer, Juan plans to use his experience, resources, and viewpoint from both a scholastic and independent perspective to make a positive change and lasting impact for others involved in the marching arts in Arizona.

Percussion/Winds Judges Coordinator Nominees

(In submission order)

Bryan Scheidecker

Bryan Scheidecker First got involved with music playing the saxophone in 4th grade at Jellick Elementary in Rowland Heights, CA on a big blue hollowed out school bus called the “Note Boat”. Little did he know that by walking onto that bus, his life would be changed forever.

Since 1999, Bryan has instructed at various schools and Drum Corps in Southern California and the Boston area in Massachusetts. In addition to instructing, Bryan is also a T&P adjudicator for the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA), Winter Guard Arizona (WGAZ), and Winter Guard International (WGI) indoor percussion circuits, as well as serving as a Contest Director for SCPA and WGAZ. Bryan was formerly the Assistant Director of Education for the Vic Firth Company and is currently the team lead for the Customer Service department at Fender Musical Instrument. Bryan also serves as co-chair for the Black Employee Resource Group helping grow diversity and inclusion at Fender.

As a performer, Bryan spent his four years at Ruben S. Ayala High School heavily involved in the instrumental music department, three of them in leadership roles. As and adult, he has played with artists such as Steve Wilkerson, Jeff Hamilton, the Jazz on the Latin Side All-stars, Poncho Sanchez, and as a soloist for Grammy Award winner Celine Dion.

Zach Whittier

Zack Whittier has been involved in percussion and the marching arts since he was 14 years old as a freshman at Mountain View High School in Marana, AZ. While in school he was heavily involved in various musical idioms, including marching band, concert band, orchestra, choir, a capella, and performed both on stage and in the pit for musicals. Later, once at the University of Arizona, Zack performed in the Pride of Arizona drumline, was an active member of Tau Beta Sigma, and was a founding member of Amplified A Capella.

Zack started teaching at many schools across the state of Arizona in 2009. He founded long- lasting indoor performing ensembles, including the Canyon del Oro Indoor Percussion Ensemble and Mountain View High School Indoor Percussion in Tucson. Since then, he has taught, written, and designed for Mountain View HS (Tucson), Canyon del Oro HS, and Breakthrough Indoor Percussion. He continues to teach, write, and design for Mountain Pointe HS, Moon Valley HS, and Sandra Day O’Connor HS.

Concurrently with teaching, Zack performed with various high level competitive ensembles. He performed with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps from 2010-2012, from which he aged out as a front ensemble section leader and center marimba. During the winters, he performed with Fusion Percussion in Tucson, AZ in 2011 and 2012, then aged out with Pulse Percussion in 2013.

While at Northern Arizona University (NAU), Zack was an active member of the percussion studio. He performed as a member and soloist with the NAU Panorama Steel Band, was a member of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, traveled as a member of the NAU Wind Symphony to perform at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) convention, and traveled as a member of the NAU Symphony Orchestra to perform at the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) convention. During his time at the university Zack served as the President of NAU’s Phi Mu Alpha chapter and Vice President of the NAU Percussion Society, where he was in charge of outreach and coordinating visiting guest artists, clinics and clinicians, and artists-in-residency for the NAU percussion studio and School of Music. Throughout his studies and pedagogical endeavors, Zack has studied extensively with Homero Ceron, Dr. Steven Hemphill, Dr. Andrea Venet, Bryan Cooperrider, Glen Crosby, Sean Gordon, and Ian Grom.

WGAZ Recognition Awards are created to recognize outstanding contributions to Winter Guard, Winter Drumline, and Winter Winds in Arizona.

Click here to view our winners!

To our 2021 Scholarships winners!

WGAZ is proud to offer scholarships every year. These scholarships go to students attending an institution of higher education who also exhibit passion for the sport of the arts as well as commitment and dedication to whatever they pursue. Applicants are asked to submit an application, two letters of recommendation, transcripts and an essay detailing the impact WGAZ has had on their personal lives as well as explaining their potential use and or need for the scholarship.

The WGAZ scholarship committee reviewed a number of very strong applicants for this year’s scholarship program. It was very rewarding and exciting to read through their essays. WGAZ is truly lucky to have such talented and intelligent members as a part of its organization and every one of these students is a great asset to this activity.

This year, a total of $3000.00 will be given to individuals who received the highest scores from the Scholarship Committee.

Click here to see our scholarship winners!

Good Afternoon,

As we wrap up our 2021 Season, WGAZ would like to say congratulations! This past season was filled with some learning opportunities for everyone, some extraordinary shows, even with the sudden end to our season in 2020, we hope that this season proved to be a great experience for you and your performers.

As we reflect on 2021, and look forward to the 2022 season, WGAZ would like to invite you to the 2021 May membership meeting on May 2nd. We will be providing an In Person meeting option as well as a Virtual meeting option. If you choose to attend the in person meeting, Masks will be REQUIRED by all at all times. Be on the lookout for the invitation link to attend the virtual meeting in a future email.

Included at this meeting will be WGAZ Board Elections, as well as 2021 Amendments to the By-Laws, Policy & Procedures Proposals. Nominations will be open from now until April 24th.

WGAZ Board Positions up for Election include:

President, Secretary, Event Host Coordinator, Colorguard Judges Coordinator, Percussion Judges Coordination.

Job Descriptions for this position will be attached at the bottom of this email.

CLICK HERE To Nominate!

Nominations will be open until April 24th.

Reminder: Article IV Section 1 of WGAZ By-Laws

UNIT – Any color guard, percussion or winds ensemble is eligible for membership as a performing Unit in this Corporation. The Band Director or the Head Certified Employee that is the sponsor for the scholastic unit or Executive Director of Independent organizations will appoint one delegate per unit to vote in the election of the WGAZ Executive Board.

2021 Amendments to the By-Laws, Policy & Procedures Proposal

CLICK HERE To propose an amendment to the By-Laws or Policy & Procedures

This form will be open until April 24th.

Reminder: Article IV Section 1 of WGAZ By-Laws

ADVISORY BOARD - The Advisory Board will consist of the WGAZ Executive Board and the Advisory Committee delegates from the previous year’s medalists of each class or class division in Percussion/Winds and Color Guard. The Advisory Board votes on Bylaws and Policy and Procedure changes and advises the Executive Board on WGAZ matters. They shall have one vote each.

WGAZ Membership Meeting May 2, 2021

In Person and Virtual Option

*MASKS REQUIRED FOR IN PERSON MEETING*

11:00 AM Check in – Reception

11:30 AM Welcome! Introductions and Procedure

Advisory Board members must represent, with loyalty, the interests of WGAZ while participating in meetings and in their decision-making within the organization. This accountability supersedes any conflicting loyalty such as that to individual units.

11:45 AM Division Reports

- Treasurer’s Report and Recap – Cari Eng

- Judge’s Coordinators – Scott Montoya and Vi Tran Le

- Percussion/Winds Liaison – Peter Wood

- Color Guard Liaison – Brandy DuBose

12:00 PM Transition to advisory breakout rooms

12:15 PM Advisory Board separated

▪ Roll Call

12:25 PM Season recap

1:00 PM Proposals (Discuss and voting by category)

2:00 PM Return to General Meeting Room

2:15 PM Proposals for General Membership

Elections

▪ President, Secretary, Event Host Coordinator, Percussion/Winds Judge’s

Coordinator and Colorguard Judge’s Coordinator

2:45 PM Conclusion

WGAZ is looking for scholarship applicants for the 2021 season! We encourage all current seniors and college students to submit their applications. New for this year will be an added 45-60 second video showcasing applicants talents. For more information please contact Amy Kochis.

**NOTICE**

This application process requires the applicants to sign in with a valid G-Mail account.

Each applicant must provide the following in PDF Format: Two Letters of recommendation from individuals other than the group director. High School and/or College Transcript. SAT/ACT scores are optional.

PLEASE HAVE THESE ITEMS READY BEFORE COMPLETING THE FORM AS THEY WILL NEED TO BE ATTACHED AT TIME OF COMPLETION.

The 2021 Scholarship Application is now available. Applications are due April 2nd, 2021.

Apply Here

Nominations for Volunteer of the Year and Director of the year are OPEN! Nominations will be open throughout the month of March!

Volunteer of the Year

https://forms.gle/Se2yCzWBUK4JiMoe9

Director of the Year

https://forms.gle/tGAMycZdhvQE5vM69

Check it out!

With the cancellation of AIA Winter Sports leaving many with questions, WGAZ is committed to providing as many safe opportunities as possible for our community. Although our activity may be called Winterguard/percussion/winds, our season schedule aligns more with the schedule of Spring Sports.

At this time, WGAZ will be moving forward with the season as is. We are providing a platform for virtual units, solos and small groups to allow students an avenue to perform. As we continue to monitor the numbers, we will also continue to offer in person events as allowed by the measurable benchmarks used to keep us safe.

We understand that the mitigation plans of each district and unit may be different, and we ask that everyone follow the guidelines and mitigation plans put in place by their school, district, or organization. WGAZ trusts that our instructors, staff and students will make the right decisions based on their needs, and we encourage you to communicate with the board if you have any questions or concerns.

Stay Safe and Healthy.

Please welcome our new Vice President - Miles Denny and Treasurer - Cari Eng! We are thrilled for their addition to the executive board and confident their voices will continue to push the circuit forward. To learn more about our Vice President and Treasurer please check out their bios below.

Bios

Vice President - Miles Denny

Miles Denny is the current director of band at Basha High School and AMS Middle School in Chandler, Arizona. Prior to this, Miles Denny was the director of band and guitar at Smith Jr. High in Mesa, Arizona. Miles is a graduate of Arizona State with a Bachelors in Music Education. During his time at Arizona State, Miles studied under notable professors such as, JB Smith, Mark Sunkett, and Simone Mancuso.

During his past four years at Basha High, Miles has helped lead the program to a 2nd place championship in PSA in 2018 WGAZ, 1st place WGAZ PSA 2019, 1st Place WGI PSA Temecula Regional 2019, 1st Place WGI PSA Phoenix Region 2019, 1st Place WGI PSO Phoenix Regional 2020, and 1st Place WGAZ Championship WSA 2019.

