A-State Open

October 18, 2025

Centennial Bank Stadium

Arkansas State University Campus

The A-State Open is a marching competition for high school bands which strives to provide the highest quality feedback and judging as well as well as additional opportunities for DCI level feedback. We aim to provide a positive marching band experience on and off the field.

Clinic option ($100 additional):

One-hour clinic to provide you with a plethora of ideas and experiences to further your show and program

  • We will send a form for you to fill out your specific needs

  • Takes place before your performance on the field

  • Staff:

    • Dr. Fisher will be running the rehearsal and working with your students

    • Top music ed majors will be there to work with your individual sections on needs specific to them

    • A DCI visual designer, Randil Jeffreys, will work with directors during the rehearsal providing notes and ideas (see bio below)

  • Between 8-9 spots available, will be first come, first served based on class

  • Any 1st year educators can register for a FREE Clinic courtesy of Amro Music.

Registration Details

Band Size: Same classification as ASBOA.

The 2025 non-refundable entry fee is $250.00. Registration will be open from August 4, 2025 until spots are full. 

To register for the A-State Open, and to pay by credit card or electronic check, please click the button below (link operational on 8/4/25). This method is strongly recommended. Once you follow the link, click on "A-State Open Registration" at the bottom of the page and follow the instructions. If you are unable to pay by credit card or electronic check, please email Dr. Allegra fisher at afisher@astate.edu for instructions on registering with a paper check.

Video critique ($50 additional):

  • Due to the limited number of in-person clinic spots, we will be offering a video critique

  • Directors may submit a performance video 1+ months prior to the festival and receive notes from a DCI visual designer in preparation for the festival

  • Open to any band registering for the festival

  • Any 1st year educators can register for a FREE Video Critique courtesy of Amro Music.

Judges/Clinicians

  • Randil Jeffreys studied Music Education at the University of Houston, Euphonium Performance at Idaho State University, and completed a Masters of Arts in Brass Performance at the University of Iowa where he served as the Tuba/Euphonium Studio Teaching Assistant. Randil was a performing member of The Cavaliers from 2003 until aging out in 2008. 

    ​Since completing his Masters degree, Randil started RJ Visual Design and has been working full-time as a drill designer and marching band instructor, teaching a large private lesson studio, and as an adjudicator/clinician. This has included helping design for marching bands, indoor drumline/winds, and collegiate marching bands. In addition, he has taught drum corps in a Caption Head capacity with the Colt Cadets, The Blue Knights, Music City, and The Cavaliers.​

    In his leisure time, Randil loves spending time with his beautiful wife and son.

    Mr. Jeffreys is proudly associated with Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity, Texas Music Educators Association, The International Tuba-Euphonium Association, The Cavaliers, and The United States Marine Corps.

  • Dr. Alex Wimmer is currently serving as the Associate Director of Bands at Kansas State University. His duties include directing the Wind Symphony, Cat Band (basketball pep band), Pub Crawl Band, Associate Marching Band Director for the Pride of Wildcat Land (KSUMB), arranger and drill designer for the KSUMB, and instructor of undergraduate and graduate courses in conducting, arranging, and marching band techniques. He also coordinates the K-State Summer Music Camp and K-State Leadership and Auxiliary Camp, serves as one of the Assistant Directors of the Manhattan Municipal Band, and is the faculty sponsor for Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. Dr. Wimmer is the President of the Kansas Bandmasters Association. He also serves as a co-chair of the New Band Director Bootcamp hosted during the association’s annual convention. 

    Originally from Gretna, Nebraska, Dr. Wimmer received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, his Master of Music degree in Education with an emphasis in Wind Conducting from Kansas State University, and his Doctorate in Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction from Kansas State University. Dr. Wimmer was the Director of Bands at Gretna High School and the Assistant Director of Bands at Gretna Middle School. He was a recipient of the Jack R. Snider Young Band Director Award in 2011 and served on the Nebraska Music Educators Association Leadership Academy from 2011-2012. 

  • Dr. Jason Hausback serves as Professor of Trombone at Missouri State University and is also the Director of Jazz Studies.  As a student at the University of North Texas, he was a member of the internationally-acclaimed One O’Clock Lab Band and recorded “Lab 2009,” which was nominated for two Grammy awards.  He was the winner of 4 national and international competitions for trombone and has had the opportunity to perform throughout N. America, S. America, Europe, and Asia.

    Jason is active as a freelancer throughout the mid-south region of the US and performs regularly with The Lone Star Wind Orchestra (TX), Symphony of Northwest Arkansas and the Fort Smith Symphony Orchestra (AR), The Springfield Symphony and Missouri Jazz Orchestra (MO), and Fountain City Brass Band (KS).  He has filled in with several notable orchestras including the East Texas Symphony, The Tulsa Symphony, The Kansas City Symphony, and the Dallas Opera Orchestra.  He has performed solo and quartet recitals at universities and conferences throughout the US as well as in Colombia and Spain.  He has also performed in the Southeast Trombone Symposium Professors Choir, Trombonanza (Argentina) and in featured ensembles at several different International Trombone Festivals.

