
Cathy Kersten
Class of: 2011
Music 'n Motion Productions, under the direction of Cathy Kersten, began serving Florida Visual Performing groups in 1978 with the creation of Cathy's Crew, a baton twirling ensemble with over 400 students. Her husband, Jon, joined in and became involved as a marching band show designer and color guard choreographer with local high schools. Jon and Cathy were instrumental in the development of the SFCGA and FFCC, local Florida Guard Circuits.
Cathy has been an active band and auxiliary adjudicator for FBA, local Florida circuits, and various State contests across the country, including WGI, and NBTA. Music ’n Motion still runs a large auxiliary camp every summer and they choreograph for the mass band half-time show at the Outback Bowl, which is now the “ReliaQuest” Bowl, in Tampa, Florida. Cathy started working in the spring for All-Star Music Festivals with the infamous Mike Davis, a 14 week spring music festival for concert bands, choirs and orchestra. After a few years, she started her own festival, Dynamic Music Festivals, where school music ensembles from across the US travel to Orlando to perform and be adjudicated.
In 1997, the Kersten’s organized and created the Florida Marching Band Championships. Cathy is currently the Executive Director of the Florida Marching Band Championship, taking over her husband Jon’s position after he passed away in October of 2010. The family is dedicated to carrying on his legacy, hosting 80-90 Florida high school marching bands in a State Championship every November, after a 7 week schedule of regionals across the State.
For fun, Cathy is a member of the largest adult marching band in the USA, The Awesome Second Time Arounders, in St. Petersburg. She is on the majorette line, and is also the auxiliary coordinator. Checking off an item from her “bucket list”, she got to perform in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. She works, plays, lives and loves Marching Band!