In the Arizona music community, Miles has served as a judge and clinician, including WGAZ 2018-present, PAS 2017-2018 clinician, Mesa Honor Band 2017, and PAZ Music Camp 2017-2019. He was also honored to receive the WGAZ 2020 Percussion Directior of the Year award. In addition, Miles runs a private percussion studio ranging from elementary to high school students.

Miles Denny has a true passion for expanding students musical knowledge and appreciation beyond the mainstream band class. Hr strives to build a lifelong love of the arts in all of his students. Whether their focus be concert band, jazz band, percussion, or winterguard, Miles continually encourages his students to grow beyond the walls of his program and work to pursue the success of the arts in the community for a lifetime.

Treasurer- Cari Eng

Cari Eng, originally from Indianapolis Indiana, started out in the marching arts as a clarinet player turned color guard member. She was a member of the band and guard at Franklin Central High School where she had the honor of being a member of the WGI Open Class World Champion team in 2000. After high school, Cari joined the staff with the Franklin Central HS World Guard until she moved to Phoenix in 2003 after graduating from Indiana University with a BS in Computer Science.

In 2003, Cari joined Teach For America and began teaching and coaching here in Arizona. She currently works as a math teacher at Boulder Creek HS. Cari has been actively involved in the WGAZ circuit since 2005. She served as the Mountain Ridge HS Colorguard Director from 2005-2019 where she was responsible for managing both the Regional A JV Guard and the Open Varsity Guard including all of the finances in and out of the program. Cari is now the Colorguard Director at Boulder Creek HS.

In addition to being a member of the circuit, Cari has served previously on the Executive Board as Secretary for multiple terms before stepping down after the birth of her daughter in 2013. Since stepping away from the Executive Board, Cari has served on multiple committees for WGAZ including the Promotions, Bylaw Revisions, and Show Selection Committees as well as being a member of the Advisory Board each year.

Cari believes in the importance of the marching arts and is eager to once again serve the entire community by approaching each decision through the lens of supporting the performer experience because they are why we exist.

Vice President Nominees

(In submission order)

Miles Denny

Miles Denny is the current director of band at Basha High School and AMS Middle School in Chandler, Arizona. Prior to this, Miles Denny was the director of band and guitar at Smith Jr. High in Mesa, Arizona. Miles is a graduate of Arizona State with a Bachelors in Music Education. During his time at Arizona State, Miles studied under notable professors such as, JB Smith, Mark Sunkett, and Simone Mancuso.

During his past four years at Basha High, Miles has helped lead the program to a 2nd place championship in PSA in 2018 WGAZ, 1st place WGAZ PSA 2019, 1st Place WGI PSA Temecula Regional 2019, 1st Place WGI PSA Phoenix Region 2019, 1st Place WGI PSO Phoenix Regional 2020, and 1st Place WGAZ Championship WSA 2019.

In the Arizona music community, Miles has served as a judge and clinician, including WGAZ 2018-present, PAS 2017-2018 clinician, Mesa Honor Band 2017, and PAZ Music Camp 2017-2019. He was also honored to receive the WGAZ 2020 Percussion Directior of the Year award. In addition, Miles runs a private percussion studio ranging from elementary to high school students.

Miles Denny has a true passion for expanding students musical knowledge and appreciation beyond the mainstream band class. Hr strives to build a lifelong love of the arts in all of his students. Whether their focus be concert band, jazz band, percussion, or winterguard, Miles continually encourages his students to grow beyond the walls of his program and work to pursue the success of the arts in the community for a lifetime.

Bryan Scheidecker

Bryan Scheidecker First got involved with music playing the saxophone in 4th grade at Jellick Elementary in Rowland Heights, CA on a big blue hollowed out school bus called the “Note Boat”. Little did he know that by walking onto that bus, his life would be changed forever.

Since 1999, Bryan has instructed at various schools and Drum Corps in Southern California and the Boston area in Massachusetts. In addition to instructing, Bryan is also a T&P adjudicator for the Southern California Percussion Alliance (SCPA), Winter Guard Arizona (WGAZ), and Winter Guard International (WGI) indoor percussion circuits, as well as serving as a Contest Director for SCPA and WGAZ. Bryan was formerly the Assistant Director of Education for the Vic Firth Company and is currently the team lead for the Customer Service department at Fender Musical Instrument. Bryan also serves as co-chair for the Black Employee Resource Group helping grow diversity and inclusion at Fender.

As a performer, Bryan spent his four years at Ruben S. Ayala High School heavily involved in the instrumental music department, three of them in leadership roles. As and adult, he has played with artists such as Steve Wilkerson, Jeff Hamilton, the Jazz on the Latin Side All-stars, Poncho Sanchez, and as a soloist for Grammy Award winner Celine Dion.

Salvatore J. Boenzi

Entering his 12th year as a music educator, Salvatore J. Boenzi is the Director of Bands at Anza Trail School in Sahuarita, AZ. Salvatore’s background in theatre, music, dance, color guard, and design has afforded him a unique skillset that allows him a wide perspective of the Arts. From the 5 middle school bands he teaches at Anza Trail to the state champion winter guards he coached and designed for while at Walden Grove HS, he consistently fosters the growth of well-trained young performers who value themselves as much as their craft.

It is Salvatore’s philosophy that Art should move you and through Art we can better know ourselves and our community. With that in mind, he has a students-first approach towards music education and pageantry. A former performer with Fenix Independent World and Rhapsody World, he uses the lessons he learned from his mentors in those ensembles to develop and grow the color guard and band culture in Sahuarita, AZ. Music & Arts Education is about teaching young performers about life using Art as the medium. Currently, Salvatore freelances as a designer, choreographer, & judge in Southern Arizona and consults for groups around the western United States.

Keith Casey

My name is Keith Casey, and I have been involved in the pageantry arts for over 37 years. I started performing with my high school marching band at the age of 12. From there, I marched trumpet (soprano) for the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps (1987-1988) and mellophone for the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps (1989-1992) which was named DCI World Champions in 1991. During those years, I also performed with the Jacksonville State University Marching Southerners where I served as drum major (1990, 1991, and 1993) in addition to playing cymbals in the winter to compete with our university percussion line at PASIC. I was also fortunate enough to march the last year of the State Street Review Winterguard in 1993 where we received the Bronze Medal in Independent World at WGI. After aging out, I transitioned to instructing and spent 13 years working with various high schools in Cobb County, Georgia. I served as the Assistant Guard Director at Lassiter HS (1996-2000). While at Lassiter HS, our programs achieved recognition as the 1996 WGI Scholastic A Class Champions, the 1997 WGI Scholastic Open Class Champions, and 1998 Bands of America Grand Nationals Champions. I also served as Guard Director at Wheeler HS (2000-2002), and at Alan C. Pope HS (2002-2007). From there, I moved to Arizona and served as Guard Director at Mesquite HS (2007-2012) and Desert Vista HS (2012-now).

My passion for the arts also crosses over into my daily life and profession as a 22-year veteran English teacher. I hold a BA in English from Jacksonville State University (1994) and a BS in Secondary English Education from Kennesaw State University (1997). I am currently the Senior English Level Chair at Desert Vista HS where I am responsible for creating all of the course content and curriculum for that level.

Prior to moving to Arizona, I was very active in the Southeastern Color Guard Circuit and was an inaugural member of the Southern Association of Performing Arts which is comprised of scholastic and independent color guard units from Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. While living in Arizona, and I have been a very active member in the circuit. I have served as the Colorguard Liaison and worked to consistently push my programs to compete on the regional and national stage.

Given my varied and extensive background in numerous aspects of the pageantry arts, I feel that I can offer an extremely unique perspective since I have marched and instructed winterguard, winter percussion, and winds. As a result of my varied experiences, I feel that I can understand the needs and concerns of all performing groups within our WGAZ community. I want to be someone who is here for the entire membership and not just one particular group. I have been a part of this activity for quite a long time and seen major paradigm shifts over the years; however, the one thing that never changes is the goal of giving young performers the best possible experience in this activity, so I want to help cultivate them in any way I can by making certain the instructors are getting what they need for success from the executive board. I am also one who realizes the limits to my knowledge and would openly seek advice and counsel from the membership which carries a wealth of information from the newest to the oldest instructor.

The one thing I want you all to understand is that I will make it my mission to listen to each and every concern or worry that you might have as a member. Your voice deserves to be heard and that is what I want to do for you. My ultimate goal is to serve the membership; therefore, I would consider it an honor to serve our WGAZ community as your next vice-president.

Treasurer Nominee

(In submission order)

Hapie Denfeld

Hapie Denfeld became a fan and supporter of the Arizona marching arts in 2009 when her niece began participating with her high school marching band and winterguard. Since then, both of her sons and now her daughter have all participated on the scholastic and independent levels. In 2014, Hapie began volunteering with the Academy Drum & Bugle Corps and then the Colt Cadet Drum & Bugle Corps in 2015 through the 2016 season. In December of 2016 she became the Assistant Business Manager for the Academy DBC through the 2019 season. During her time at the Academy she worked with the Business Manager to enter member fees and receive payments, tour expenses were tracked and entered, and accounts were reconciled. In 2018 Hapie was given the opportunity to support two local independent groups. She joined Oasis Ensembles as a Board Advisor and Flux Indoor Percussion as the Business Manager. For the last 14 years, Hapie has also run her own business and has over 14 years of QuickBooks and financial experience.

Cari Eng

Cari Eng, originally from Indianapolis Indiana, started out in the marching arts as a clarinet player turned color guard member. She was a member of the band and guard at Franklin Central High School where she had the honor of being a member of the WGI Open Class World Champion team in 2000. After high school, Cari joined the staff with the Franklin Central HS World Guard until she moved to Phoenix in 2003 after graduating from Indiana University with a BS in Computer Science.

In 2003, Cari joined Teach For America and began teaching and coaching here in Arizona. She currently works as a math teacher at Boulder Creek HS. Cari has been actively involved in the WGAZ circuit since 2005. She served as the Mountain Ridge HS Colorguard Director from 2005-2019 where she was responsible for managing both the Regional A JV Guard and the Open Varsity Guard including all of the finances in and out of the program. Cari is now the Colorguard Director at Boulder Creek HS.

