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Providing Performance Opportunities
Tri-State Marching Arts offers Winter Guard, Percussion and Winds performance groups the chance to compete.
Larry Rebillot spent over forty years as a teacher, performer and judge in all aspects of the pageantry arts. Some of his accomplishments include serving as Bands of America Color Guard Coordinator, and serving on Boards of Directors for both Tri State and the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps. As Tri State Education Director, Larry organized many successful clinics for the circuit members and students.
Larry has taught, among many others, the Pride of Cincinnati drum corps & winter guard, the Bluecoats, the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands, the University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band, the Northwest Passage Performing Arts, and numerous high school groups, including Marlington, Field, George Rogers Clark, Henry Clay, Lafayette, Mercer County, Kings, Ryle, Mason, Shelby County, Harrison County, and Williamstown.
Larry shared generously his love for all things marching arts and was a true inspiration to instructors and performers around the world. His life, work, legacy, and love live on in the thousands who loved him dearly.
Jeff Kniess was a Tri State founding member, outstanding adjudicator and educator, and dear friend. He was the director of the legendary Carroll Patriots Marching Band and then served as a teacher and administrator in the Dayton Public Schools.
Tri State has long been a beneficiary of Jeff’s energy and passion. As an adjudicator for marching band, drum corps, and winter guard, he influenced thousands of students in the activity. His natural gift as an educator extended to his work with the Tri State Judges Association. As a member, he worked tirelessly to promote the growth and achievement of judges both as a mentor and a friend.
His unswerving devotion to the students of our activity continues in those leading Tri State today. His legacy of valuing and nurturing the efforts of students, instructors, designers, directors, and others has been, and will continue to be, passed from one to another well into the future.
Dan Middlesworth started in the marching arts while a student at Belmont High School as a drummer. Dan met future Hall of Fame member Jeff Kniess who encouraged Dan to join the Miller Blackhawk Musical Corps. His time with this group ignited his interest in color guard, and he spun rifle in the first Blackhawks competitive winter guard.
Dan started teaching high school color guards which led to adjudication of marching bands and color guard, eventually doing timing and penalties for WGI. While in the adjudication ranks, he became president of the Ohio Judges Association. With encouragement from Kentucky band directors, he organized the first meeting and led the creation of what would become the Tri State Circuit for the Pageantry Arts.
Dan served as an Executive Director for seventeen years, working with the team to grow from 18 units at championships to 133 units.
After this, Dan continued to participate in the marching arts, working with Waynesville High School for ten years as a marching instructor and drill designer. Currently Dan is the assistant director of Cincinnati Tradition Drum & Bugle Corps, continuing his support of the marching arts and enjoying every minute.
Don Deems taught English at Norwood High School in Cincinnati from 1992 until retiring in 2024. He holds a BA in Speech Communication from Miami University and an MEd in Secondary Education from Wright State University. He currently holds a Visiting Faculty position at Miami University, teaching literacy and supervising and mentoring student teachers.
Performance experience includes the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps and the Pride of Cincinnati Winter Guard. Teaching experience includes the Bluecoats and numerous high school bands and guards throughout the region including Fairborn and Carroll High Schools in Ohio and the state champion Grant County band in Kentucky.
Don has been a member of the Tri State Judges Association since 1990 serving as judging coordinator since 2010. He has judged state band championships in Indiana, Michigan, Colorado, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arizona, and Kentucky, has judged for WGI and DCA, and has been a judge for Drum Corps International since 2000.
Tom Acheson was Tri State founding father. It is impossible to overstate Tom’s impact on Tri State, and indeed, upon the pageantry arts as a whole. Tom’s life work and passion was teaching, designing, and judging. His career spanned almost 50 years, with groups from all levels, from world class finalists to groups just beginning. To each, Tom brought his inimitable drive, energy, expertise, humor, and unforgettable personality.
Every performer, instructor, and designer at Tri State has benefitted from Tom. All TMA participants have almost certainly been taught by Tom or by someone whom Tom taught. His life and work live on each time a unit steps on the floor at a Tri State event.
There would not be Tri State Marching Arts without Tom Acheson. He was a leader among the founders of our circuit back in the mid 1990s. The life-changing experiences that students and so many others enjoy each season with Tri State are thanks to Tom’s vision and leadership. His tireless work as circuit president for many, many years built the solid foundation upon which we now stand.
Jen Maegly has been involved in the pageantry arts for many decades. She marched with Newark High School, The Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps, and the Pride of Cincinnati Winter Guard. Jen taught the Kings High School guard for many years, leading hundreds of students to appearances at finals in WGI regionals and championships. She has been instrumental in the development of Tri State, serving as Board Member and Education Director, among many other leadership roles both in the spotlight and behind the scenes.
Jen has inspired many of her students to continue marching outside of high school. Her graduates have become guard instructors through her guidance. She is like a second mother to them and is always there when they need her. Jen pushes her students to go for their dreams and to be their best. Her passion for the activity has inspired many to continue marching and to become guard instructors now leading a new generation of performers onto the floor.
Patsy Simmons has a long and illustrious history with Tri State, teaching and directing many groups, mentoring instructors for numerous programs, and serving as a board member. She launched numerous initiatives that continue to enrich the circuit. Under her love and leadership as President, Tri State grew into one of the best circuits in the country, moving championships into a truly world class facility.
Patsy was one of the most valuable, compassionate, responsible, and genuinely inspiring members of any team lucky enough to have her. In 2012 Patsy was assistant director for Zydeco World Class Color Guard. Prior to this, Patsy created and self-funded an Independent A class color guard out of Cincinnati, Consortio Colorguard.
Even more important than her successes in the Independent classes, Patsy was the director of the LaSalle High School Colorguard for a remarkable twenty years. She gave countless performers a home.
Anyone who knew Patsy will share stories of her immense love of the activity and even more immense love for her thousands of friends. Her generous spirit and palpable joy live on in this generation of performers and leaders, and her legacy will continue to light our way into the future.
Joe Vala, as long-time Tri State Percussion Coordinator, made an impact with his leadership and commitment to the education of both instructors and performers. From a simple judging assignment, Joe saw the opportunity to help build a strong performance stage for the percussion groups within the Tri State. He developed opportunities to share information among the Tri State percussion community.
Joe’s philosophy is that students come first. He adjudicates without ego, judging the performance of the day, giving credit for the growth of the group and the individual performers. Stepping into a leadership role was quite natural for someone of Joe’s experience and energy.
Joe saw a void in the leadership of percussion for the circuit and stepped up to fill that void. Over many years, Joe led and managed the growth in both the number and quality of percussion groups. Joe's tireless work has created great opportunities for all involved, and his influence continues in those who now teach a new generation of performers.
Tristate Marching Arts
P.O. Box 19572
Cincinnati, OH 45219