MARCHING BAND DESIGN SEMINAR

The 2026 Marching Band Show Design Seminar invites directors and designers to an immersive day of creativity, collaboration, and inspiration. This seminar brings together an outstanding faculty of guest clinicians. including Keith Potter and Jeff Sacktig, veteran designers for marching bands, winter guards, and drum and bugle corps, and current designers with the Carolina Crown. They will be joined by acclaimed composer Richard Saucedo (Carmel High School – Indiana) and creative designer, David Starnes (Kennesaw Mountain High School – Georgia), both veteran designers for high school marching bands and drum and bugle corps. As a special bonus, Potter and Sacktig will share their proven design team process and how it translates to competitive success. As a unique component to the event, attending directors will receive a one-on-one consultation with a clinician(s) to review and refine their 2026 fall marching band production. Participants are encouraged to interact with each clinician throughout the day, sparking imagination and inspiring the creative process. Whether a current high school band director, independent designer, or an aspiring pageantry arts designer, this event will provide a wealth of information and perspective from four of the nation’s most experienced and proven designers.

MEET OUR 2026 CLINICIANS

Richard Saucedo

Richard L. Saucedo retired in 2013 as Director of Bands and Performing Arts Department Chair at the William H. Duke Center for the Performing Arts at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana. During his 31-year tenure, Carmel’s concert, jazz, and marching bands earned numerous state, regional, and national honors. Wind Symphony I performed at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival three times and appeared at the Midwest Clinic in 2005, the same year the Carmel Marching Greyhounds were named Bands of America Grand National Champions. The marching band also placed in the top ten nationally for 17 consecutive years and won four Indiana Class A State Championships. Saucedo was named Indiana Bandmasters Association “Bandmaster of the Year” and Indiana Music Educators Association “Outstanding Music Educator.” He is a composer, arranger, and clinician with Hal Leonard, serves as ensemble coordinator for the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, brass arranger for the Cavaliers, and Chief Judge–Team Leader for Bands of America.

Keith Potter

Keith Potter began his pageantry career as a saxophone player and drum major for Center Grove High School in Greenwood, IN. After graduation, he became a drum major instructor at FJM clinics and later went on to join the Cadets of Bergen County as a member of the color guard from 1991-1993. He also performed with Pride of Cincinnati and Escapade winter guards during this same time period. Once wrapping up his performance career, Keith quickly turned to education and design and has been serving as a color guard or program designer, at some capacity, for over 34 years. His previous design work includes Carroll High School, Center Grove High School, Avon High School, Carmel High School, Arcadia High School, Escapade, Pride of Cincinnati, The Cadets of Bergen County, The Cavaliers, Program Designer for Carolina Crown, and Artistic Director for The Boston Crusaders.

Jeff Sacktig

Jeff Sacktig has been involved in the pageantry arts for over 45 years as a performer, a teacher, a designer and an adjudicator. He is an active visual designer and consultant for drum corps, marching band, indoor percussion, winter guard and winds groups. Currently Jeff is in his ninth year as the Visual Designer for Carolina Crown. Prior to that he spent 34 years with The Cadets, 20 years as their Visual Designer. Jeff was a part of 8 DCI World Championship titles and numerous medalist placements. His contributions to drum corps overall is well respected. Having taught and designed for many groups through the years Jeff is fortunate to have worked at the highest level is all areas of pageantry. Some of his most notable groups are Vandegrift HS, Bands of America Grand National Champion. Paramount Winter Guard, WGI Independent World Champion. Dartmouth HS Indoor Percussion, WGI Scholastic World Champion. Cleveland HS Winds, WGI Scholastic World Champion. Cadets2, DCA World Champion. And The Yokohama Scouts, Drum Corps Japan Champion. Jeff was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame, the WGI Hall of Fame, the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame and the Cadets Hall of Fame.

David Starnes

David Starnes is a retired music educator whose 34-year career included leadership roles at both the high school and collegiate levels. He most recently served as Director of Orchestras at Kennesaw Mountain High School (2020–2023) and previously was Assistant Professor and Director of Athletic Bands at Western Carolina University, where he led the 500-member “Pride of the Mountains” Marching Band in national competitions and major events, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As founding Director of Bands at Kennesaw Mountain High School, his ensembles achieved national prominence, earning six Bands of America Grand National finalist appearances, a 2004 AAA National Championship, and the prestigious Sudler Shield of Excellence. The program also performed at the Midwest Clinic and the Macy’s Parade. A sought-after adjudicator, clinician, and designer, Mr. Starnes served for over 25 years as an Education Consultant for Music for All and Program Director of the Honor Band of America. He was inducted into the Bands of America Hall of Fame in 2019.

2026 SCHEDULE AND AGENDA

Marching Band Design Seminar

Friday, June 5, 2026

8:30AM – 4:30PM

 Kennesaw State University

Main Campus

 

One on One show design consultations will be scheduled throughout the day with one or more of our guest design clinicians.

 

8:30am  REGISTRATION AND BREAKFAST – Kennesaw State University

 

 

9:00am SESSION #1: “Creative Programming for Marching Bands” – Keith Potter

 

10:30am –BREAK–

 

10:45am SESSION #2: “The Musical Design Process”  – Richard Saucedo and David Starnes

 

12:00pm LUNCH  (Own your own)

 

1:30pm SESSION #3: “The Visual Design Process” – Jeff Sacktig

 

3:00pm  –BREAK–

 

3:15pm SESSION #4: Inside the Carolina Crown Design Process – Keith Potter and Jeff Sacktig

 

4:30pm SEMINAR CONCLUDES

REGISTER ONLINE NOW

Registration deadline May 31, 2026.    

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who may attend the clinic?

The is no prerequisite or judging experience required to attend the training. The clinic is designed to provide information, strategies, and training for individuals ranging from novice through veteran adjudicator experience. The training is specifically designed to provide participants with a renewed understanding of the adjudication process as well as an enhanced skill set as they enter the upcoming fall competitive season and beyond.

Those who attend will receive experiential training from individuals with regional and national level marching band adjudication backgrounds. Participants will also receive caption specific training within their specialized area (visual or music) while utilizing the Georgia Music Educators Association system (both contest and festival sheets) as well as the Bands of America sheets, which are also used by the Georgia Marching Band Cooperative (a Bands of America sanctioned circuit).

The 2026 Marching Band Adjudicators Summit will take place on the Main Campus of Kennesaw State University in the Music Building – Room 109 (MU109). Free parking will be available on campus within a short walking distance of the Music Building. Maps of the Kennesaw State University Main Campus will be provided to all who register for the event

Participants are not required to be a resident of Georgia to attend this training. Given that participants will receive instruction on criteria reference, numbers management, recognition of achievement, and professionalism, these skills are readily adaptable to several state and national models of adjudication. Those individuals who aspire to serve in the State of Georgia or potentially be considered as a Bands of America judge should strongly consider this opportunity, given the experience and connection from those who will be leading the training.

In an effort to prepare for your attendance, we ask that all registrations occur no later than Sunday, May 31, 2026. Seats are limited for this experience in an effort to provide the most individualized instruction and valuable opportunity for peer interaction.

At the conclusion of the training on May 10, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion which may be used for verification and validation of having received the training and a working knowledge of the systems discussed. At this time, Georgia does not maintain an approved list of adjudicators, specific to marching band. However, when considering judges, contest coordinators may inquire to your level of training and expertise as an adjudicator. As a participant in this training, your preparation would be of value for those who are assigning judges to their event.