In addition to being a member of the circuit, Cari has served previously on the Executive Board as Secretary for multiple terms before stepping down after the birth of her daughter in 2013. Since stepping away from the Executive Board, Cari has served on multiple committees for WGAZ including the Promotions, Bylaw Revisions, and Show Selection Committees as well as being a member of the Advisory Board each year.

Cari believes in the importance of the marching arts and is eager to once again serve the entire community by approaching each decision through the lens of supporting the performer experience because they are why we exist.

Nominations for Vice-President

The Executive Board recently voted to accept the resignation of Lisa Wood as President for WGAZ. Given the acceptance of her resignation Thien Pham will advance to President and a Vice-President vacancy is now open on the Executive Board. Given our recent Bylaws that passed in September a special election will take place to fill the office of Vice-President. The board will have 30 days to fill the office. With the new development, we will be moving up the vote for Treasurer to happen at the same time so that we can move forward with our plans for 2021. The board has the ability to fill the vacancy for Treasurer, however, the vote by our membership will aid the board in appointing the new Treasurer. We wish Lisa all the best with her new promotion and she would want us to continue on the many great strides she has made for our organization. Thien has been in the position of Vice-President for many years, and the Board has full confidence that he will continue to lead us with confidence and a fighting spirit that will guide our season to be successful.

ARTICLE VI

Elections of Executive Board Members

Section 5. Vacancies. Vacancies will be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Board except in the case of President. The Vice-President shall advance to President and a special election will be held within thirty (30) days to fill the office of Vice- President.

ARTICLE IV

Members Section 1.

Membership Classifications and Voting Rights. WGAZ has three levels of Membership:

UNIT – Any color guard, percussion or winds ensemble is eligible for membership as a performing Unit in this Corporation. The Band Director or the Head Certified Employee that is the sponsor for the scholastic unit or Executive Director of Independent organizations will appoint one delegate per unit to vote in the election of the WGAZ Executive Board.

We will be holding a special election on November 6th. Each program has been sent an email to select your delegates, if you have not done this you will need to get this done in order to be the selected delegate for this vote. The ballot will go live November 6th, by 7:00am and will close at 7:00pm (AZ time) for the delegates to cast their vote.

October 8 - Open Nominations

October 30 - Close Nominations

November 6 - Elections and Results

Nomination form: https://forms.gle/fzkBLYcKF3BvTJsTA

Unit delegation form: https://forms.gle/piwd7KdxVgrAWmBu7

Below you will find the description listed on our current Bylaws of the duties of the Vice-President and Treasurer positions. Please find the nomination form on the WGAZ website and Competition Suite. All nominees and Bios will be posted for review on October 31, 2020.

ARTICLE IV

Officers and Duties

Section 3. Vice President

3.1 Length of Service: 2 years and/or until a successor is elected.

3.2 Responsibilities: The Vice President shall:

3.2.1 perform the duties of the President when the President is absent.

3.2.2 serve as custodian of the Historical Records, such as, but not limited, to membership certification, insurance verification, past champions of WGAZ, etc.

3.2.3 be an authorized signatory on the bank accounts of the corporation.

3.2.4 perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.

Section 4. Treasurer

4.1 Length of Service: 2 years and/or until a successor is elected.

4.2 Responsibilities: The Treasurer shall:

4.2.1 oversee the collection of membership fees.

4.2.2 oversee the budget of the corporation and notify the board when the budget needs amended.

4.2.3 have charge of, control of, and be responsible for funds of the corporation at events.

4.2.4 receive and give receipts for all monies due and payable to the corporation from any source and deposit all such monies in the name of the corporation in such banks as selected by the WGAZ Officers.

4.2.5 work closely with the corporation’s accountant and give financial reports at all board meetings.

4.2.6 shall not be an authorized signatory of the bank accounts of the corporation.

4.2.7 have the accounts audited annually and upon change of Treasurer.

4.2.8 perform all the duties incidental to the position of Treasurer.

4.2.9 perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.

Under the new 2020 Bylaws passed at our September membership meeting the Treasure position will take a seat on the Executive Board with voting privileges instead of a paid position. Bylaw 3.1 The elected positions on the Executive Board shall be elected by ballot to serve for two years or until their successors are elected.

ARTICLE IV Members Section 1.

Membership Classifications and Voting Rights. WGAZ has three levels of Membership:

UNIT – Any color guard, percussion or winds ensemble is eligible for membership as a performing Unit in this Corporation. The Band Director or the Head Certified Employee that is the sponsor for the scholastic unit or Executive Director of Independent organizations will appoint one delegate per unit to vote in the election of the WGAZ Executive Board.

We will be holding a special election on November 24th. Each unit will receive an email to confirm their delegate and alternate for the season which must be completed by COB November 17, 2020. The ballot will go live November 24th, by 9:00am and will close at 5:00pm (AZ time) for the delegates to cast their vote.

• September 22 - Open Nominations
• November 17 - Close Nominations
• November 24 - Elections and Results

Below you will find the description listed on our current Bylaws of the duties of the Treasurer position. Please find the nomination form on the WGAZ website and Competition Suite. All nominees and Bios will be posted for review on November 18, 2020.

Nomination form: https://forms.gle/fzkBLYcKF3BvTJsTA

Unit delegation form: https://forms.gle/piwd7KdxVgrAWmBu7

Section 4. Treasurer

4.1 Length of Service: 2 years and/or until a successor is elected.

4.2 Responsibilities: The Treasurer shall:

4.2.1 oversee the collection of membership fees.

4.2.2 oversee the budget of the corporation and notify the board when the budget needs amended.

4.2.3 have charge of, control of, and be responsible for funds of the corporation at events.

4.2.4 receive and give receipts for all monies due and payable to the corporation from any source and deposit all such monies in the name of the corporation in such banks as selected by the WGAZ Officers.

4.2.5 work closely with the corporation’s accountant and give financial reports at all board meetings.

4.2.6 shall not be an authorized signatory of the bank accounts of the corporation.

4.2.7 have the accounts audited annually and upon change of Treasurer.

4.2.8 perform all the duties incidental to the position of Treasurer.

4.2.9 perform such other duties as may be assigned by the President.

ARTICLE VI

Elections of Executive Board Members

Section 1. Elected Positions. The following Executive Board Members are elected: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Percussion Judges’ Coordinator, Color Guard Judges’ Coordinator, Event Host Coordinator, Percussion Liaison and Color Guard Liaison.

Section 2. Nomination Procedure, Time of Elections.

2.1 Nominating Committee. At least two months prior to Elections, a nominating committee of three or more shall be appointed by the Executive Board. The Nominating Committee shall:

2.1.1 receive candidate nominations for end-of-term positions on the Executive Board for the election meeting held after the conclusion of the season.

2.1.2 receive nominations three weeks prior to the election meeting, at which time nominations will be closed.

2.1.3 present the candidates at the Executive Board Meeting prior to elections.

2.1.4 send notice of candidates nominated and the election procedures (to be determined by the current board) to voting members.

2.2 Elections. Elections will be held after the season is complete, prior to the start of the Fiscal year.

Section 3. Ballot Election, Term of Office, Removal from Office.

3.1 The elected positions on the Executive Board shall be elected by ballot to serve for two years or until their successors are elected.

3.2 The term of office shall begin with the first day of the WGAZ Fiscal year, which is June 1.

3.3 Board positions of President, Secretary, Color Guard Judges’ Coordinator, Percussion Judges’ Coordinator, and Event Host Coordinator shall be elected in alternating years of Vice-President, Treasurer, Percussion Liaison and Color Guard Liaison.

3.4 Executive Board Members may be removed from office without cause by a ⅔ majority vote of the Executive Board. Any Board member may be removed from office for missing three consecutive WGAZ meetings without prior notice or failure to perform their designated duties.

Section 4. Office-Holding Limitations. No member shall hold more than one board position at a time and no member shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same board position unless no other is willing to serve.

Section 5. Vacancies. Vacancies will be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Board except in the case of President. The Vice-President shall advance to President and a special election will be held within thirty (30) days to fill the office of Vice- President.

Our September Membership Meeting will be hosted virtually via Zoom on September 13th starting with the Advisory Meeting at 11:30 AM Arizona Time. Please note that registering for the meeting is required in order to assign you to the correct break out rooms. Registration will close September 9th, 5:00pm Arizona Time.

Register here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

A reminder for voting members:

• Voting members will have until September 9th, 5:00pm Arizona Time, to email Thien Pham ([email protected]) to assign themselves to their respective unit.
• If selecting a proxy, please email Thien Pham ([email protected]) giving the proxy permission to vote on your unit's behalf. (Please include email address of proxy)
• As a reminder proxies must be 18 years of age and may not be a performing member of said group.
• Delegates may represent only one unit.
• Voting will be done through Competition Suite. ( https://competitionsuite.com/overview/)
• Confirmation email will be sent out by September 11th, 5:00pm Arizona Time. At which point you will see "2020 September Voting" on your Competition Suite overview page. (No voting will take place during this day)
• On September 13th, voting will open up during the membership meeting.
• Results will be announced at the meeting.

WGAZ Proposed Bylaws and Policy & Procedures Revision

Happy Sunday Everyone! Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and can’t wait to see you all in three weeks for our September Virtual membership meeting. It is my pleasure to provide a presentation for everyone today that talks about a project that myself, Karen Ferrin, the board and a committee of current members for the bylaws and policy and procedures has been working on this summer.

Two years ago, I did research with 7 other organizations like ours to help build a stronger foundation with our Bylaws and Policy and Procedures. We began a process that was needed to help us run our organization closer to the Roberts Rules of Order. Which has been around to help bring order to non-profit groups for decades. Karen Ferrin works for Gilbert Public School District guiding all nonprofit groups in the district to establish and setup their organizations, so we asked for her guidance this spring to review our current organization documents and her suggestions and knowledge have been pivotal in finishing the project we started 2 years ago.

