Gumina Appointed 2016 Southwind Corps Director

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southwind_100x100Gregory L. Gumina, a resident of Birmingham, Ala., has been reappointed as the corps director of Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps for 2016. In 2015, Gumina led the corps to a return to Drum Corps International Competition in the Open Class division and concluded a successful season for the corps’ return after eight years of absence from DCI activity.

Gumina earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from West Virginia University, studying percussion, music theory and business administration. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in music education from the University of Alabama, where he studied wind literature and conducting with Dr. Gerald Welker. While at UA, he served as a graduate assistant in the University of Alabama Bands Department and was the arranger/instructor for the percussion section of the Million Dollar Band. Gumina is a former member of the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps and has served on the staff of Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps for eight years, where he was previously the percussion caption head for four years and has twice served as program coordinator.

Gumina is currently serving his 20th year as assistant band director at Shades Valley High School in Birmingham and is in his 21th year as a music educator in the state of Alabama. His ensembles have performed at the 2001 NASPAAM International Convention, the 2006 Alabama Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, the 2011 Music for All Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, the 2013 Southeastern United States Band Festival, the 2013 Alabama Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, and more than 10 Percussive Arts Society Days of Percussion. Gumina teaches Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, and AP Music Theory in addition to being the marching band coordinator and music arranger. He has served on the Arts Advisory Board and the Curriculum Writing Committee for the Jefferson County School System, and, in 2010, he achieved National Board Certification. He is a member of Alabama Music Educators Association, NAfME, NBA, PAS and Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society.
Drum and bugle corps, which stems from the tradition of military marching units, is an activity that combines high level musical performance with the physical demands of athletes. The performance groups, which consist of brass, percussion and color guard members, compete internationally during summer competitions all over North America, Europe, South America and Asia through the umbrella of Drum Corps International.

Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps, based in Mobile, Ala., was established in 1980. An Open Class drum corps, Southwind previously won two international championships in their division in 1991 and 1992.

To learn more about Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps or to request information for the 2016 season, visit http://www.joinsouthwind.org.

Posted by on Tuesday, October 20th, 2015. Filed under DCI Open.