2026 Middle School Honor Band

White Band
Dr. Kenneth Thompson, conductor

Dominion | Randall D. Standridge
Ghosts of the Lost Ship | Tyler S. Grant
Joy | Frank Ticheli
Loch Lomond | Hall
Red Giant | Jorge L. Vargas
Softly Speaks the Night | Carol Brittin Chambers

~~~~~

Orange Band
Dr. Laura Hicken, conductor

Affirmation | William Owens
Afterburn | Randall D. Standridge
All for One, One for All | Carol Brittin Chambers
Awaken | Cait Nishimura
Chester Variations | Elliott Del Borgo
Iron Sharpens Iron | Mark Lortz

~~~~~

Brown Band
Doug Perry, guest conductor

Drive | Mark Williams
Fighting Falcon March | Todd Stalter
Skygazer Fanfare | Randall D. Standridge
Storm Mountain Jubilee | Carl Strommen
Unconquered Soul | Bryce Newton

Doug Perry joined the instrumental team at Licking Heights Schools in the Fall of 2004.  His teaching responsibilities include Middle School Gold Band, Middle School Maroon Band,  Middle School Symphonic Band, Middle School Wind Ensemble, Sixth Grade Beginning Trombones, serves as the Brass Specialist for the High School Ensembles, and is the Colorguard  Director for the High School Marching Band.  Mr. Perry graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2001 with a Bachelors of Music Education.  He completed his M.S. in Education specializing in Curriculum and Instruction from Ohio Dominican University in 2012.  Mr. Perry’s ensembles have performed at OMEA Large Group AE, and OMEA Solo and Ensemble, and most recently the 2023 and 2026 OMEA Professional Development Conference.

Prior to his years at Licking Heights, Mr. Perry taught at Holgate Local Schools.  He holds professional memberships in the National Association for Music Education, Ohio Music Education Association, Phi Mu Alpha, and Mortar Board.  He is also active with OMEA Marching Band  as the Auxiliary Caption Head  He has served on the Board of Directors for Ohio Indoor Performance Association and was part of the OMEA Junior High Selection Committee for Large Group Required Music. He is a current OMEA adjudicator for Auxiliary (Marching Band), Middle School and High School Solo and Ensemble, and Middle and High School Large Group AE.  Professionally, Mr. Perry performs with the Brass Band of Columbus, and The Heisey Wind Ensemble.  

He thanks his family and friends for their continued efforts to encourage his musical talent and support his passion for music education.

Dr. Laura K. Hicken, Assistant Professor of Music Education, joined the faculty of Bowling Green State University in 2024 as an instrumental music education specialist. Prior to her appointment at BGSU, Hicken was on the faculty at Towson University in Maryland. Hicken earned her Ph.D. in Music and Human Learning at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin, her Master of Music degree in Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her Bachelor of Music Education degree at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Prior to teaching at the collegiate level, Hicken taught high school and middle school band, middle school general music, and elementary music in South Carolina and Florida.

As an active clinician, Hicken presents sessions at state and national teacher in-service conferences and at professional development meetings for local school districts. Hicken’s research is in the area of music teacher cognition. She is especially interested in teacher attention and decision making during various teaching situations and uses eye-tracking data to study these processes. Hicken is also interested in teacher perceptions and practices of including students with disabilities in music classes. She has presented her research at state, national, and international conferences, and is published in The Orff Echo, The Journal of Music Teacher Education, and The Journal of Research in Music Education.

Hicken’s professional memberships include the International Society for Music Education (ISME), The National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Society for Research in Music Education, and the Society for Music Teacher Education.

Dr. Kenneth Thompson currently serves as professor and chair of the Department of Music Education in the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.  Additionally, he serves on the conducting staff of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Wu Family Academy where he directs the DSO Civic Wind Symphony and the CYE Philharmonic Orchestra. A graduate of Limestone University (SC) with a double major in music education and trumpet, Thompson received a master's degree in music education and doctorate in conducting from The University of Iowa. Previous professional appointments include Artistic Director and Conductor of the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras and associate conductor of the St. Louis Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds.  He has conducted numerous performances of world premieres, commissions, television and radio broadcasts and critically acclaimed recordings.

With publications in the Journal of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Journal of Band Research, Journal of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, School Band and Orchestra Magazine, Journal of the Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association, The Instrumentalist, Bandmusic PDF Archives and the BCM International Web Archive, Dr. Thompson maintains a reputation as both a scholar and performer.  He has appeared as a guest conductor, lecturer or clinician for the International Society for Music Education, the National Conference of the College Band Directors National Association, the National Conference of the MENC, the Texas, Virginia, Michigan, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, West Virginia, Ohio and Missouri Music Educators Association conferences, the Missouri Bandmasters conference, the Midwest Composers Symposium and the Iowa Center for New Music.  In demand as a guest conductor and lecturer, Thompson maintains an active schedule with engagements throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia.

Dr. Thompson is an advocate of new music and expanding the repertoire available for wind bands and orchestras. He has been involved in numerous commissions and/or premiere performances for both bands and orchestras. Along with commercial recordings receiving votes in the Grammy™ Entry List appearance for Album of the Year; Best Engineered Album, Classical, and Best Orchestral Performance, critics have written the following about Dr. Thompson’s work:

“First impressions matter, and BGSU’s Wind Symphony makes an overwhelmingly positive one. Unison playing is completely silken, and tone clusters are tuned perfectly. The ensemble playing within sections is remarkable, and the band as a whole is balanced evenly.”