    Jason has served on the staff of many prominent high school marching bands in Texas, including Marcus HS (2007-2015), Texas 5A/6A State champions five consecutive times.  He has worked with several drum and bugle corps, including Capital Sound, the Madison Scouts, Spirit of Atlanta, the Boston Crusaders, Phantom Regiment, and the Crossmen.  Jason has also been active as an adjudicator for marching band, solo/ensemble and jazz competitions. 

    Jason holds the BM in Trombone Performance degree from the University of Wisconsin: Madison, and the MM and DMA degrees in Trombone Performance from the University of North Texas.  He is a S.E. Shires Performing Artist.

  • Justin Cook joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma in the fall of 2025. Prior to OU, Dr. Cook was the Associate professor of Trombone at the University of Central Arkansas where he taught studio trombone, trombone choir, brass ensembles, low brass methods, and directed the Jazz Repertory Ensemble. In addition to his college teaching, Justin has been a faculty member for the Southeast Trombone Symposium and is the Festival Manager for the International Trombone Festival. In the summer of 2022 Dr. Cook hosted the International Trombone Festival at the University of Central Arkansas.

    Recently, Justin has been featured as a soloist with the Natural State Brass Band at the 2022 International Trombone Festival and performed David Biedenbender’s Their Eyes are Fireflies with the UCA Wind Ensemble in April of 2023. He has performed as a soloist at the 2021, 2022, and 2024 International Trombone Festivals. His first solo recording was released in 2018 and is entitled, “Connections.”  As a freelancer, Dr. Cook has performed with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas Symphony, the Ft. Smith Symphony, the Tulsa Symphony, and The Arkansas Repertory Theatre.  He has performed on the national tours of Mary Poppins, The Book of Mormon, Wicked, and Back to the Future.  

    Equally at home as an educator and performer, Dr. Cook’s trombone studio and students have seen tremendous success. While at UCA, the trombone studio tripled in size and featured three trombone choirs: The BearBones Trombone Choir, the Natural Slides Trombone Ensemble and the Jazz Bones. The trombone choirs performed at the American Trombone Workshop, the 2018, 2021, and 2024 International Trombone Festivals at the University of Iowa, Columbus State University, and Texas Christian University and were featured performers at the 2018 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL. The UCA Trombone Ensembles performed a featured concert as the host of the 2022 International Trombone Festival. In May of 2023, the Natural Slides Trombone Ensemble recorded their first album entitled, “Sempre Avanti” which was released in the spring of 2024. Dr. Cook’s students have been finalists and winners of the American Trombone Workshop Solo Competitions, the Big 12 Solo Competitions, the International Women’s Brass Conference Solo competitions and the Southeast Trombone Symposium’s Solo Trombone Competition.  They have graduated and been accepted to some of the world’s most prestigious universities and conservatories. Dr. Cook has presented clinics and masterclasses at universities all across the United States and in 2019, presented a session on brass pedagogy at the Midwest Clinic.  

    Justin Cook holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Trombone Performance degree from Northern Arizona University, a Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting from Northern Arizona University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas. He has studied with Tony Baker, David Vining, Vern Kagarice, and Peter Vivona. During the summer of 2005 Justin was a member of the Disneyland All-American College Band and in 2009, Dr. Cook was chosen as one of 18 international tenor trombonists to attend the Alessi Seminar where he had the opportunity to work with Joseph Alessi and Peter Ellefson. 

  • John Tocco's journey in the performing arts began locally with the Cooter Junior High School Marching Band in Cooter, Missouri, igniting a lifelong passion for the marching arts. His dedication led him to perform with several performance ensembles, including Lindenwood University's Marching Lions, Vivace Winter Guard, and the renowned Madison Scouts Drum Corps, where he was a proud member of the 2008 DCI World Finalist Corps.

    With over 20 years of experience, John has seamlessly transitioned into coaching and designing marching band and winter guard shows, working with a variety of performance groups across the Midwest, such as Fort Zumwalt North HS, Parkway South HS, and Francis Howell North HS. Under his leadership, numerous groups have earned accolades, including MCCGA Championships and multiple appearances as WGI Regional Finalists in both the Scholastic A and Open divisions.

    Currently, John continues to share his expertise as a consultant for Fort Zumwalt North's color guard and marching band programs, while also serving as a judge for General Effect and Design Analysis at CSPA. He resides in the Saint Louis area with his husband, Franky, and their two dogs, Delilah and Ru.

