PdlC Judging Panels

Jeremy Gomez (Group Evaluation Panel) Jeremy Gomez holds a music performance degree from the University of North Texas and is characterized by his unique approach to teaching rhythms and his breakout career in the area of marching cymbals. From 1998-2006 Jeremy choreographed and led the UNT, Plano Senior HS, Flower Mound HS, and Carolina Crown Cymbal Lines to over 10 PAS marching and DCI I&E 1st place championships. Established in 2006 Mr. Gomez was Wakeland High School’s founding percussion director for 9 years, building a powerhouse innovative percussion studio. Gomez is known for his beginner pedagogy, his J.E.D.I. series, and integrating world concepts into western education. A drumset educator and performer in the DFW area he often sits on the Texas All State Jazz panel and maintains a private lesson studio specializing in bridging the gap between the percussion and drumset idioms. Currently Jeremy is an active clinician, mentor, and beginner specialist for dozens of percussion programs throughout Texas. Mr. Gomez is a proud Zildjian cymbal artist and endorses Vic Firth sticks and mallets.

John Grant (Group Evaluation Panel) John Grant has been a noteworthy percussion teacher inside and outside the USA playing and teaching in marching bands, drum and bugle corps, and indoor drum lines for over 27 years. He is also a composer, arranger, and luthier. He played on the snare line for the World Champion Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps from Concord, California. Before becoming a world championship snare drummer, he also played bass drum and snare for the Marauders Drum and Bugle Corps from Longview, Washington. Mr. Grant lived in Brazil for 13 years where he studied Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts), Brazilian rhythms, Portuguese, and Brazilian culture. He is the creator and director of the Brazilian All-Star Drum Line, a nonprofit organization known as Tcha Degga Da. Mr. Grant was also the first "gringo" samba school director in Brazil. He has published many drum line cadences, percussion ensemble arrangements, and has written a rudimentary drum line method book in Portuguese, Spanish, and soon to be available in English. Mr. Grant has worked fabricating percussion instruments with Marimba One, Ross, Sonar, JOG, and Majestic. Mr. Grant has taught elementary, middle school, Jr. high school, university, and drum corps percussion programs. For five years he was the drum line instructor for the University of Southern Mississippi. He has also taught the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps from Casper, Wyoming, the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps from Madison, Wisconsin, the Freelancers indoor drum line from Sacramento, California, and Kadoudal Drum and Bugle Corps from Quiberon, France. Mr. Grant endorses Vic Firth, Zildian and REMO. John, his wife, and their daughter live in Rockwall, Texas. John Grant is happy to be working with the Greenville Lion Pride Band.

Matt Moore (Group Evaluation Panel) Matt Moore is a percussion educator, composer, arranger, and adjudicator in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where he served as Director of Percussion for V.R. Eaton High School 2015-2022. With a popular catalog of works through C. Alan Publications as well as marching arrangements, Matt’s music has been commissioned, performed, and recorded around the country. Since 2022, Matt’s primary career shifted to the video game development industry where he serves as a Producer, responsible for the planning, scheduling, development, and delivery of creative projects in games and software with a cross-disciplinary team of 30+ over multiple continents. Matt holds music degrees from Campbellsville University and Texas Christian University. He is an educational artist for Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets and an ASCAP composer. As a tech nerd, Matt solo-developed Frustrating Bird Game for mobile platforms and is currently into retro gaming and home theater gear. He lives with his family in Lewisville, Texas. For more information on Matt Moore, please visit: http://www.mattmoorepercussion.com/home.html

Dr. Michael Crawford (Solo Evaluation Panel) Dr. Michael Crawford is a Lecturer of Music Education & Percussion at the University of North Texas (UNT). His responsibilities at UNT include teaching undergraduate and graduate coursework, coordinating the College’s student teaching program, overseeing all curriculum and instruction for the Percussion Methods courses, and co-directing the UNT Percussion Group percussion ensemble. Before joining the faculty at UNT, Dr. Crawford dedicated a decade of his career to teaching MS/HS band and percussion throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area metroplex. Additionally, he served on the instrumental faculty at Tarleton State University (2011–2014) and as the drumline instructor/arranger for Baylor University (2013–2017). Dr. Crawford maintains an active profile as a clinician/adjudicator for numerous national and international festivals, including recent invitations to adjudicate the ‘23 PASIC Percussion Chamber Competition (Indianapolis, IN), ‘23–24 California All-State Percussion Auditions (Sacramento, CA), and ‘24 Australian Percussion Eisteddfod and Drumline Competition (Sydney, AUS). He has also been invited to present featured clinics and research at regional and national conferences, including NAfME, CBDNA, National Conference on Percussion Pedagogy, National Fellowship of Worship Musicians, TMEA, and TBA. As a percussionist, Dr. Crawford has performed with regional orchestras, jazz ensembles, chamber groups, and drum corps throughout the United States and Europe. He has published articles in The Instrumentalist, Journal of Music Teacher Education, and Rhythm! Scene Magazine, and musical compositions through C. Alan Publications. Dr. Crawford is a member of the Percussive Arts Society Education Committee, Black Swamp Percussion Educator Network, and a proud Artist/endorser of Innovative Percussion, Pearl/Adams, and Zildjian percussion products.

Lane Harder (Solo Evaluation Panel) Composer/Percussionist Lane Harder’s original works have been performed by the Meadows Symphony Orchestra, Voces Intimae, Percussion Group 72 (Japan), New Mexico All-State Guitar Orchestra, cellists Frank Jenkins and Anna Park (Austin Symphony Orchestra), marimbist Makoto Nakura (Young Concert Artists), soprano Rebecca Siler (The Crossing), Ju Percussion Group, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra Percussion Ensemble, and many percussion ensembles in North America, Europe, and Asia. His music has appeared on programs at the 2004, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2017 Percussive Arts Society International Conventions and the 2008 Percussion Master Series in Taipei. Other recent festivals at which his music has been programmed include the 2021 21C Guitar International Conference, the 2018 Mid-South Flute Festival, the 2017 New Mexico Music Educators Convention, the 2016 Queens New Music Festival, the 2014 Green Music Festival in Kobe, Japan, the 2014 Excessive Noise Recital Series, and the 2014 Percussion Festival of Patagonia. His performances and his original music appear on the Albany, Gasparo, Evosound, Soundwaves, Dream Media, Slade Harte Records, BCM&D and bu.hanan record labels. Harder has performed both as a percussionist and keyboardist with the Dallas Winds, Allen Philharmonic Orchestra, and as a resident musician for concert series at Triple N Ranch and Winery. He has also performed with The Dallas Bach Society, Theatre Three, Imperial Brass, Casa Mañana, the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, and many other organizations in the Dallas area. Harder is a percussionist, keyboardist, and arranger for Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas. Additionally, Harder is Chair of Music Composition at SMU where he serves on the SMU Faculty Senate. He further serves on the faculty and administration of the EAMA Summer Institute and EAMA Academy. For more information on Lane Harder, please visit: https://www.smu.edu/Meadows/AreasofStudy/Music/Faculty/HarderLane