Judges for Southeastern Va Music Games
Christopher Allen
Christopher Allen was born and raised in St. Petersburg, FL and is a graduate of the University of South Florida, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Masters Certificate in Horn Performance. He is a member of the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, performs with The Florida Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, as well as the Venice Symphony. Mr. Allen is currently the Orchestra Director at Newsome High School in Lithia, Florida and serves as the Youth Symphony conductor for the Sarasota Orchestra. He is an active member of the National Association for Music Education, Florida Music Educators Association, and Florida Orchestra Association.
Chris has been involved with the drum and bugle corps activity for over 25 years. He has marched with the Cadets of Bergen County in the early 90’s, and served as a brass technician and as brass caption head for the Glassmen of Toledo Ohio from 1997 to 2003. He has also served as brass caption head for the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps for the 2005 season, and worked with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps from 2012-2013. Most recently, he has served as the Brass Ensemble Consultant for the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps from 2014-2018. As of the summer of 2021, Chris has returned to his drum corps home as a member of the brass faculty at The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps. Chris currently resides in Lithia, FL with his wife Melissa, and their two children Briana and Joshua, and their Pitbull, Dexter.
Patrick Duncan
Patrick Duncan began his drum corps career at the age of 16 as a member of the 2003 Spirit of Jacksonville State University Drum and Bugle Corps. He marched as a trumpet player for Spirit in 2003, 2004, and 2005 before moving to The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps for the 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons, serving as section leader his final year. Patrick has spent time teaching The Cadets, The Boston Crusaders, and is currently on staff with Carolina Crown.
Patrick served as the Director of Bands for Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel, Florida from 2013-2017 and as the Director of Bands for Park Vista Community High School from 2017-2021. His bands at Park Vista appeared at the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the 2019 Bands of America Grand National Championships, placing 16th overall, and numerous competitions and festivals throughout the state. Patrick is currently a real estate agent with Keller Williams Innovations in Lake Worth, Florida. Along with his real estate duties, he designs for bands in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Patrick is an alumnus of Auburn University and The University of South Florida.
Victor Banfield
Victor Banfield, of Greenville, NC, is currently in his 20th year of employment with Pitt County Government in North Carolina. Mr. Banfield is a graduate of East Carolina University, where he served three years as Drum Major of the East Carolina University Marching Pirates (1994-96), Head Drum Major (1995-96). Victor was a two year member of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle (1995-96). In 1996, Victor was chosen as one of the Bluecoats’ Drum Majors. As he completed his college education, Mr. Banfield worked for the Tarheel Sun Drum and Bugle Corps as Visual Staff (1997-98) and Assistant Director (1998-99). Victor has consistently worked as a visual performance adjudicator and a drum major adjudicator throughout North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia since 1995.
Alex Kluttz
Alex Kluttz is a percussionist and educator in the Washington D.C. area. He is currently the band director at Key Middle School in Springfield, VA and has taught percussion at multiple high schools including, Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA; Yorktown High School in Arlington, VA; Northwest Guilford, Eastern Randolph and Central Davidson High Schools in the greater Greensboro, NC area. While under his instruction, the groups were highly successful competitively.
His WGI experience began while assisting Palmetto Percussion in Columbia, South Carolina and Wake Forest Independent percussion ensemble based out of Winston Salem, North Carolina. He began teaching at United Percussion out of the greater Philadelphia area in the winter of 2014 and was the front ensemble caption head in 2015 and 16. He is currently entering his third year as a front ensemble instructor for the George Mason Univ. Drum Line. His pageantry experience began with DCI in 2008 when he joined Carolina Crown and completed five tours with them, aging out in 2012. Upon aging out, he taught the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps for two years. In the summer of 2014 he coordinated the front ensemble for the Scouts. Alex then served as an instructor of the front ensemble at Carolina Crown in 2015-18 winning the DCI World Class silver medal in 2015 and bronze in ’16 and ‘17.
He was awarded with the Hester Undergraduate Music Scholarship and is an Eagle Scout. While in his undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro he performed with the UNCG Wind Ensemble for several years and accompanied the group to CBDNA and other national conferences. While at UNCG he studied percussion with Dr. Kristopher Keeton. There he received a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Music Performance.
Lacie Knight
Lacie Knight is a graduate from JMU University. She performed in WGI with JMU Nuance and Etude Winterguards. She is currently in the AIA Judges Academy to join the judging ranks in the equipment caption.
Dr. Mark Waymire
Dr. Mark Waymire is in his thirty-fifth year as a music educator. Though now working full time as a consultant, lecturer, adjudicator, and designer, he was most recently a Music Education Professor at The University of Southern Mississippi. He was also Associate Director of Bands at Eastern Michigan University for four years flowing fourteen years spent as a public high school band director in Texas.
National and International lectures based on Dr. Waymire’s research on teaching expertise have been given in California, Mississippi, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Canada, and Scotland.
Mark Waymire has been a part of the staffs of Phantom Regiment, Madison Scouts, and Glassmen, taking on various roles including both brass and visual caption head positions, as well as designer and program coordination. Mark served as Director of Programming and Education for Spirit of Atlanta from 2009 to 2013.
Mark is currently an active adjudicator for BOA, DCI, and WGI.