A-State Open

Associate Director of Bands, Director of The Pride of Mississippi (University of Southern Mississippi).

Dr. Travis Higa is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor throughout the United States. Most recently, he has been a clinician at the University of Montana Concert Band Festival and adjudicator for the University of South Alabama Marching Band Championships, University of Hawai’i Rainbow Invitational, and Oahu Marching Band Festival. He has conducted honor bands in Mississippi, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Florida. Currently, he serves as the Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band at The University of Southern Mississippi. At USM, he conducts the Concert Band, Symphonic Winds, administers all facets of the athletic band program, and teaches courses in conducting.

Travis holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting from Michigan State University, a Master of Music in Trumpet Performance from the University of Montana, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. Daniel Haddad serves as the associate director of bands and the director of the Lumberjack Marching Band at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX where he also conducts the Wind Symphony and teaches music education courses.

Prior to joining SFA’s School of Music, he was the associate director of bands and the director of athletic bands at Georgia Southern University. He directed their Southern Pride Marching Band, Wind Symphony and pep bands in addition to teaching marching band techniques and graduate drill writing and arranging.

Haddad received his PhD in education with a cognate in curriculum and instruction and an emphasis in music education and wind conducting from Kansas State University, a Master of Arts with an emphasis in music education and instrumental conducting from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Arts in percussion performance from the University of Washington.

He also spent seven years as the director of bands and the arts department chair at Cheyenne High School in North Las Vegas, Nevada, where his groups traveled and performed at a high level throughout the United States.

He is a member of the National Association for Music Education, Texas Music Educators Association, College Band Directors National Association, Vic Firth Educational Team, and an honorary member of both Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma.

He resides in Nacogdoches with his wife, Amanda, and his three daughters Zoey, Heidi and Opal.

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. 

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.

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. Tracy Wiggins is the Assistant Director of bands and coordinator of the percussion program at the University of Northern Alabama. He directs the university's percussion ensembles, teaches applied percussion, and is actively involved with the UNA Marching Band.