In partnership with
Presented by
College Judges
Jackie Gilley
Jackie Gilley (Midwest City, Oklahoma) is a native of Stratford, Texas, and was the band director at Monroney Middle School in Midwest City, Oklahoma, for 29 years. She also taught color guard for Midwest City High School for 18 years. Her first job was in Miami, Texas, teaching art and music. Gilley received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Ceramics and her Masters of Music Education degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She also has accreditation in Secondary Education Administration from the University of Central Oklahoma. Gilley also earned accreditation in 2002 as a “National Board Certified Teacher” in Instrumental Music. She is past president of the Beta Chapter of Phi Beta Mu Bandmaster Fraternity. Gilley is also in the Hall of Fame for OkMEA and Oklahoma Bandmasters Association. She currently serves as president for the Stratford Education Foundation in her hometown. Gilley is well-known as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States. She has been an adjudicator for Winter Guard International, Drum Corps International, Bands of America, Texas Color Guard Circuit, and Oklahoma Music Adjudicators Association. She has also judged numerous state concert band and marching band championships and served as a mentor for the Judges Academy of Marching Roundtable.
W. Dale Warren
W. Dale Warren (Fayetteville, Arkansas) is Senior Wind Band Conductor and Professor of Music in the University of Arkansas’ Department of Music. During his three-plus decades of service at the university, Warren has conducted the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, Chamber Winds, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Varsity Band, and Campus Band. He also teaches music education courses, supervises music education interns (student teachers), and is actively engaged in the graduate instrumental conducting program. From 1991-2000, Warren was the Director of the UA Razorback Marching Band. He is also the director of the highly successful UA Summer Music Camps. Warren taught at Kentucky high schools Bremen and North Hardin from 1980-1986. His bands received numerous awards and Division I ratings. He has guest conducted all-district, all-region, and all-state honor bands as well as university bands in 39 states. Warren has completed a faculty residency with the Kasetsart University Wind Symphony in Bangkok, Thailand. For 20 years he served as an adjudicator/clinician for Musicfest Orlando. During Warren’s affiliation with Music for All/Bands of America, he served as a member of the Educational Advisory Board and for the past 36 years as an adjudicator and chief judge. In addition to serving as chairman of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Shield Award Committee, Warren is a John Philip Sousa Foundation Board Member, a Past President of the Southeastern Conference Band Directors Association, and for the past 21 years has been a member of the Institutional Review Board at Washington Regional Medical Center. Since Warren arrived at the University of Arkansas, the UA Wind Symphony has made six guest appearances at College Band Directors National Association Conventions. The UA Wind Symphony performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City and at the Arkansas Music Educators Convention/All-State Conference on two occasions under Warren’s baton. During his tenure as Director, the Razorback Marching Band performed numerous times for former President William Jefferson Clinton, including the 1992 Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. Under Warren’s leadership, the Razorback Band performed at the SEC Championship, the Cotton Bowl, the Citrus Bowl, the Carquest Bowl, and the Independence Bowl. The Razorback Marching Band also appeared as the Grand Finale Band at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. Warren is a former marching member of the Guardsmen Drum and Bugle Corps of Schaumburg, Illinois, and a former brass and visual staff member for the Guardsmen and the Imperial Guard Drum and Bugle Corps of Evansville, Indiana. He has also served as a Drum Corps International (DCI) Adjudicator. He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Austin Peay State University and a Master of Music Education degree from the University of Kentucky. He also served on the music department faculty as Associate Director of Bands/Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Kentucky from 1986-1991.
Susan L. Smith
Susan L. Smith (Winter Park, Florida) has taught general, choral, and instrumental music at the elementary through collegiate levels in Florida, Virginia, and Alabama and has served as an author, clinician, conductor, and adjudicator across the United States. She is the Southern Division President of the National Association for Music Education and was formerly an Assistant Professor of Music Education at Troy University. She is the Past President of the Alabama Music Educators Association and the current faculty advisor for the Troy cNAfME Chapter. Smith is the current Chair of the NAfME Collegiate Advisory Council and a member of the Professional Development Committee. Her previous appointment was as Director of Bands at the Saint James School in Montgomery AL. The Saint James Band consistently received Superior ratings in Concert, Jazz and Marching Band events including the Alabama Music Performance Assessment, Smoky Mountain Music Festival, and Bands of America Super Regional and Grand National Championships. Currently Smith is the President/CEO of RWS Music Company - an educational music publisher created by her late husband, Robert W. Smith. Smith has presented clinics at many state, national, and regional NAfME conferences. Smith has presented at the Midwest Clinic multiple times and performed as a member of the Alabama Winds, an adult community band comprised of Alabama music educators. As its first coordinator, she launched the Chamber Music National Festival at the Music for All National Festival, presented by Yamaha, and is a co-founder of the Mind the Gap Webinar and Podcast for young and preservice music educators. Her professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu, The National Association for Music Education, Alabama Music Educators Association, Florida Music Educators Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Sigma Alpha Iota, Phi Beta Kappa, and the National Band Association. Smith is in demand as a clinician, conductor, and adjudicator throughout the country. She has conducted honor bands in multiple states including University of Alabama Honor Band, Samford University Honor Band, Marshall University Honor Band, and Midfest at UGA as well as District Honor Bands in Alabama, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky.
