Judges for Blue Ridge Regional
Scott Gordon
Scott Gordon is the Director of Bands for Cumberland County Public Schools. Scott holds a master’s degree in film scoring from Berklee College of Music and an bachelor’s degree in music education from Liberty University. His first teaching assignment was serving 22 years at Powhatan High School from 1992-2014. He led this organization from being a small, rural band program to a notable department with 13 performance ensembles, college preparatory music theory, and multiple nationally competitive groups.
In 1995, Scott was a founding board member of Atlantic Indoor Association, the governing organization for competitive winter guard, winter percussion, and winter winds in Virginia and North Carolina. He spent ten years on the board serving as Treasurer, Vice President, and Percussion Coordinator, and is an inducted member of the Atlantic Indoor Association Hall of Honor.
Additionally, Scott marched in 1990 Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps, as well as being on brass and visual staff of Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps from 1991-1993. He also served on the board of the Performing Arts Foundation of Powhatan and spent several years as the trombonist for the Old Dominion Brass Quintet.
Scott is a Level 2 graduate of the Marching Roundtable Judges’ Academy in both Music and Visual, and currently judges with the Virginia Marching Band Cooperative, Atlantic Indoor Association, as well as additional regional assignments. He is an active ensemble composer with dozens of performed compositions, specializing in fresh and unique small marching band and winter percussion works, as well as a successful film and media composer
Katie Greene Kegley
Katie Greene Kegley is originally from Salem, VA and currently is a school counselor for Rockingham County Public Schools in Virginia. She performed with James Madison University's color guard in 2010 and was captain in 2011. She was also a member of JMU Nuance Winter Guard in 2010 and 2011. Most recently, she was a member in First Flight World for the 2016-2018 seasons. She has been teaching high school and collegiate color guard and winter guard throughout the Shenandoah Valley since 2012 and is excited to continue with her fourth year of judging with VMBC. She is currently a movement judge with the Atlantic Indoor Association (AIA).
Justin Johnson
Justin Johnson is a performer and composer within the areas of percussion and has been a part of the marching arts for over 10 years. Justin received a Master's degree in Percussion Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has a Bachelor of Science in Music, with an emphasis in Music Education and Performance from Radford University. During his undergraduate studies, Justin participated in the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble/Combos, Percussion Ensemble, and Pep Band. During his graduate studies, he participated in the Symphonic Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble, and recorded with the Wind Ensemble on several released albums. He has also performed in outside ensembles such as the Virginia Helmsmen Indoor Percussion Ensemble, the Standing Room Only Jazz Orchestra, Urban Essence/Bernard Hairston Group, and Atlanta CV Drum & Bugle Corps where he also won first place in DCA I&E drum set. Currently Justin resides in Greensboro, NC as the current director of the Titans Drumline at Guilford Technical Community College, battery arranger for Duke University, technical support analyst for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is married to Tierra Coleman Johnson.
Paula Hales
Paula Hales currently lives in Clayton, NC where she serves as band director at Archer Lodge Middle School. She has performed in WGI with Northern Nash HS and in DCI with the Cadets 94-95. Mrs. Hales has been active in the Marching band community as both member, staff, and director since 1990. She has judged numerous marching band contests for NCBA.
Mrs. Hales received her Bachelor and Masters of Music Education degrees in 1997 and 2006 from East Carolina University. She achieved National Board Certification in Music education in 2007. She maintains professional affiliations with MENC and NCBA South Eastern District associations and has been named Teacher of the Year at her school for 2014. On a personal note, she is the proud mother of four wonderful children, Alex, age 20, Matthew, age 18, Maddie, age 17, and Darryn, age 13. She would also like to thank her husband, Allen, and her father, Wayne, for their love and support.
Jason Derting
Jason Derting has been teaching and judging marching band for over 20 years. He has marched with 3 finalists at Winter Guard International (WGI) including winning a world championship with Infiniti Winter Guard and Chimeras World Winter Guard. Jason was a clarinet and drummer in marching band and has experience teaching and designing band and color guard shows for various high schools in Virginia and Tennessee. Jason is currently an Adjudicator for the Atlantic Indoor Association (AIA), Mid-Continental Color Guard Association (MCGC), and other winter guard circuits in the United States. He is entering his 3rd season as a WGI Equipment Judge this year. He adjudicates numerous marching band competitions annually in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. He resides in Fredericksburg, VA with his wife and 2 children, working as a Physical Therapist Assistant.
Matt Liner
Matt Liner is graduate of Appalachian State University where he earned a bachelor of music degree in music education with a minor in psychology. Matt began his career teaching at East Davidson High School and E.L. Brown Middle School in Thomasville, NC. Following his tenure in Davidson County he moved into the position of assistant band director at Ronald Reagan High School and Meadowlark Middle School in Winston-Salem. After two years serving as the director of bands at Ronald Reagan High School from 2008-2010, Matt accepted the band director position at Meadowlark.
Matt was a member of the world championship finalist Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps and was a part of the corps’ instructional staff. As a visual designer, Mr. Liner programs for several marching bands across the Carolinas.
In 2011 Mr. Liner was selected as the Band Director of the Year by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Band Directors Association. He was also the 2013-2014 recipient of the Northwest District Bandmasters Association Award of Excellence.
Matt has served as a member of the board of directors for the Northwest District Bandmasters Association and is the past-chairman for the North Carolina Music Educators Association Jazz Section. Matt’s professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, North Carolina Music Educators Association, the North Carolina Bandmasters Association, the Northwest District Bandmasters Association, Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society of Education, Pi Kappa Lambda Honors Society of Music, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Professional Music Fraternity and the American School Band Directors Association.