As many of you know we created two documents, 1) Bylaws - these are to establish the actual workings of the organization. This controls the actions of the organization. 2) Policy and Procedures - guides decisions to achieve the outcome desired by the organization as set in the bylaws. As advised, this was the best first step in making our organization stronger, however with time on our hands we took a deeper look at ourselves and realized the template needed more structure as well as some content needed to be moved to the policy and procedures manual. Today we stand in a stronger place than two years ago when we started. We have used the Robert’s Rules of Order template to begin to move more items that belonged in the Policy & Procedures.

The task at hand was taking a look at how the organization is ran. The current model of how our organization operates, is we have 153 units who elects 8 board members to run the organization. With the growth the last few years the board agreed that the members should take a more active and collaborative role in supporting the organization. The board and the bylaws and policy & procedure committee looked at 4 different versions on how the organization could operate moving forward and landed on the current version we are proposing today. It is our goal to create layers to our organization that directly affect change and expand the strength of its members. By doing so we felt it was needed to get more individuals involved on a secondary level. Creating an Advisory board that would continue the growth of the members and be a guiding voice for the Executive Board.

The board is committed to our students, staff, volunteers and the future growth in the state of Arizona, to provide quality performances and education on all levels of our organization. I am proud at the opportunity that was given to me two years ago as well as this summer to be a part of something that is going to make a difference for our students to have a solid foundation to thrive and guide the activity for those who come through WGAZ.

Thank you so much for your time and I am excited to hear feedback and discussion at the upcoming September Virtual Membership Meeting.

Thank you,

Brandy DuBose

Colorguard Liaison

Request for Proposal Solicitation for: 2021/2022 Apparel Provider

WGAZ is excited to present the Request for Proposal (RFP) Solicitation for 2021/2022 Apparel Provider.

We appreciate your interest in partnering with WGAZ, the RFP document will be located on the home page of the WGAZ website starting July 15^, 2020 and will be removed by close of business August 15, 2020. Our Request for Proposal (RFP) committee looks forward to reviewing your partnership offer with WGAZ. Please complete your written bid in the format provided on the cover page no later than August 15, 2020.

Sincerely,

Your WGAZ Board

WGAZ will be presenting an online education forum on the Regional A sheets hosted by Scott Montoya and moderated by Brandy DuBose.

All band directors, students, instructors, staff and judges are encouraged and welcome to attend. The forums will be presented by current WGAZ judges and some of Arizona’s most successful directors with active Q&A sessions around each topic.

This is an exciting virtual opportunity to learn through two lenses: First, discover what the judging community is looking for based on the judging criteria outlined and how to use structural platform to lead you through the design process; from the beginning! Next, learn what successful program directors do to efficiently process efforts, streamline growth and minimize doubt with their strategies towards the various areas of focus without abandonment of strategy; what makes the entire concept click and what are their tips to move quickly in the virtual environment we are all working in currently! WGAZ wants to help bring the process full circle with additional topics of discussion on best practices for preparing for and guiding critique for your group and utilizing the feedback you receive each week during active season to reach your program goals.

Movement Sheet

• Wednesday, June 17 @ 7 PM
• Nicole Hamilton: Rincon University HS
• Catherine Plant: WGAZ Movement Judge
• Google Meet Info:
  
  • https://meet.google.com/kif-ygvj-mrd
  • Dial-in:(US) +1 925-718-6831 PIN: 271 427 937#

Equipment Sheet

• Wednesday, June 24 @ 7 PM
• Cody Schmidlin: Canyon Del Oro HS
• Dennis Romero: WGAZ Equipment Judge
• Google Meet Info:
  
  • https://meet.google.com/yxa-gfuq-neh
• • Dial-in:(US) +1 208-718-1643 PIN: 891 495 290#

General Effect

• Tuesday, June 30 @ 7 PM
• Keith Casey: Desert Vista HS
• Tony Christofano: WGAZ GE Judge
• Google Meet Info:
  
  • https://meet.google.com/vmt-amst-wyt
  • Dial-in:(US) +1 252-701-1090 PIN: 502 609 493#

Design Analysis

• Wednesday, July 8 @ 7 PM
• Austin Yost: Oasis WG, Higley HS and Academy Drum & Bugle Corps
• Scott Montoya: WGAZ DA Judge
• Google Meet Info:
  
  • https://meet.google.com/jjd-hyot-pvc
  • Dial-in:(US) +1 315-801-9469 PIN: 126 782 844#

Each week, WGAZ will be spotlighting it's 2020 seniors!

Although this may not be the end of your season the way you imagined it, we are very proud of the work you have put in and the journey you have traveled. We wish you all a safe and happy summer.

Check them out here! Congratulations Graduates!!!

To: WGAZ Voting Membership

In the past few days we have had a few questions around the virtual vote pertaining to Emergency COVID-19 Revision that will occur this Sunday, May 10th. We want to thank those individuals that asked for clarity so WGAZ could review what we felt at the time was clear messaging. Your voice matters and we take all questions pertaining to our Bylaws and Policy & Procedures very seriously, we hope this message will clear up any misunderstandings.

We are sending out this email to help clarify any confusion that the use of the word "revision" may have caused our membership in the Emergency COVID-19 Revision. WGAZ does not intend to amend Bylaw 6.0 - Election of Officers. We wish to temporary suspend elections by invoking Policy 8.1.4 - Temporary Suspensions in the 2019-2020 WGAZ Policy and Procedure Manual (i.e. Bylaw 11.2)

8.1.4 Temporary Suspensions: Any of the by-laws of the Circuit may be temporarily suspended by a two thirds majority vote of the member units present and voting at any meeting of the Circuit.

In the 2019-2020 WGAZ Policy and Procedures Manual, Section 8.2 it states:

8.2 Changes to this section may be made by General Membership with the approval of the Board of Directors for those matters with a financial impact or which relate to the bylaws of WGAZ.

Health Emergencies supersede any rules or regulations requiring in-person meetings if they pose a risk to a person's health. As we are not permitted to gather in groups over 10 due to COVID-19 restrictions set in place by our State Government, the WGAZ Board has approved to proceed with the vote to Temporarily Suspend Bylaw 6.0 - Election of Officers through Competition Suite on May 10th after our Q&A forum.

Thank you again

WGAZ is excited to announce the winner of its first annual Director of The Year Award! We asked our community, including staff, parents and students to nominate current WGAZ directors who made an impact on their lives, inspired growth within their students, and goes above and beyond their duties as a program director. The selection committee received 47 deserving nominations.

This years WGAZ Percussion Director of the Year goes to Miles Denny from Basha High School!

Here are some of the things said about Percussion Director of the Year, Miles Denny.

“Watching us grow as a program and unit with his guidance has been nothing short of amazing, and I am incredibly impressed with how he has succeeded at leading me and my fellow percussionists.”

“he reached out to me after a rough competition to make sure I was okay.”

“Miles has never lost his focus and his attention to the students. Definitely has shown an incredible amount of grace”

“Miles is kind, supportive and encouraging with our students, never harsh or mean. He's always willing to listen,and give help to student when they need it. He is fun teacher and mentor and incredibly down to earth and humble. He appreciates and is grateful for the help the Boosters given him. Say's "thank you!" often. All band students and parents in our band programs adore him. We support him 110% We all know he's gone above and beyond”

“Mr. Denny is one of the most respectable individuals I have ever met and he has the biggest heart of anyone I know.”

“I wouldn't be who I am today without him, both as a person and as a percussionist.”

Congratulations Miles Denny!

WGAZ is excited to announce the winner of its first annual Director of The Year Award! We asked our community, including staff, parents and students to nominate current WGAZ directors who made an impact on their lives, inspired growth within their students, and goes above and beyond their duties as a program director. The selection committee received 47 deserving nominations.

This year’s WGAZ Colorguard Director of the Year goes to Nicole Hamilton from University High School!

Here are some of the things said about Colorguard Director of the Year, Nicole Hamilton.

“Ms. Hamilton is truly an inspiration. She puts every ounce of energy she has into teaching, coaching and mentoring all of her students”

“She is an amazing person and teacher, in and outside of guard.”

“Mrs. Hamilton is one of the most driven, dedicated, passionate, and ardent directors of color guard, both in and outside of the activity.”

“Mrs. Hamilton sacrifices nearly all of her free time to coach our three different and unique winter guards, taking time not only to inspire each member (around fifty in total) at rehearsals, but also to guarantee the best end result of each show”

“She is always emphasizing both technical growth within the sport, but also individual growth as team members and unique individuals. Her individual faith in every member makes all the difference both in and out of color guard.”

Congratulations Nicole Hamilton!

WGAZ is excited to announce the winner of its first annual Volunteer of The Year Award! We asked our community, including staff, parents and students to nominate current WGAZ circuit or unit volunteers who made an impact on their lives, and surpass the expected duties of a volunteer. The selection committee received many deserving nominations.

This years WGAZ Volunteer of the Year goes to Sandra VanDusen!

Here are some of the things said about WGAZ Volunteer of the Year, Sandra VanDusen.

“Sandra is one of those people that goes above beyond at every moment.”

“Sandra knows that these programs don’t work without volunteers and that giving the kids what they need is what matters the most”

“Now that all of her kids have graduated high school, you would think she would slow down and back off the band/guard responsibilities, but Sandra has not. This year she has been working hard with the Sun Devil Marching Band, Fenix Independent, and is also helping me out tremendously with apparel and fundraising at Boulder Creek High School. Sandra has a huge heart and honestly just loves being a part of the marching arts. Her passion to volunteer comes from a desire to create the most memorable and positive experiences for all students”

“Sandra has always gone above and beyond for her organization. She has helped with driving, fundraising, projects and anything else being asked of her.“

“Sandra is always proactive in her volunteering and coming up with ideas. She truly is a gem!”

Congratulations, Sandra VanDusen!

Each year, WGAZ offers scholarships to performers who pursue academic excellence. All participants who are high school seniors or enrolled in college were invited to submit applications. The WGAZ Scholarship Committee reviewed each application, essay and video to select students who stand out in academic, artistic, and personal achievements.

This year, a total of $4500 will be given to the color guard and drumline members who received the highest scores from the Scholarship Committee.

