RMPA Newsletter #2

Happy New Year, and welcome to the second edition of the RMPA Newsletter! We are excited to announce that we have 41 ensembles registered for the 2026 RMPA season! This number includes 6 new ensembles and the first Winds group since 2021!

As we begin a new year and everyone's rehearsals resume, we are excited to have some insights from Scott Johnson and Tim Jackson in this episode, as well as a deep-dive on the scoring sheets from Mike Nevin. We hope you find this information valuable, and we look forward to seeing everyone's performances soon!

Colin Spear

President, RMPA Board of Directors

• Code of Conducts will be sent to the Primary Contact listed in Competition Suite soon:
• Make sure your primary contact is accurate (also a good time to check that all of your staff are on Competition Suite and all of your information is correct for this season!)
• Don't wait to complete the Code of Conduct, remember it MUST be signed by January 31
• Don't forget to RSVP for the Judge Training on Sunday, February 1, from 2-5 at Monarch High School!
• Questions? Email colin@rmpa.org

• Saturday, January 31: Code of Conducts must be signed
• Sunday, February 1: 2026 RMPA Judge Training @ Monarch HS

• Saturday, February 14th: RMPA Regular Season Show #1 @ Monarch HS

The incredible Scott Johnson graciously took time out of his crazy travel schedule over the holidays to answer these interview questions I sent to him. In addition to sharing his vast knowledge about marching percussion in general, I wanted to get his perspective as a WGI music judge, so most of the questions have that focus. If you want to know more about Scott, here’s a link to his bio.

RMPA is excited to welcome Scott as a Judge in the Music caption for the RMPA Prelims on March 28, 2026, at Mountain Range High School.

Tim Jackson – Rhythm X Program Coordinator and Designer

Tim began his drumming career at the age of ten studying rudimental, drumset, and keyboard percussion. He is now one of the most in-demand consultants and instructors in the United States. Notably, Jackson won honors as the PASIC Multi-Tenor champion in 2005, and the DCI Individual and Ensemble Multi-Tenor champion four consecutive years from 2003 to 2006 while performing with The Blue Devils. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from The Ohio State University.

At Rhythm X, Inc., Tim serves on the design team of the percussion ensemble. He has served an integral role in program design since his age out year as a performer. Tim endorses Pearl/Adams, and Evans Drumheads, and is a Signature Artist of Promark.