Category Archives: General

Originally from central New Jersey, Justin McAdams is currently the band director and music department chair at Daniel Boone High School in eastern Pennsylvania.   His program now includes a competitive marching band, two concert bands, a jazz band, winter guard, and winter percussion ensemble.  The Marching Blazers are a two-time Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Champion (2005 and 2009), and all of the performing groups have been consistently recognized for their musical abilities, repertoire, and innovative approach to design.

Aside from his own program, Justin is also a visual designer and consultant to many programs in the area, having designed award-winning shows in each of the three major competitive marching circuits that exist in the Mid-Atlantic area.   He is also a major supporter of  using technology in classrooms to help overall student achievement.  Justin is a graduate of the University of Delaware and is currently finishing a graduate degree in wind conducting at West Chester University.   He is also a former drum major for the Bushwackers Drum & Bugle Corps.  In his free time, he enjoys reading, cycling, golf, and spending time with his wife Sarah.

Justin has been on staff with the Drum Major Academy® since 2000.  He is the lead clinician at our Ohio Wesleyan University location and staff manager at our Kutztown University and West Chester University locations.

As the marching band world races through the fall season there is also a buzz around the DMA Office.  The summer of 2012 will be here before we know it and plans are well underway for what looks like another fantastic year!

Here are two of the upcoming items of interest:

• The calendar is shaping up quickly and it will be posted on the DMA WEBSITE very soon;
• The return of Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser to the Texas and UMASS locations;

Stop back often to see what else we have in store for you in 2012.  Meanwhile all of us here at DMA wish you continued success this year!

As July 2011 begins it is time to look back over the last month of GNP Drum Major Academy® workshops.  And as we look back it is with incredible pride that those of us here at the DMA Office are THRILLED with how the summer has started and with the future!  THINGS ARE FANTASTIC!

From Louisiana to Alabama, Florida to Kentucky, Arkansas to Indiana the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy® is thriving.  Enrollment is **UP** and registrations are flooding the office for the second half of the summer.  While all of us wish George were here to enjoy how prosperous things are we all know that wherever he is he knows and he is smiling.

Up coming workshops include Texas Woman’s University, Kutztown University (PA), Ohio Wesleyan University, and UNC/Charlotte.  The summer concludes with UNCO/Greeley, UCA/Riverside, West Chester University (PA) and UMASS! We hope you will join us at one of these locations as we put the proverbial bow on the summer of 2011.

Additionally, we are thrilled to announce that Heidi I. Sarver, one of our lead clinicians who as been on staff with DMA for 27 years, will be teaming up with Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser and Dr. John Villella at the Band Leadership Training workshops at UNCO/Greeley and West Chester University.  She assisted George N. Parks with these programs since their inception so we anticipate an easy and seamless transition for all.

Here’s to the second half of the summer–may it be prosperous for everyone!

Happy New Year everyone! The future is bright and it is going to be what each of us makes of it. And it should be no surprise to anyone that as the new year unfolds those of us here at the Drum Major Academy® are in full preparation mode for the upcoming summer.

The schedule for the 2011 summer has been posted on the main website since November and yes, those dates and locations are correct. DMA will be back at all major workshop locations including the Music For All Summer Symposium and the two Vivace Production locations at Kutztown & West Chester. Add to that another full summer of workshops culminating with the final hurrah at UMASS and 2011 will be spectacular!

Again, the future is bright and it is going to be what each of us makes of it. So let’s make it great!  See you soon!

Dear DMA Family, past, present, and future-

The nationally acclaimed George N. Parks– Drum Major Academy WILL continue to be a part of the 2011 summer schedule. The longevity of the DMA program was always a part of George’s future plan; this is one of the main reasons he continued to train his proteges to present the signature DMA curriculum with a keen understanding of the various aspects of the learning blueprint.

While we are deeply saddened this transition has come to pass far too soon, it is critical we carry on the positive momentum of the DMA journey in honor of the legacy of George N. Parks. It will be presented with the same level of integrity, pragmatic relevance, and trademark enthusiasm that has always been the memorable facet of the DMA experience.

We are counting on your continued loyalty and encourage you to check our 2011 summer calendar, which is in the process of being finalized and will be available shortly on our SCHEDULE tab.

With Pride —

Jeanne C. Parks

An incredible amount of material was covered and explored during the first day. Progression form the port position of attention to a trail arms position that drum ajors use; a simple basic salute was taught; the first stages to developing a successful conducting style and form was presented; the parade routine used as part of the squad competition was taught; and the first march off was held. WOW!

Congratulations to Audrey Guyer of West Chester East HS in PA for winning the first march off.

Today, day 2, began with the first squad competiton–talk about anxiety! But they all did very well and learned that there is much to learn. Squad comps are wonderful motivators for individuals to improve their performance ability. But they serve a much more important role in the curriculum of DMA.

Every year there are new people in band. The first thing than has to occur is for the new people to begin the process of “looking like the others members.”. Meaning uniformity in all actions. At DMA all students are put into small groups [squads] of 6–a microcosm of their band. Over the course of the wek they learn teaching techniques [DMA Teaching Procedure] that assists them in developing their observation and evaluative skills. This arms them with tools to “clean the look” of their squads in a precise and pragmatic manner. Implementation of such techniques with their own bands increases the probability of better band uniformity–a goal ever band director works toward achieving each year!

This afternoon will be a module session of three classes: advanced conducting, cleaning techniques in marching and video taped feedback of each and every student.