Color Guard Winners:

Our first winner is Elijah Quinto from Maricopa Gems Winterguard!

Elijah is a senior at Maricopa High School. Along with marching in their winterguard program, Elijah was also involved in orchestra for three years where they played the cello and was the cello section leader. One of Elijah's proudest moment in their color guard career was earning the title of color guard captan. After graduation, Elijah will be attending Arizona State University to pursue a degree in Kinesiology and hopes to march with FeniX Independent.

Our second winners is Alyssa Caldwell from Campo Verde Varsity Guard!

Alyssa has been with the Campo Verde Color Guard for four years and became captain starting their sophomore year. Besides marching, Alyssa helped established a color guard program at South Valley Junior High, plays one in the Wind Ensemble and involved in the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. Alyssa plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in behavioral and social sciences field at Arizona State University Barrett Honors College. Alyssa also plans to audition for ASU Sun Devil Marching band for the fall and either FeniX or Oasis for the winter.

Our third winner is Megan Bulson from Williams Field-Black!

Megan started color guard in middle school and has been hooked ever since. This will be Megan's fifth season and was awarded most valuable performer last year. In Megan's free time they help volunteer at Gateway Pointe Elementary School by teaching the younger students learn color guard work and help choreograph for Gateway Pointe. Outside of the color guard activity, Megan is the treasure of Best Buddies, which is a club to promote friendship between special needs students and the Williams Field High School student body. After high school, Megan plans to become a registered nurse by attending Arizona State University.

Percussion Winners:

Our first winner is Belle Kurtz from Breakthrough Indoor Percussion!

Belle started their marching career at Desert Vista High School as a flute player helping take home first all four years. In 2017, Belle made the switch from flute to percussion and played their first season for Phenom Drum and Bugle Corps (Sound Sport at the time). Currently, Belle is attending a community college and plans to transfer to Arizona State University to pursue music education/performance.

Our second winner is Samantha Olsen from Basha Indoor Percussion Ensemble!

Basha High School has provided Samantha a wide variety of music classes and activities to participate in. They spent four years in the following classes: Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Band and Percussion Ensemble. Outside of school, Samantha has participated in a variety of orchestral ensembles, including the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, the Phoenix Youth Symphonette, and the Gilbert Symphony Orchestra. In college, Samantha's current plan is to receive a bachelor’s in music education and become a music educator.

Our third winner is Trey Spencer from Casa Grande Indoor Percussion Ensemble!

Trey has been a member of The Pride of Casa Grande Fall Marching Band and Casa Grande Indoor Percussion Ensemble for four years. Trey started as a tenor sax player their freshman fall season and was on toms their freshman winter season. They are proud to say that Casa Grande Indoor Percussion Ensemble is the only high school this year marching in the World Class Division. Outside of school Trey has been drumming at their church since 7th grade. Trey will be attending Grand Canyon University in the Fall and major in Business Administration.

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Thank you to all of the members who applied, and to all of the instructors and staff who encourage and inspire their students each and every day!

Congratulations to all of our winners!

To Our WGAZ Family,

We continue to monitor daily, the COVID-19 (Corona Virus) and the impact it is having on large gatherings and meetings. The Board is here to ensure that we have the health and safety of our membership as our top priority. The next Executive Board meeting will be done online and we will be discussing a number of items on our agenda as we wrap up the season which was unfortunately shortened.

Given the current situation we have decided to postpone the May membership meeting as well as Elections until such time that we may have an in-person meeting and elections. We will continue with the current board to handle the current situations and once we are able to resume activities we will hold our May meeting to vote on proposals and board elections.

Board Position Nominations:

WGAZ Board Positions opening up (see bylaw sections 11 & 12).

These positions include:

• President
• Color Guard Judges Coordinator
• Percussion Judges Coordinator
• Show Host Coordinator

Nominations should be directed towards the nomination committee (members of the circuit) at [email protected]

Please include an email address, phone number for the nominee and the position being nominated for.

Nominations will be open March 30^th through April 20^th

2021 Bylaw and Policy & Procedure Proposals

Each year we have the opportunity to improve on the experience for our membership. Here is a way for you to affect change in areas where you see improvements can be made. Here is the link to submit your proposals. Again, we will vote on these proposals once we are able to resume large meetings at our postponed Maymeeting, we recognize that in-person discussions before voting are vital to the process which is why we will not do an online vote. Please make sure you have the current bylaws and policy and procedures of the website to make sure you have the most updated information on how we operate WGAZ. Knowing that in order to be a partner with WGI, we do ultimately follow WGI Rules each season. When we need bylaws to govern ourselves on a local level is when we will make decisions that are in the best interest of our membership.

Proposals OPEN NOW will close May 27^th

Proposal Submission

Without a State Championships to determine the Advisory Committee, the WGAZ Board has agree to keep all current members and persons in those positions in place through 2021 season. These members are called upon by the Colorguard and Percussion Liaisons when needed to discuss issues that impact the season.

WGAZ’s mission is to foster growth and quality in the performing arts by offering exceptional performance and educational opportunities for our community. That community is you – the students, the instructors and the families that support the activity. Our mission also implies our responsibility to keep safety in our lens with the goal of being overly cautious for the good of all involved.

We want to thank all of you for your patience as we try to maneuver through this COVID-19 concern and address all aspects of this challenging situation. If you have any questions please make sure you reach out to our board members who are here to answer any question you might have.

Stay healthy, be safe.

2020 Championships Shirts available for purchase through April 8th by Marching Apparel!

Click here to view!

3/12/2020 6:30 pm

To Our WGAZ Family,

We are living in unprecedented times.

As many of you are aware, the COVID-19 (Corona Virus) is impacting the communities we live in from coast to coast; indeed, the entire world. With complete consideration of what is being reported from WGI and various performing arts circuits across the country, your WGAZ Board of Directors conducted an emergency meeting to discuss, consider and weigh all options with regards to the future of our 2020 Season.

WGAZ’s mission is to foster growth and quality in the performing arts by offering exceptional performance and educational opportunities for our community. That community is you – the students, the instructors and the families that support the activity. Our mission also implies our responsibility to keep safety in our lens with the goal of be overly cautious for the good of all involved.

It is with sincere regret that we must inform you, our community, that the remaining 2020 WGAZ season has been canceled. This was a difficult decision, and we recognize the significant disappointment everyone, including the board, is likely feeling.

We want to thank all of you for your patience as we try to maneuver through this COVID-19 concern and address all aspects of this challenging situation. Please allow your WGAZ board time to review plans regarding how to process impacted groups for season credits; we commit to communicating this to you once confirmed. We will be shared with all of you at our next full membership meeting.

Stay healthy, be safe.

3/11/2020 6:30 pm

The WGAZ executive board held an emergency meeting this afternoon (03/11/2020) to discuss the remainder of the 2020 WGAZ competitive season. At this time the board has decided to move forward with all remaining local events scheduled as-is, with keeping a mindful ear out to the recommendations & direction of our state & local government entities. Although there are many similarities between WGI & WGAZ the scale and scope of our championships vs WGI’s are extremely different- namely being that WGI’s event lasts over nine days of competition, with over 16,000 participants traveling to Dayton from 41 states and five countries.

Should the WGI Vegas Guard regional or San Bernardino Percussion regional be cancelled, or, a school district restricts out of state travel for an ensemble, we will allow the WGAZ groups that were scheduled to perform out of town at those shows to be added to a local WGAZ show in their place.

We are in constant contact with ASU regarding our facilities for WGAZ championships, and will keep you updated should there be any changes. In the case that ASU should become an unviable option, we are looking proactively for alternative locations to hold championships. In the meantime, please feel free to contact Peter or Brandy directly with any questions or concerns you may have.

Safety Tips from the ADHS

• Increase hand hygiene (wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds).
• Stay home when you are sick

Resources

• CDC
• ADHS
• Maricopa County

SAVE THE DATE, SPREAD THE WORD!!!

You & your students NEED to be here! Come learn tips & tricks about our activity from the best in the world. Looking forward to seeing you there! Clinic is $25 at the door, and includes lunch with the staff & members of Broken City Percussion.

Want to avoid long lines to sign up & pay for the Broken City clinic on Sunday? Follow the link below to prepay/preregister for the Biggest Baddest Broken'est Clinic ever to hit the desert!

https://wgaz.square.site/

Marching Apparel is the official apparel provider & partner of WGAZ | Indoor Performing Arts.

Click here to check out WGAZ merchandise and be on the look out for WGAZ State Championship merchandise!

Click on the link to view!

WGAZ is looking for scholarship applicants for the 2020 season! We encourage all current seniors and college students to submit their applications. New for this year will be an added 45-60 second video showcasing applicants talents. For more information please contact Amy Kochis.

**NOTICE**

This application process requires the applicants to sign in with a valid G-Mail account.

Each applicant must provide the following in PDF Format: Two Letters of recommendation from individuals other than the group director. High School and/or College Transcript. SAT/ACT scores are optional.

PLEASE HAVE THESE ITEMS READY BEFORE COMPLETING THE FORM AS THEY WILL NEED TO BE ATTACHED AT TIME OF COMPLETION.

The 2020 Scholarship Application is now available. Applications are due March 6th, 2020.

Apply Here

SPARK! Arizona is a FREE educational event at Williams Field HS this Saturday, December 14th.

Please RSVP here

Schedule:

9:00am - Welcome Announcement

9:20am - How to Plan and Organize a Season from A Class to World Class, from Local to WGI Bound: How to Create Predictable Outcomes for your Staff, Members and Students. (Tony Nunez, RCC)

10:20am - Creating a Curriculum for the Front Ensemble: Planning Ahead vs Crisis Management (Joy Liu, Arcadia)

11:20am - Arranging & Orchestration Techniques for Small & Medium sized Front Ensembles (Shilo Stroman, CSU Colorado)

12:20pm - Lunch

1:30pm - Writing for the Activity (and the Battery): An Examination on the Process of Writing Effectively for Your Ensemble, Your Program and the Arena. (Adam Wiencken, Broken Arrow)

3:10pm - Managing a Career in the Music Industry & Pageantry Activity: Tools to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead. (Shilo Stroman, CSU Colorado)

4:10pm - Panal Discussion (Adam Wiencken & Shilo Stroman)

5:00pm - Closing Remarks.

