Bruce White

Background

About Bruce White

I have been a middle school and high school band director and drill writer/designer since 1985. I have also driven charter buses as a part-time job since 2008. Have served as an adjudicator and clinician, and have judged too many honor band and all-state band auditions to count. I have had several students make the Mississippi Lion's All-State Band, hundreds of students who went on to use their skills in college bands, taking advantage of scholarship offers, and several former students who have gone on to be music teachers themselves. I have taught in both small and large high schools, having taught bands as small as 32, with grades 6-12 in the marching band, and bands as large as 145 with grades 10-12, giving me a wide variety of experiences which helps me to understand various situations when judging at competitions. Most of my career has been spent helping struggling programs become successful, however, I have also been called upon a few times to take a successful program to the next level. At my last position in Mississippi, before I retired and went to Tennessee, the high school band had recently achieved their first "All-Superior" status ever. During my tenure there, we remained "All-Superior" all but one of the six years, and went on to be a "Sweepstakes Award" winning band the last three years. The "Sweepstakes Award" is the highest distinction awarded by the Mississippi High School Activities Association, given to bands for year-long excellence. We also qualified for the Class 5A MHSAA/MBA State Marching Band Championships each year during my tenure, placing 9th twice, 10th, 7th, 6th, and 5th once each, accomplishing all of this with one of the smallest band staffs in Class 5A.