Judges for Warhill Classic
Matthew Phillips
Matthew Phillips is a native of Chesapeake and is in his sixth year as a band director in the Hugo Owens Middle School program. His responsibilities include teaching the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands as well as leading the Hugo Owens Jazz Band. Before teaching at Hugo Owens Middle School, Mr. Phillips taught for three years at Hickory High School and two years at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, VA. Like many other local band directors Mr. Phillips received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from East Carolina University and earned his Master's Degree in Secondary Education from Old Dominion University, studying with Jon Wacker, Scott Carter, Christopher Knighten, Dennis Zeisler, and Gregory Hurley. He has performed in the Virginia Wind Symphony for the past ten years, and also serves as a private percussion teacher. Mr. Phillips has served as a successful percussion instructor/clinician to many local schools, with multiple seasons of service at Great Bridge, Hickory, and now Grassfield High Schools. Earning the respect of his fellow Music Educators, Mr. Phillips has most recently been elected to serve as the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association District 4 Representative, serving and representing music educators from Portsmouth, Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, and Chesapeake. Mr. Phillips is currently a member of the Percussive Arts Society, MENC, and NEA.
Patrick Mitchell
Patrick Mitchell currently lives in Hillsborough, NC and is the Music Teacher or Orange Co. schools. He has held this position since 2001. Previously, he was the Middle School Band Director for Alamance Co. Schools and the Hamilton School District in Canada. He completed his Masters of Music at UNCG with a woodwinds concentration and he completed his undergraduate work at Western University and Wilfrid Laurier University with Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts degrees.
Patrick judges extensively around the US for color guard, percussion and marching band. He has judged the finals in the Oklahoma State Championships. He judged Equipment for the Color Guard Division of Winter Guard International for 4 years. He has judged for the Atlantic Indoor Association for 15 years as a Winter Guard and Percussion Judge.
Rob Carroll
Rob Carroll served as Band Director at Great Bridge High School from 1988 to 2015. Prior to that, he served as Band Director at Stonewall Middle School in Prince William County from 1985 to 1988. Currently, he serves the Great Bridge Band Program as an instrumental music teacher at the middle school. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from East Carolina University and Master's Degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois.
He is a Past President of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association. In 2008, Rob was inducted into the John Philip Sousa Foundation's Legion of Honor. He was honored with the Outstanding Music Educator Award from the Virginia Music Educators Association in 2011.
​He maintains active memberships in MENC, VMEA, VBODA, the National Band Association, and the International Horn Society. Additionally, he is an active performer, private instructor and member of the Virginia Wind Symphony.
Mike Aycock
Mike Aycock has been active as a national marching band adjudicator, instructor, clinician and administrator for over 30 years. He has judged on the local level at high schools across the nation, the regional level with WGI as a percussion visual analysis adjudicator and on the national level with USBands including being on the panels of multiple State Championships. He is a certified Chief Judge with the North Carolina Bandmasters Association (NCBA).
Mr. Aycock has served as a marching and visual instructor for numerous marching programs at the high school, college, WGI and DCI level. Mr. Aycock was a visual instructor with the East Carolina University Marching Pirates. He also served as a visual instructor during Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corp’s first season, later to be elected to its Board of Directors and served as the Assistant Corps Director, during which time Carolina Crown won the Division II (now Open Class) Championship in 1993 and broke into DCI Finals for the very first time in 1995. In 2014 Mr. Aycock was a visual consultant for the Carolina Gold Drum & Bugle Corps. He is currently an active member of the Carolina Crown Advisory Board.
Tony Robinson
Tony Robinson is a 1982 graduate of Western Carolina University. Mr. Robinson his teaching career as assistant band director at Enka High School and in 1984, he became the Band Director at Pisgah High School, in Canton, N.C.
Mr. Robinson was the Band Director at Cary HS from 1987-2000. During his 13- year tenure, the Cary Band continued its strong tradition of excellence by winning numerous Grand Championships at many regional competitions. Also, the Cary Bands performed in the 1998 New Year’s Day Parade, in London, England, as well as giving a concert performance in Wembley Hall. In April 2000, the Cary Bands were invited to return to Europe, performing a 10-day tour of concerts in Bruges, Belgium, Le Touquet and Paris, France.
In 2000, Mr. Robinson started the band program at the newly built Wakefield Middle School in Raleigh, N.C. From it first year enrollment of 80 students, the band grew to over 225 members earning Superior and Excellent ratings at State Concert Band Festivals during his 10-year tenure. Mr. Robinson is currently the Instrumental Director at The Franklin Academy Charter High School in Wake Forest, NC where he conducts the Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble and piano class. The band started with 27 and has presently 90 members and the 2016 Music in the Parks Concert Band and Jazz Band Grand Champion scoring the highest of all 6 weekends.
Jody Jones
Jody Jones has been involved with Broughton High School Marching Band since 1983. He is a graduate of Jamesville High School and East Carolina University. He has an undeniable passion for color guard and has been a mentor and instructor for numerous programs across eastern North Carolina including both UNC Chapel Hill and at NC State University where he currently teaches. In addition to instructing, Mr. Jones has served on the leadership of the Atlantic Indoor Association winter guard circuit for numerous years; most recently serving as the Color Guard Coordinator. Jody has served on staff for First Flight Winter Guard over 20 years.