The December WGAZ Newsletter Part 2 is out now!

The December WGAZ Newsletter Part 1 is out now!

When you shop Black Friday deals at smile.amazon.com/ch/48-1278518, AmazonSmile donates to Winter Guard Arizona!

Where: Basha HS Fine Arts Building (5990 S Val Vista Dr, Chandler, AZ 85249)

When Saturday Dec. 7

Time:

T&P training 1230-3 PM

Trainer: Bryan Scheidecker

Color Guard Judge Training 9AM - 3 PM

Trainers: Swaga Deb and Alice Hays

The November WGAZ Newsletter is out now!

The October WGAZ Newsletter is out now!

Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 9 AM – 3 PM

Williams Field High School

Clinician – Nola Jones

This workshop is open to all Band Directors and Staff members that are participating in ABODA MB events this fall. It’s free!

For more information, Click here.

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the 6 proposals that will be submitted to our membership, September 8, 2019 @ Williams Field High School.

Irvine Solo & Ensemble – July 13, 2019
Woodbridge High School (Irvine, CA)
Entry Deadline: June 24, 2019
TO REGISTER – visit wgi.org/soloENSEMBLE

Positioned in WGI’s typical off-season—and before the start of summer band—WGI Solo & Ensemble offers a venue for performers of all ages to showcase their skills as an individual or small ensemble. Unique in its format, WGI Solo & Ensemble will welcome any and all performers, including those not currently or previously affiliated with a WGI-performing group.

Split between two age classifications and four performance categories, performers will present a short piece in front of a judge to receive personalized, recorded commentary and an overall rating. Although performers/ensembles will be split between two distinct age groups, there will be no age limit in any performance category. Performance categories include Color Guard, Percussion, Winds—Woodwind, and Winds—Brass.

TO REGISTER – visit wgi.org/soloENSEMBLE

On Sunday, May 5th, WGAZ will hold its May membership meeting at Williams Field High School from 1 - 3 pm. During that meeting, the membership will vote on the positions of Color Guard Liaison, Percussion Liaison, Secretary, and Vice President. Prior to the meeting the advisory board will meet from 11 am - 12:30 pm. The advisory meeting is open to all membership.

Schedule:

11:00 - 12:30 | Advisory board (All members welcome)
12:30 - 1:00 | Break and snacks
1:00 - 3:00 | Full membership meeting

Nominee Bios:

Color Guard Liaison:

• Brandy DuBose
  • Brandy DuBose is the director for the Arizona State University Sun Devil Color Guard. Brandy was born and raised in Texas, where she attended Texas State University-San Marcos as a Dance Performance major, and also taught the Bobcat Marching Band Color Guard and Millennia Independent Open Winterguard for 11 years. In Texas, she taught the Seguin High School color guard for 10 years, from 1995-2006. After moving to Arizona in May 2006, Brandy began working with Arizona State University Marching Band.
    Brandy is currently the Director for the World Class Fenix Independent Winterguard and Corona del Sol Winterguard programs. Brandy has served as Caption Head for other organizations such as Tarheel Sun DBC (1998-1999), The Academy DBC (2008-2010), and Blue Knight DBC (2013-2018) as well as a member of the Colorguard technician staff for the Santa Clara Vanguard DBC (2001-2002). She marched in the Colorguard at Phantom Regiment DBC (1993-1995) as well as a member of the Nouveau (IA), Speakeasy (IA) and Ascension (IW) Winterguard programs. While in Texas Brandy served as the Vice President for the Texas Color Guard Circuit for 5 years and sat on the WGI Advisory Board for 5 years representing Fenix Independent. In addition to her involvement with ASU, she is currently the Colorguard Liaison for the WGAZ circuit. DuBose currently resides in Gilbert, Arizona, with her loving family Wardell and Miles King

Percussion Liaison:

• Peter Wood
  • After a bad stint with the clarinet Peter made the switch to percussion, and since that time there has been no looking back. For the past 4 years, Peter has had the pleasure of serving the Arizona percussion community as the WGAZ percussion liaison, and would love to have the opportunity to continue to serve in this capacity. Peter is always looking for opportunities to bring added value in educational situations for our membership from the elementary groups all the way up to the Independent World class ensembles. This line of thinking prompted both the format change to the eval show 4 years ago, as well as the addition of the annual Spark event. In addition to being on the board for WGAZ, Peter also serves as the AZPAS Fall Day of Percussion Coordinator, is the Arizona Ambassador for the Arcadia Music & Arts Symposium, and is the percussion caption head at Williams Field High School. Outside of the band world, Peter owns and operates an American National insurance agency, and has an amazingly supportive, beautiful, family consisting of his wife Cassandra, and their two (soon to be three) boys Collin, Peter, and he who shall not yet be named.

Secretary

• Mellanie Risch
  • Mellanie Risch was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She currently resides in San Tan Valley, AZ with her loving husband and daughter. She has been involved with WGAZ as a performer, technician, director and choreographer since 2004. She Marched with The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps for 5 years and also marched as a founding member of FeniX Independent Winterguard (IW, IO) for 5 years. In college, Mellanie marched with the colorguard at Arizona State University, where she also received her Bachelors Degree in Liberal Studies.
    Mellanie worked with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps for 2 years as a colorguard technician and weapon specialist. She works with The Academy Summer Youth Guard and has recently joined the staff for the Phenom Soundsport Colorguard. Mellanie is currently the Colorguard Director at Mountain View High School in Mesa, AZ and has called this program her home for 9 years. She will be starting her 5th year working with the Arizona State University Marching Band and Colorguard this fall, and is excited to return to FeniX Independent as a colorguard technician and weapon specialist for her 5th year. Mellanie has also taken on the role as the director of FeniX Independent A.
    Mellanie is looking forward to serving the WGAZ community and giving back to an activity that has done so much for her.

Vice President

• Thien Pham
  • Thien grew up in Gilbert, AZ where he was a member of the Gilbert marching band as drum major and a member of the percussion ensemble. He attended Arizona State University where he marched in Sun Devil Marching band while working on his degree in International Business and Sociology. Thien marched with The Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, Momentum Percussion Theater, Arizona State University and aged out at Riverside Community College. Thien has been active with several Arizona programs being on staff at Basha High School, Casa Grande Union High School, San Tan Junior High, and Williams Field High School. He was on staff with The Colts Drum and Bugle Corps from 2010-2016 as a cymbal tech and tour assistant manager. He is currently the Operation Manger/Tour Manger for The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. He is also on the championship committee and time and penalty for AzMBA as well as a contest administrator for SC-PA. Along with being an active instructor in Arizona, Thien has also been very active with WGAZ serving as championship committee, scholarship committee, secretary, and as vice president currently.

Championship schedule can be found under the events tab OR by clicking here for FRIDAY or SATURDAY

Our performers, staff, and board invite you out to this exciting two day event at Wells Fargo Arena located at the beautiful Arizona State University Tempe Campus!

TICKET PRICES & INFO

One Day Ticket - $25.00 (good Friday OR Saturday)

5 and under free

Combo 2 Day Ticket - $40.00

5 and under free

WGAZ recommends that spectators arrive at least 30 minute before your units performance.

WGAZ PHOTO POLICY

As safety is paramount to all performers, any type of flash photography is strictly prohibited. Family, friends and fans may take still photos of WGAZ events for personal use only. The images may not be sold or otherwise distributed or publicly displayed without the written permission of Winter Guard Arizona. WGAZ defines public display as a web site, printed publication or physical location where the public at large can gain access to one or more images of a WGAZ participating group in performance.

Small, non-professional, single frame “point & shoot” cameras are allowed into all venues. However, use of “Professional Cameras” are prohibited at all WGAZ events, unless the user has appropriate media credentials and prior written approval from Winter Guard Arizona. Any camera that has a detachable lens or lens that extends to four (4) or more inches is considered a “Professional Camera” and thus prohibited.

Tripods or other similar equipment that may obstruct the view or path of travel of others in the stands are also not allowed.

WGAZ VIDEO POLICY

There is no video recording permitted at any WGAZ event. Any liability associated with unauthorized recordings will rest with the individual or organization making the recording. WGAZ does not condone, nor accept any liability for, any unauthorized recording during the event.

Nomination Procedure

To submit a nomination this year, you must have a Google account to access the form.

Submit a letter of nomination, including the nominee's name, address, telephone number, and email address. The nomination of a colleague to be considered for this award is strongly encouraged by WGAZ and may be made by any WGAZ circuit member in Arizona.

List the reasons why you believe that your nominee should be selected for this honor. Consider from among the following criteria:

• What contributions has the nominee made to WGAZ through consistently outstanding instruction and student achievement in the sport of the arts?
• What contributions has the nominee made to WGAZ through judges training and development, expansion of the activity, etc.?
• What contributions has the nominee made to the growth and support of WGAZ at large through involvement in public service groups or activities that promote and support winter guard and winter drumline?
• What contributions has the nominee made to WGAZ by successfully filling leadership positions in the circuit that provide service to both colleagues in winter activity and their students?
• What contributions has the nominee made to WGAZ by serving effectively as a clinician or adjudicator at circuit shows?
• What leadership involvement has the nominee had in related professional organizations (other than WGAZ) that has contributed to the awareness and support of winter guard and winter drumline in Arizona?
• What contributions has the nominee made specifically to WGAZ through research projects, publications, compositions, etc.?
• What other considerations should be brought to the attention of the Winterguard Arizona Awards Committee that highlight the contributions made by the nominee to WGAZ?

Submission Of Nomination
A completed nomination form is to be submitted, along with the letter of recommendation, to the WGAZ Board. Nominations may be made only by WGAZ members.

Selection Procedure
This award will be reviewed and selected by the WGAZ Awards Committee which is composed of members of the WGAZ Executive Board.

Click here to submit a nomination.

Contact Joyce Loughrige with any questions or reach out to any Hall of Fame members!

WGAZ is proud to offer student scholarships.

WGAZ is looking for scholarship applicants for the 2019 season. We encourage all current seniors and college students to submit their applications. For more information please contact Amy Kochis.