Matthew Dockendorf is Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Bowling Green State University. His duties include guiding all aspects of the concert band program, artistic director of the BGSU Wind Symphony and teaching courses in undergraduate and graduate conducting and music education.

Previous professional appointments include interim Director of Bands, Associate Director of Bands and Director of the “Golden Buffalo” Marching Band, and Assistant Director of Bands all at the University of Colorado Boulder. During this time, he developed a national profile for music education, artistic performance, undergraduate and graduate teaching, and a generous collaborator.

Dr. Dockendorf is an advocate for new music, music education, and developing artistry in all ages of musicians. He has most recently commissioned and premiered works by composers Kevin Day (Glimmerglass, Concerto for Flute and chamber winds, Christina Jennings), Annika Socolofsky (The Full Hundred), Alexandra Gardner (Concerto for Saxophone, Nathan Mertens), and collaborated with ~Nois Saxophone quartet and Viet Cuong. Other meaningful musical collaborations include Stacey Berk, Lindsay Bronnenkant, Peter Cooper, Henry Dorn, Tyler Grant, Jennifer Jolley, Ricardo Lorenz, David Maslanka, Abigail Nims, Chris Pilsner, Kevin Poelking, Ivette Herryman Rodríguez, James Stephenson, Luka Vezmar, and Cheldon Williams.

Dockendorf maintains an active teaching, conducting, and clinician schedule with engagements throughout the United States. He has guest conducted high school and middle school bands in Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, South Carolina, and has presented clinics at various state music conferences, the Texas Music Educators Association convention, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.

Dockendorf taught public school at Lakeville South High School in Minnesota where he was the Assistant Director and was involved in administering and teaching: marching band, concert bands, chamber music, percussion ensemble, pit orchestra, and guitar class.

Dr. Dockendorf earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from Michigan State University under Dr. Kevin L. Sedatole; a Master of Music in Conducting from The Ohio State University under Dr. Russel Mikkelson; and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Minnesota where he studied and performed under Prof. Craig Kirchhoff, Prof. Jerry Luckhardt, and Dr. Timothy Diem. 

An enthusiastic advocate for music education, Jonathan Waters proudly serves as Teaching Professor of Music Education and Director Marching and Athletic Bands at Bowling Green State University.  Prior to his appointment at Bowling Green, Waters served as Professor of Music Education and Director of Bands at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, a position which he held since 2016.  Before that, Waters served as Director of Marching and Athletic Bands at Ohio State University from 2012-2014 and held the post of Associate Director from 2002-2011.  The outstanding work of his students and an adherence to the mantra “Tradition through Innovation” garnered Waters and his students national and international recognition.

Waters received a bachelor’s degree in music education from Ohio State University in 2000, and two master’s degrees in conducting and music education in 2002.  As professor of music education at Heidelberg University, his duties included conducting the Heidelberg University Symphonic Band and Marching Band, teaching courses in music education, including Secondary Instrumental Music Education Methods, Marching Band Techniques, Instrumental Conducting, Brass Methods, Woodwind Methods, Applied Tuba, Euphonium, and Trombone, Low Brass Ensemble, Marching Band, Symphonic Band, and Music Appreciation.  At Bowling Green State University, Waters serves as Teaching Professor of Music Education and Director of Marching and Athletic Bands.  His duties include conducting the Falcon Marching Band, pep band, University Concert Band, and teaching Conducting and Marching Band Techniques, as well as student teacher mentorship.  

Jonathan Waters was the co-founder of the College Band Directors National Association Marching and Athletic Band Symposium in 2003.  This annual event has provided a tremendous platform for collegiate marching and athletic band directors to share ideas and to promote the art in a comprehensive manner across colleges and universities in the United States.

Through a collaborative effort, Waters and his students implemented the use of the iPads into the rehearsal plan for the modern marching band.  Under Waters’ leadership, students and staff pilot tested and developed applications and technologies, which revolutionized the teaching and learning process for the marching arts.  Bands around the country now use these techniques and technologies.

In his current position of Director of the Bowling Green State University Falcon Marching Band, Waters grew the band from 90 registered students in 2022 to more than 600 in 2026, making the band the largest collegiate marching band in America.  Under Waters’ leadership, the band performed in the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, making it the first international trip of the band. The Falcon Marching Band was selected to march in the Tournament of Roses Rose Parade on January 1, 2027.

Waters is an enthusiastic clinician, speaker, and guest conductor throughout Ohio and the country.  He served as North Central District Governor for Kappa Kappa Psi, National Band Fraternity. Waters has served as a member of the Big Ten Band Directors’ Association, and currently holds memberships in Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Beta Mu, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the Ohio Music Education Association, the National Association for Music Education, the College Band Directors National Association, the Ohio Private Colleges Instrumental Conductors’ Association, and the Mid-American Conference Band Directors Association.  In 2014 he gave a TED Talk on “Tradition through Innovation.” Waters also serves as Director of the Band Directors Marching Band, a band featuring band directors from around the country.  The band has performed in the Tournament of Roses Rose Parade in 2022, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2024, and most recently a second appearance in the Tournament of Roses Rose Parade in 2026.

Waters resides in Port Clinton, Ohio with his wife Molly, and their three children, Aaron, Jacob, and Adelyn.