Welcome to another segment of Sketchbook called Matchbook where Jen Barton and I set the band world on fire with our hot takes!
You may remember Jen Barton and me from the highest-rated drum corps & fashion related show on FloMarching, Taking the Field. Or the wonderfully entertaining 5th episode of Sketchbook found here on Anchor & wherever you listen to your podcasts.
This morning we are talking about the University Interscholastic League & the 2019 Texas UIL State Marching Band Championships!

UIL
2019 State Marching Band Results

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On Monday, November 27, 1989, George H. W. Bush was president.  In that special week of November people in the US were listening to Blame It On The Rain by Milli Vanilli. In the UK You Got It (The Right Stuff) by New Kids On The Block was in the top 5 hits. Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase was one of the most viewed movies and Alien Nation was one of the most popular TV series of the year. And in Southfield, Michigan, home of the “mixing bowl,” Geoffrey Aron Sperling was born.

Geoffrey Sperling graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington with a Bachelor of the Arts. Geoffrey has been a performing member, and currently is an alumnus of Interplay, Zydeco, and The Pride of Cincinnati Winterguards. In 2011, Geoffrey ended his 8 year DCI career as a performing member with the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps where he was a part of the George Zingali “Best Color guard” award-winning cast. Prior to that, Geoffrey was a marching member with the Cadets, Bluecoats, Hawthorne Caballeros, Capital Regiment, Racine Kilties, and The Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps.

Geoffrey was an integral part of the design staff at Cedar Ridge High School. During his time at Cedar Ridge, the marching band made its inaugural appearance in the Bands of America Grand National Finals. The Winterguard received a Scholastic A bronze medal in the Texas Colorguard Circuit (TCGC), and made finals at all WGI regional appearances. He served as the Director of Colorguard at New Braunfels High School and in 2015, the winter guard was named the WGI San Antonio Regional A Class Champion and were Regional A class silver medalists within the Texas Educational Colorguard Association (TECA).

Outside of his involvement with scholastic programs, Geoffrey has served as choreographer for The Spirit of Atlanta Drum & Bugle Corps, The Louisiana Stars Drum & Bugle Corps, and Genesis Drum & Bugle Corps. Geoffrey has also choreographed for White Gold, Industry Independent, and Spirit Independent Winterguard. Geoffrey has been a U.S. Bands Adjudicator since 2013 in the caption of Colorguard. Presently, Geoffrey serves as a co-director for Origins Colorguard, an Independent Open Class winter guard based out of Austin, Tx. and leads SperlingDesigns, a one-stop show for custom marching band, color guard, and winter guard design.

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You are listening to the first episode of Matchbook. Where Jen Barton and I set the band world on fire with our hot takes!
You may remember Jen Barton and me from the highest-rated drum corps & fashion related show on FloMarching, Taking the Field. Or the wonderfully entertaining 5th episode of Sketchbook found here on Anchor & wherever you listen to your podcasts.
This morning we are talking about band… marching band… marching Bands of America: the San Antonio Slaughter Regional!

EDIT: It was incorrectly stated that Prosper HS has not advanced to a BOA Finals. Prosper HS did advance to finals at the 2018 Bedford Regional but they didn’t get to perform due to weather. So Prosper HS has performed in GN Finals but still, has never performed in any Regional nor Super Regional finals.

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The year was 1979. Jimmy Carter was president, Sony released the Walkman, and Margaret Thatcher is the first woman elected Prime Minister in the UK. And on May 1st, Jeremy Wayne Spicer was born in San Antonio, TX, “Military City, USA!”