**NOTICE** This application process requires the applicants to sign in with a valid G-Mail account.

Each applicant must provide the following in PDF Format: Two Letters of recommendation from individuals other than the group director. High School and/or College Transcript. SAT/ACT scores are optional.

PLEASE HAVE THESE ITEMS READY BEFORE COMPLETING THE FORM AS THEY WILL NEED TO BE ATTACHED AT TIME OF COMPLETION.

Apply Here

Just a reminder- SPARK! is this Saturday from 10:00am – 4:00pm at Williams Field HS. This event is open to anyone (Percussion instructors, Vis staff, guard instructors, band directors, aspiring teachers, etc) wanting to learn more about how to more effectively design for, and manage, your ensembles. There will also be an instructor hang after the event! Looking forward to seeing you there!

RSVP HERE

SPARK! Arizona Clinic hosted by WGAZ and Arcadia Music & Arts Symposium

Please remember that the membership meeting is on December 9th at Corona Del Sol High School (map) from 11 am-3 pm. Schedule as follows:

• 11:00 - 12:00 Advisory Meeting
• 12:00 - 12:15 Break
• 12:15 - 12:45 Show Host Meeting
• 12:45 - 1:00 Break
• 1:00 - 3:00 General Meeting

Can't wait to see you there!

Please remember that judges training is on December 8th at Basha High School (map) from 9 am-5 pm. T&P judges training will be from 1-5 pm.

Please be sure to sign up utilizing the following google form: Judges Training Signup

May 6, 2018

Advisory Council Meetings

11:00am - 12:30pm

Member Meeting

1:00pm

Corona del Sol High School Band Room

Hello Everyone!

A note from your President :-)

The Member Meeting on May 6 is also the Election of Officers for the following positions: President, Color Guard Judges Coordinator, Percussion Judges Coordinator and Show Host Coordinator. Attached are the job descriptions for each position. The posted by-laws outline the rules for how we elect officers - it is by law section 6.0.

We have a nominating committee you may contact if you are interested in running for an office or if you have a name you would like to nominate - Amy Kochis, Martin Hebda, Taylor Willis-Highers, Anne Coryelle, and Ashley Selby.

Thank you for being diligent in selecting persons to represent the circuit for growth and moving forward! We look forward to seeing you on the 6th!!!

Kim

Dear Members,

It is our honor and pleasure to be able to host our State Championships this year at ASU’s Wells Fargo Arena. We are all excited about the opportunity for our members to be able to hold the largest show of the year in an arena of this size. We are working closely to the staff in Athletics and the Marching Band program to help make this a great experience for you all. Along the way, being the first time at a new venue there are going to be a few things that we need to be open minded and flexible about when trying to get the University to understand our needs as well as us to work with their needs. So please be patient and willing to work with the staff during the event.

The University is working hard on the improvements to Sun Devil Stadium on the North and South side of the stadium. Due to the construction on Friday, we will need to make a few adjustments to the flow for percussion on the timed warm up zones. Since Friday is a school day and a work day for the staff and students here at ASU, we are going to use the attached flow and site maps, so please take a look at them.

For percussion we ask that you will be able to warm up where you can find zones on Friday given that we will not be able to provide the timed warm up zones. This has a lot to do with the working day as well as the school day on Friday. The areas are usually pretty clear on a Friday afternoon after about 4:30pm so you will be on your own to find space in the lots. Please DO NOT block cars or set up too close to the arena to block areas of traffic and the flow for the competition day. Deliveries during the work day will occur so we cannot block the streets around the arena because of the construction on the West side of Wells Fargo.

Please be aware of the ramp on your way down….yes you have to get up that ramp after.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact your Liaisons so that we can help answer any questions you might have.

Winterguards – No music will be allowed in the warm up areas, a lot like Dayton the space is open to the arena and the ceiling is higher on one end than the other but indoor space is being provided. If you choose not to use the space because of the height of the ceiling (a 5 would be your highest option), please make sure you report on time to the tunnel ready line for entrance to the arena. The space around the arena is pretty well lit at night, but please be aware of the amount of time you take up space for everyone to have a chance to have a lit space to warm up. Please stay off the main paths around the arena to make way for those teams exiting the arena.

Thank you and we will see you all this weekend. All the best to the performers on Friday and Saturday.

WGAZ Membership,

Congratulations to everyone on a great competitive season. 2018 appears to be a strong showing for our circuit and we are excited to get to Championships to celebrate everyone’s success.

The board has worked hard on hearing your responses in last year’s survey and doing what we can to deliver the best experience and opportunities for our students. Having that in mind we have worked hard to secure the best facility for the Championships location. We are excited about hosting state at Arizona State University in Wells Fargo Arena. ASU is thrilled to have so many students on their campus and are working hard along with the committee to help provide the best for our students.

The Championships Committee is working hard to get the information packet and mock schedule out to let you know approximately when your class or team will perform on Friday and Saturday. Taking into consideration the long day for our students, staff and ASU staff, the event will need to be a two day event. We look forward to hosting in Wells Fargo Arena and apologize for the delay in information to ensure all i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed.

The board is committed to hearing our members and want to make sure we are actively pursuing our students needs. Thank you for your patience and continued support as we finalize the details for our 2018 State Championships.

Please follow the link provided to begin the confirmation process.

https://goo.gl/forms/h1e32tSKgwE65ezz1

Our fall member meeting and advisory council meetings will be held at Corona del Sol High School in the Band Room Sunday September 10. Advisory Council meetings will begin at 11am; Member meeting will begin at 1pm.

Agenda items for the Member meeting will include our board reports of upcoming events and clinics, by-law proposals and voting; judges training; updates to WGI and WGAZ rules and policies; season show schedule and a time for questions you may have for the board.

We look forward to seeing you at Corona del Sol 1001 E. Knox Rd. Tempe, AZ

Advisory Council will meet at 11am September 10. Location is TO BE CONFIRMED; watch your email for that confirmation. Member meeting will follow at 1pm.

This member meeting is for our By Laws. Any proposals you have need to be submitted to the Board no later than September 4. Please email or mail them to us. Email to [email protected] and mail address is PO Box 1103; Gilbert, AZ 85299.

This year, we are proposing to remove some by laws and place them into a Policy and Procedure manual. You will be receiving a copy of that proposal this week. We will vote on this at the September 10 meeting.

Watch for further communication regarding location and updates on proposals.

see you on the 10th!

Also there are a few positions on the WGAZ board are opening up (see bylaw sections 11 & 12). These positions include:

• Colorguard Liaison
• Percussion Liaison
• Vice President
• Secretary

Nominations should be directed towards Amy Kochis at [email protected]. Please include an email address, phone number for the nominee and the position being nominated for.

Nominations will be open through the May membership meeting on Saturday, May 6, 2017at Corona del Sol High School.

Thank you again for a great season and looking forward to seeing YOU at our May membership meeting!

Hello there!

WGAZ State Championships will soon be here and we wanted to share some information.

We can all agree Grand Canyon University Arena is a wonderful venue to host Championships, however, we had some challenges this year. The first was the venue wasn't available for the 1st of April only the 31st of March and 2nd of April. The second challenge is, there is no warmup location for the percussion groups as GCU has built student housing up around the campus and they rightfully have noise ordinances in place for their students, and drums all day would not comply. The guard warmup area last year was less than desirable, and though this year would have been better, we wanted to keep the circuit events closer together geographically.

We made the decision to host championships at two sites this year, Guard State Championship will be hosted at Highland High School and Percussion/Winds State Championship will be hosted at Desert Ridge High School. We feel that this will greatly benefit the individual needs of our members and their performers. Families will be able to go from one event to the other with the same wristband.

Note: There will be 3 guard awards ceremonies and 2 percussion awards ceremonies.

Our goal is to always provide a positive, exciting championship experience for the students and their families. We will continue working toward that goal as we finalize the event planning for both Guard and Percussion/Winds.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!

Thank you and happy performing!

Championship Committee

mailto: [email protected]

March 11 is the date of our WGI Regional events. Gilbert High School is the site for Percussion; Highland High School is the site for Guard.

Student tickets are available by contacting Joyce Loughrige in advance - 602-672-5777.

We have 22 Color Guard groups competing and 16 Percussion ensembles. Guard will begin at 10:30am and Percussion steps off at 10:00am.

Our 2017 season has gotten into full swing! Thank you to the performing ensembles, their instructors, parents, boosters and supporters for coming out!!

Last week we had a full show at Millennium High School with Color Guard and Percussion groups competing - congrats to the winners. Check out the scores by clicking on the SCORES menu option.

Perry High School hosted a successful Guard Show Feb 4th while Williams Field High School hosted the Percussion Evaluation/Clinic Day. Both events were well attended and we are so proud of all the performers.

This weekend, we travel to Williams Field High School on Friday for the Cooley Show. Cooley Boosters are looking forward to hosting all of us starting at 5:30pm. Saturday, we go west to Buckeye High School for a show beginning at 10am. Check out the road closures and allow a little extra time.

See you there!

February 4 and 5 is a great opportunity to gain some knowledge from three leaders in the music industry and marching arts.

Composer and producer David Nahmani has co-written and co-produced songs for the MTV series The Real World and Undressed. He also engineered and produced three classical albums on Decca Records/BMG for the Bernard Calmel Orchestra in Paris, France. He has released tracks and remixes on Cleopatra Records, has licensed songs and composed for TV and film, and programmed XF MIDI songs for Yamaha (using Logic Pro). He teaches how to use Logic for Apple public events, such as Remix Hotel, Taxi Road Rally, and Ascap Music Expo. He is the director of the Los Angeles Logic Pro User Group and publisher of LogicProHelp.com. David comes to us this weekend to help us understand Logic and MainStage, live vs studio mixing and recording.

Matt Jordan, from Nashville, is currently the Concert Percussion Marketing Manager for Pearl Corporation/Adams Musical Instruments, and Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Middle Tennessee State University. He is currently the front ensemble arranger for Music City Mystique. Matt has taught/arranged for numerous other groups throughout the world, including Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, Carolina Crown, Spirit of Atlanta, Max Percussion (Bangkok, Thailand), Bangkok Society Drumline, Franklin High School, Seminole High School, and Father Ryan High School. He will be working with students on the floor during Saturday's Percussion Eval show as well as leading the course on composition and orchestration of the front ensemble.