  • Dr. Matthew Jordan currently serves as Percussion Operations and Inventory Manager for the University of Michigan. He is also the music producer and sound designer for the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps (DCI 2024 World Champions), the front ensemble arranger for Music City Mystique, and a music designer for the “Commandant’s Own” United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. Prior to starting at the University of Michigan, Matt has held roles as the Associate Professor of Percussion at Jacksonville State University, Concert Percussion Marketing Manager for Pearl Corporation/Adams Musical Instruments, and Assistant Director of Bands/Instructor of Percussion at Middle Tennessee State University. 

    Matt has worked as a percussion instructor and arranger with a number of DCI and WGI groups, including the Phantom Regiment, Carolina Crown, and Spirit of Atlanta. He is also very involved at the scholastic level as an arranger for indoor drumlines and marching bands, having written for groups such as Max Percussion (Bangkok, Thailand), Bangkok Society Drumline, Franklin High School, the Woodlands High School, Science Hill High School, McGavock High School, Dobyns-Bennett High School, and Father Ryan High School, among others. 

    As a performer, Matt has performed regularly with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Alabama Symphony, Huntsville Symphony, Traverse City Symphony, Tuscaloosa Symphony, Nashville Scoring Orchestra, and Intersection Contemporary Music Ensemble, among others. Matt has also been involved in commissioning or premiering works from numerous composers, including Emma O’Halloran, John Hennecken, Nathan Daughtrey, Dave Hall, Evan Chapman, Pamela Z, Mat Campbell, Caleb Pickering, Russell Wharton, Matt Filosa, Lucas Garner, Bill Hickok, Matt Ridge, and Greg Harrison. Matt also travels abroad frequently, having performed (or had works performed) in Norway, Thailand, Mexico, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan. In the summer of 2010 he traveled to Ghana in West Africa to study Ewe drumming. 

    Matt is also very involved in the greater music and percussion communities, currently serving as the music technology committee chair for the Percussive Arts Society and has previously served on the PAS Board of Advisors. Matt is also an active adjudicator with numerous marching arts circuits throughout the US, including Bands of America, the Southern California Percussion Alliance, Mid East Performance Association, Carolina Winter Ensemble Association, and more. 

    Matt completed the Doctor of Music degree from the Florida State University, a Master's Degree from the University of North Texas, and a Bachelor's Degree from Middle Tennessee State University. Matt is a proud artist and clinician for Pearl/Adams instruments, Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets, Evans Drumheads, and Zildjian Cymbals. 

  • Eren is in her 2nd year as an A-State Drum Major. She was formerly a Drum Major with the Music City Drum and Bugle Corp. She has taught at multiple drum major camps and band camps across the region. Eren is completing her degree in Music Education.

    • Every performing band will be recognized with an A-State Open Plaque with their rating

    • Trophies

      • Top 3 Bands in each Class

      • Outstanding Soloist

      • Top 3 Percussion

      • Top 3 Color Guard

      • Top 3 Drum Majors

      • Most Entertaining Band in Class 1A/2A/3A

      • Most Entertaining Bands in Class 4A/5A

      • Fan Favorite

      • Overall Top 5 Bands

      • A-State Open Grand Champion

  • Any high school band that is a member of its state band association is invited to compete.

    No more than 30 bands will be accepted for the Arkansas Open. In the event that 10 or fewer bands enter, the contest may be canceled. Performance order will be determined by ASBOA classification and band size. 

    The entry fee is $250. Bands are not officially entered until their entry fee is received. Each band will receive wristbands for all band members, directors, and up to 15 for those helping move equipment etc.

    Bands have 16 minutes of “Stadium time.” This time begins at the scheduled performance time, unless a band has caused the competition to run behind. Any band who causes the contest to adjust the scheduled times for other bands will be assessed a 2 point “delay of contest” penalty.

    The bands’ overall music score will break ties in score.

    The contest is run on a caption-judged format. There is a music judge, a visual judge, an overall effect judge, a percussion judge, a color guard judge, and a drum major judge. The music and visual judges’ scores will be compiled for the bands’ final scores, rating, and rankings. Color guard, percussion, and drum major judges will not affect the bands’ final scores.

    A numerical score determines the band’s rating and ranking, as well as those of the auxiliary units. Ratings are assigned as follows:

    I (Superior) 80.0-100.0
    II (Excellent) 60-79.9
    III (Average) 40-59.9
    IV (Fair) 20-39.9
    V (Poor) 1-19.9

    If weather conditions are considered by the contest director to be unsafe, the event will be declared a rainout. Unsafe conditions include, but are not limited to, extremely heavy rains, the presence of lightening or the issuance of weather warnings.

    If the contest is called a rainout before it begins, the contest may be moved indoors if facilities are available.

    If facilities are not available, the contest will be canceled. The entry fee will not be refunded. If a band withdraws from the competition before the contest is canceled, the entry fee will not be refunded. If a band withdraws from the competition after September 30th for any reason, their entry fee will not be refunded.

  • This event is sanctioned by AAA. We will also go through the MSHSAA sanction process after registration closes.