Judges

Peter Warshaw

2026 Music/Visual/GE

Peter J. Warshaw is a member of the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame class of 2024. He retired as the Fine Arts Director for Leander ISD in 2022 after a 44-year career in public music education. He received the TBA Lifetime Administrator Award for 2016 and was named Music Administrator of the Year by the Texas Music Administrators Conference in 2014.

Previously, Mr. Warshaw served as the Coordinator of Fine Arts in Bryan ISD, as well as Director of Bands at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, TX from 1993-2002. During his tenure at Pearce, the band performed twice by invitation in Carnegie Hall, was awarded the Sudler Flag of Honor in 2000, and was selected as the TMEA Class 4A Honor Band in 2001.

He is a life member of the International Percy Grainger Society and received the Grainger Medallion in 1998, in recognition of his distinctive contribution to the music of Percy Grainger.

Under his leadership, Leander ISD groups performed at TMEA, TBA, WIBC, and ACDA conventions, and the Midwest Clinic. He is a frequent presenter at TMEA, TBA, CEDFA, the Midwest Clinic, and the Sam Houston State University Center for Music Education, and has served as a guest lecturer at Sam Houston State University and The University of Texas at Austin. He is in great demand as an adjudicator, clinician, and speaker throughout the state and is a published writer, music transcriber, and poet. In retirement, he serves as a clinician and adjudicator and is the Executive Secretary for the Texas Fine Arts Administrators Association.

Shane Goforth

2026 Music/Visual/GE

Shane Goforth currently serves as the Director of Fine Arts for Galena Park ISD. Prior to his
appointment as DFA Shane served as the Director of Bands at North Shore Senior High for 21
years where his bands were named UIL State Marching Band Championship finalists, Area
Champions, and were perennial BOA Regional finalists and UIL SMBC participants. The
concert ensembles were invited to perform at the Midwest Clinic, the Texas Bandmasters
Convention, and accumulated 47 UIL Sweepstakes Awards during his tenure. In 2025 the North Shore Band received the Earl D. Irons Program of Distinction Award by Phi Beta Mu
International Band Directors Honor Fraternity for exceptional merit and achievement. Shane
previously served as the Director of Bands at Holliday and Aubrey High Schools where his
bands finished 6th at the Texas State Marching Band Championships and were awarded first
place in the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series. He serves as Immediate Past-President of the Texas Music Educators Association, is an active adjudicator, guest conductor and clinician and has presented clinics at the Midwest, TMEA and TBA conventions.

A native of Frisco, Texas, Mr. Goforth started his musical career under the direction of Dr. Daryl Trent and studied saxophone with Brad Leali. He continued his education earning an Associate of Music in Jazz Saxophone at Weatherford College, a Bachelor of Music with honors from the University of North Texas and a Master of Music in Conducting from Sam Houston State University, studying with Dr. Matthew McInturf. As a saxophonist Shane has had the privilege to perform with a wide range of incredible artists and musicians including; Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Allen Vizzutti, Jon Faddis, David Fathead Newman, James Clay, Dewey Redman, Roy Hargrove, Brad Leali, Shelley Carrol and many others.

Shane currently makes his home in the North Shore area of Houston with his lovely wife
Lawren. In his spare time Shane enjoys reading, woodworking, golf, playing guitar, and spoiling his awesome grandsons, Elijah and August.

Mike Howard

2026 Music/Visual/GE

Mike Howard currently serves as Deputy Director of the Texas Music Educators Association. Prior to this, he spent 22 years in public education most recently in Leander ISD as Director of Fine Arts and Director of Bands at Vandegrift High School. Under Howard’s direction, the Vandegrift Wind Ensemble was selected as the 2019 TMEA 6A State Honor Band and was chosen as a featured ensemble at the 2021 Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The Vandegrift Concert Program was also the recipient of the Sudler Flag of Honor by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. At Vandegrift HS, Mr. Howard’s Marching Bands were recognized with several high honors such as 2019 BOA Grand National Champion, 4-time BOA Regional Champion, and 4-time UIL State Marching Contest Medalist. The Vandegrift HS Marching Band was also awarded the Sudler Shield by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. Prior to his time in Leander ISD, Mr. Howard was an assistant band director in Katy ISD.