Jeremy Spicer graduated from Texas State University and is the owner of SASI – The Leadership People, LLC., a student leadership consulting firm focusing on the empowerment of young leaders. Jeremy or “J-Spice” as he is known all over the known universe is the former Director of Bands at Vandegrift High School. The marching band was named the 2013 University Interscholastic League (UIL) 4A State Marching Band Champion. Prior to his appointment at Vandegrift, Spicey spent eight years as a member of the staff at Cedar Park High School. The marching band is the 2006 recipient of the Sudler Shield, an international award for marching excellence awarded by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

Jeremy began his drum corps career playing mellophone in the Santa Clara Vanguard. Since his age-out year, Mr. Spicer has been on the brass staff of the Carolina Crown, Southwind, Boston Crusaders, Santa Clara Vanguard, and is a Program Consultant for the Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps from San Antonio, TX. Jeremy Wayne is active in the United States as a clinician and adjudicator for Bands of America, and his professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He currently lives in Leander, TX with his beautiful wife Elizabeth, precious daughter, Coral Amber, and their handsome son, Aiden Joseph.

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It was Thursday, under the sign of Leo. The US president was Ronald Reagan, the actor! And no, the Vice President wasn’t Jerry Lewis. In that special week of August people were listening to Endless Love by Diana Ross & Lionel Ritchie and watching The Cannonball Run at the local picture house. And in the sleepy little town of Indianapolis, IN (the Crossroad of America), Jennifer Nicole Barton was born into this world on August 20, 1981.

Jen Barton is currently the color guard director at Rouse HS in Leander, TX. Previously she was the color guard director at James F. Byrnes HS in South Carolina managing a consistent program of 80+ students both logistically and creatively. While under her direction, the Byrnes Guard program was a 5-time WGI World Championships Finalist and multiple WGI Regional Finalist and Regional Champion. She has worked with numerous programs throughout her career, including multiple scholastic guard programs, The Cast and Etude Independent winter guards, Pacific Crest (2011-2013, 2016-present), and Spirit of Atlanta (2014-2015).

As a performer, Jen has appeared with the Santa Clara Vanguard and Northeast Independent Winter Guard (Florida). She has also performed with the Florida State University Marching Chiefs, ad astra per ASPERA Winter Guard (GA), and CrownGUARD (GA).

Jen attended Center Grove HS in Greenwood, IN where she was a part of the Bands of America Grand National Champion marching band in 1995, and she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Instrumental Music Education from The Florida State University in 2004.

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It was Monday, January 21, 1985. In that special week of January people in US were listening to “Like A Virgin” by Madonna and in the UK, “I Want To Know What Love Is” by Foreigner was in the top 5 hits. “The Breakfast Club”, “Witness,” & “Heaven Help Us” were popular movies of the year. And on the day of the second inauguration of President Ronald Reagan took place, Richard Kearns was born unto this world in Greenville, TX, the “cotton capital of the world!”

Richard Kearns serves as an Assistant Director, Percussion Instructor at Centennial High School in the Burleson Independent School District in Burleson, TX. He was previously the Percussion Director of Azle High School in Azle, TX where the Azle Drumline and Percussion Section won numerous awards including Lonestar Classic Champions, NTCA Champions, the 2014 TCGC Perc Scholastic Open Champions and were Open Class Semi-Finalists at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. His abilities as a conceptual and visual designer for Marching Band and Indoor Drumline has turned out many crowd-pleasing productions, including the 2016 WGI Perc Ind Open Gold Medalists, Vigilantes Indoor Percussion, and the 2017 Perc Scholastic Open Gold Medalists and the 2018 & 2019 Perc Scholastic World 6th place Finalists, Burleson Centennial High School.

Prior to Azle, Richard was the Percussion Director at Palestine High School, as well as Battery/Drumline Coordinator at Tyler Junior College. Upon joining the Palestine Band Staff in 2008, the PHS Percussion Program received numerous awards in the TCGC & NTCA Indoor Drumline Circuits, Lonestar & Plano Drumline Competitions. In 2011, the Palestine Indoor Drumline was the TCGC Open Class Champion. His instructional contributions for TJC helped lead the group to their WGI PIO World Championship in 2008, promotion to WGI World Class, and becoming consecutive Finalists at the WGI World Championships.

Richard attended Tyler Junior College and was section leader for the TJC Drumline. After attending TJC, Richard continued his studies at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas where his focus was Music Education. Richard’s drum corps performance experience was with the Capital Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps and Magic of Orlando.  He later returned to the staff of Capital Regiment as the Snare Technician.

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