Tony Nunez, a familiar face to WGAZ, is the percussion arranger and visual designer at South Hills HS, and the battery arranger and visual designer at Arcadia HS. Tony also serves as a sound designer at Music City Mystique, Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, and is the percussion arranger for Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. He also serves as a music consultant, arranger, and sound designer for many high school and independent ensembles in the United States and France.

Over 6 sessions, focus will be on percussion composition and orchestration, live mixing, program design, and the financial path to WGI World Championships. A seventh session will be question and answer time.

Attendance is open to all band directors - marching and concert, orchestra, field marching and indoor marching, even band boosters could attend the session on financial path to WGI World Championships!

$5 for WGAZ members, $20 for non WGAZ members - you won't get this much knowledge for this low price anywhere else or ever again!

Spark will be at Williams Field High School; Feb 4 and 5, 2017; see flyer for course description and times.

The schedule for Feb 4 Percussion Eval has changed affecting performance times from 11am to the end of the day. Please take a look at the schedule and make note of the changes that may affect you and your families.

We look forward to seeing you all out at Williams Field for the performances, the clinics offered, the snacks, reuniting with fellow spectators and a full day of drums in a gym!!

WGAZ Board

The WGI Color Guard Steering Committee will be conducting a pre-season webinar on Wednesday January 18, 2017 at 9pm EST.

The following topics will be discussed:

Karl Lowe & John Leonard will discuss:
Shifts in the Score Sheets
Reformatting of Criteria Reference

Andy Toth and Carol Abohatab will discuss:
Preparing for Performance and Shows

Please register for the 2017 WGI Color Guard Steering Committee Pre Season Webinar on Jan 18, 2017 9:00 PM EST at:

attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4960979252176809986

Spiel sheets are used at every show to introduce the groups coming on and performing. These are generated within the CompetitionSuite system, but we need you to provide some key pieces.

Location - this is the city/state where your group is based.

Group Name - the title of your group as you want it announced. You could type in the phonetic spelling in parenthesis as well - this will greatly help the announcer!

Show Title - the name of your show; you can edit this each week if you tend to rename your show after the first performance!

Directed by - this is the name of the director or the key persons who lead the group (again, phonetic spelling is a help to the announcer)

If you don't provide information, the kids don't get to hear their group name, and the audience won't know where you're from or who the awesome direction is coming from that shows off the amazing talent!!

Where do you input this information?!? Under "Group Information". You have a place to upload your member certification form and also the spiel sheet info.

Any questions, contact Thien [email protected].

Arizona Academy has several items to offer in a garage sale before moving to a new location. Flags, poles, uniforms and much more!

Sunday January 15th from 9am - noon; 8403 South Hardy Drive, Tempe, AZ 85284

Check it out! You may just find that perfect something for your Indoor season!!!!

Hello WGAZ Members!

Today is December 2 already!

If you haven’t registered for shows, they are beginning to fill up. Please note we have a few dates when there are two shows on the same date – we’d like to point out that this is new this season. In particular, there is a show in Tucson at Mountain View and there are very few area groups signed up for shows at all – please get registered for your shows as soon as you are able so hosts can begin to prepare.

WRITE THIS DOWN

ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING and SHOW HOST MEETING – 11am – December 11 at CORONA DEL SOL HIGH SCHOOL

GENERAL MEMBER MEETING - 1pm – December 11 at CORONA DEL SOL HIGH SCHOOL

There will be a drawing for a prize at the General Member meeting – the more staff you have with you – the more tickets you get! You will still get credit for the VIP passes as well. Remember, if Sally is a staff member on 2 guard instruction groups, she needs to sign in under only one of the guards she works with. Here’s an example: Sally works for Sanborn Elementary Color Guard and for Denise’s Darlings; when Sally arrives at Corona del Sol at she will sign in for attendance and write down Denise’s Darlings as the group she is with. She will then get a ticket for the drawing – she has the option to put down either Sanborn or Denise’s Darlings on the ticket to be drawn. It doesn’t have to match the group she registered attendance with.

I know I went into a LOT of explanation, but I hope that helps you to plan on bringing your entire staff to the meeting! The more you have in attendance, the less you have to repeat any information – ‘cuz they’ll all hear it at the same time you do!!! AND there’s a prize!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?

Thank you to everyone for your patience as we go through this learning curve of a new registration and system – it is going rather smoothly, with just an occasional speed bump! If you have questions about registering, send an email to Denise or Kim; we’ll help you through it!

See you December 11.

For those attending the December 10 Judges Training or Guard Student Clinic – we’ll see you at Higley Traditional Academy (across the street from Williams Field HS) at 9am

Quiz: where is the Judges Training? And when is the member meeting?

WGAZ will again be working with renowned WGI educator and judge, Shirley Dorittie to provide continued training for our local winter guard judges. If you are interested in becoming a color guard judge or just interested in the judging process, this training is for you. The training dates are as follows:

When/Times: September 17

9/17: 10 am – 6 pm (Full Group)

Caption Specific: Recognition and Commentary Skills

September 18

9/18: 9 am-12:30 pm (Trainees)

Judging basics and the WGAZ judge trainee program

December 10

10 am – 6 pm (Full Group)

WGI system changes, Class Expectations, Applying the Criteria, Scoring, Contest/Season Dynamics.

Place: Williams Field HS

If you are interested in this training, please send your RSVP [email protected] ASAP with the caption(s) you are interested in judging (Movement, Equipment, General Effect, Design Analysis) or if you are just an instructor who would like more info about how the activity is judged. This information will be used to determine how the training will be setup.

Percussion Judges Expectations

To: All Potential Percussion Judges

From: WGAZ, Inc

RE: 2016-2017 Percussion/Winds Season

Date: September 2016

There are 2 ways to qualify to judge this upcoming season. Option A shows how you can be on the list of POTENTIAL judges, and Option B shows how you will be on the list of judges we build the schedule from. We realize there are conflicts with other judges training and rehearsals, so this is designed to allow you to participate regardless of conflicts.

A.To be on the potential judges list for the 2016-17 WGAZ Percussion Season, Judges must attend the following:

*Shirley Dorittie’s Session at Williams Field H.S. on Sunday morning September, 18th

Successful completion of one of the following by the December 10 meeting (that means sending a certificate of completion to James Hudson, [email protected] by the week of December 5!!)

1.WGI 101 Course on the E-Adjudicate Academy Website (cost is $75)

http://e-adjudicateacademy.com/courses/wgi-certify-level-100-the-basics

2.Level 1 on the Judges Academy Website (cost is $500)

https://judgesacademy.com

3.Or, being enrolled in and making successful strides for completion of the judges training system for WGI or DCI (or similar system like U.I.L. (Texas)

*The December 10th Judges Training weekend

*The Percussion Evaluation Day.

B.To be on the judges list for the 2016-17 WGAZ Percussion Season, Judges must do the following (this does not mean automatically assigned to judge!)

*Attend the full judges training weekend on September 17-18 at William field High School

Successful completion of one of the following by the December 10 meeting (that means sending a certificate of completion to James Hudson, [email protected] by the week of December 5!!)

1.WGI 101 Course on the E-Adjudicate Academy Website (cost is $75)

http://e-adjudicateacademy.com/courses/wgi-certify-level-100-the-basics

2.Level 1 on the Judges Academy Website (cost is $500)

https://judgesacademy.com

3.Or, being enrolled in and making successful strides for completion of the judges training system for WGI or DCI

To: All Potential Percussion Judges

From: WGAZ, Inc

RE: 2016-2017 Percussion/Winds Season

Date: September 2016

There are 2 ways to qualify to judge this upcoming season. Option A shows how you can be on the list of POTENTIAL judges, and Option B shows how you will be on the list of judges we build the schedule from. We realize there are conflicts with other judges training and rehearsals, so this is designed to allow you to participate regardless of conflicts.

A.To be on the potential judges list for the 2016-17 WGAZ Percussion Season, Judges must attend the following:

*Shirley Dorittie’s Session at Williams Field H.S. on Sunday morning September, 18th

Successful completion of one of the following by the December 10 meeting (that means sending a certificate of completion to James Hudson, [email protected] by the week of December 5!!)

1.WGI 101 Course on the E-Adjudicate Academy Website (cost is $75)

http://e-adjudicateacademy.com/courses/wgi-certify-level-100-the-basics

2.Level 1 on the Judges Academy Website (cost is $500)

https://judgesacademy.com

3.Or, being enrolled in and making successful strides for completion of the judges training system for WGI or DCI (or similar system like U.I.L. (Texas)

*The December 10th Judges Training weekend

*The Percussion Evaluation Day.

B.To be on the judges list for the 2016-17 WGAZ Percussion Season, Judges must do the following (this does not mean automatically assigned to judge!)

*Attend the full judges training weekend on September 17-18 at William field High School

Successful completion of one of the following by the December 10 meeting (that means sending a certificate of completion to James Hudson, [email protected] by the week of December 5!!)

1.WGI 101 Course on the E-Adjudicate Academy Website (cost is $75)

http://e-adjudicateacademy.com/courses/wgi-certify-level-100-the-basics

2.Level 1 on the Judges Academy Website (cost is $500)

https://judgesacademy.com

3.Or, being enrolled in and making successful strides for completion of the judges training system for WGI or DCI (or similar system like U.I.L. (Texas)

*The December 10th Judges Training weekend

*The Percussion Evaluation Day.(or similar system like U.I.L. (Texas)

*The December 10th Judges Training weekend

*The Percussion Evaluation Day.

Membership Meeting!!!!

Sept 18th 1pm - following Judges Training (all members welcome to the session "Numbers Management - understanding judging numbers and how they work"

Williams Field HS

**we won't have advisory meetings, but will allow for time in the General Membership Meeting if anyone has specific thoughts to share

We've had no submission of By-Law proposals, so at this time, we don't anticipate any of these to vote on.

see you SEPT 18, 1PM WILLIAMS FIELD HS