Mr. Howard has served music education through state and local leadership roles including TMEA State Band Vice President and Texas Music Adjudicators Association Concert Band Vice-President. He also is an active clinician and serves as an adjudicator for Drum Corps International, Bands of America, WGI and UIL.

Mr. Howard’s professional affiliations include membership in the American Bandmasters Association, Phi Beta Mu, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Music Adjudicator’s Association (TMAA) and the Texas Bandmasters Association. He graduated from Texas State University – San Marcos with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and from Concordia University Texas with a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. He lives in Leander, Texas with his wife Amber, daughter Madison, and son Justin.

Rick Rodriguez

2026 Percussion

Mr. Rick Rodriguez is currently the percussion director and Associate Band Director at Cedar Ridge High School, Round Rock TX. Rick has also been the director of the Cedar Ridge Symphonic Band as well as the director of the Cedar Ridge Jazz Ensemble and is currently assisting all of the Cedar Ridge Concert Bands as well as the Cedar Ridge Wind Ensemble.

Rick Rodriguez is from McAllen, TX and grew up in the Rio Grande Valley nine miles north of Mexico. He became interested in percussion in 1971 at the age of six when his father Henry Rodriguez started him on percussion. Many years later, Rick is in the Blue Devils snare line under Tom Float and Scott Johnson and eventually earns a degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas under Dr. Schietroma. Some of his UNT college colleague’s include Mike McIntosh, Paul Rennick, Ben Maughmer, Jeff Prosperie, Jim Reilly, Kevin Murray, Dr Brian West, Jason Sutter and Jeff Ausdemore. Mr Rodriguez now has well over 30 years of percussion and band ensemble/masterclass experience.

Since the early 90’s, Mr Rod and his percussion ensembles have several several appearances at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic held annually in Chicago IL. During his work at Spring High School, the Spring Percussion Ensemble was scouted by John Paynter in 1994 and was invited to perform with John Paynter and the North Shore Concert Band of Chicago at Northwestern University.

Rick Rodriguez is an active percussion arranger and versatile band and percussion clinician. In his younger days, Rick was the “center snare” of the infamous University of North TX PASIC Drum Line and was also a snare drummer for the Sky Ryders Drum and Bugle Corps as well as the Concord Blue Devils. He has been on the working staff of Phantom Regiment, Blue Knights, under Ralph Hardimon, Blue Devils, The Cavaliers, and is currently a consultant with Carolina Crown.

Rick Rodriguez has also been on the adjudicating staff of Drum Corps International, Bands of America and the Wgi percussion judging panel. He is currently endorsed by the Zildjian Cymbal Co., Innovative Percussion, Marimba One and Evans Drum Heads. 

Chris McCarthy

2026 Color Guard

Chris McCarthy is a Marching Arts Designer, Educator, and Consultant based in Cedar Park, TX. 

From 2013 to 2025, Chris served as Color Guard Director at McNeil High School in Austin, where he led the program to multiple appearances in the WGI Open Class Finals and a TCGC State Open Class Championship. He is also a Founder, Executive Director, and Designer of Origins Performing Arts in Austin, which fields multiple ensembles, including perennial WGI Independent Open and World Finalists. Chris currently serves as the Color Guard Director for The Longhorn Band at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as Visual Coordinator and Choreographer for The Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps.

Chris’s leadership experience includes serving as Caption Head for the Phantom Regiment Color Guard, teaching with The Crossmen, and Genesis Drum Corps. Some of his design and/or choreography clients have included Cedar Park High School, Ronald Reagan High School, Dripping Springs High School, Round Rock High School, Cedar Ridge High School, and Cypress Woods High School.

He has served on the Texas Color Guard Circuit Task Force and the WGI Colorguard Advisory Board and was named the 2019 Texas Color Guard Circuit Director of the Year.

Outside of the marching arts, Chris enjoys nature, art, coffee, music, and time with friends and family. He shares his life with two dogs, Charlie and Marzipan, and believes that laughter truly is the best medicine. He values building meaningful human connections both within and beyond the world of pageantry.