I have five years of experience as a 5A assistant band director. Since 2008 I have served as Associate Director at William H. Taft High School in San Antonio. My duties include co-directing the second and third concert bands, assisting with the jazz program, as well as overseeing all aspects of the 45+ member percussion program. I also teach the beginning percussion class at Briscoe Middle School. In addition to being a perennial Sweepstakes program, the Taft Raider Band has advanced to the UIL 5A State Marching Contest two of the last three 5A state seasons. The Taft indoor drumline has also enjoyed success as an Open Class competitor in both the TCGC and TECA circuits. My concert percussion ensembles and soloists have consistently advanced to the Texas State Solo and Ensemble competition and received superior ratings. At UIL this spring, I conducted the symphonic band on stage and in the sight-reading room where we earned division I ratings across the board.
From 2005-2007 I was an assistant band director and the Director of Percussion for Akins High School in Austin, Texas. During this time, Akins was one of only ten bands in the State of Texas to qualify and perform in finals competition at the 2006 UIL 5A State Marching Contest. Akins also placed first in the percussion caption of every contest they attended that season that included a separate percussion score. During the 2006 indoor drumline season, Akins was a Class A medalist at the TCGC finals.
The Akins percussion program was successful on the concert stage as well. The percussion sections of each band were top-notch and an integral component of the Sweepstakes band program. Both years that I taught at Akins, my concert percussion ensembles advanced to the State Solo and Ensemble Contest and received superior ratings. This was an unprecedented accomplishment for the school. In addition, the number of percussion soloists to advance to the competition more than tripled during my tenure. Percussion students’ performances at region band auditions improved notably as well.
Prior to my appointment at Akins, I was a graduate teaching assistant in percussion at the University of Texas. My responsibilities included conducting the Steel Drum Band as well as teaching private lessons to undergraduate percussion majors. During my time in graduate school I also taught part-time at four Austin area high schools. I worked as a percussion assistant for two years in Pflugerville ISD, where I was on the marching band staff and indoor drumline staff at both Pflugerville High School and Hendrickson High School. In addition, I taught in Leander ISD as a private instructor at both Leander High School and Cedar Park High School.
I am currently on the percussion staff of the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps where I have served as Front Ensemble Coordinator since 2008. I was on the percussion staff of the 2007 Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps and 2007 Austin Independent Indoor Percussion Ensemble
Before moving to Texas in 2003, I taught percussion in Northern Ohio during each of my four years at Kent State University.The highly respected band programs I have worked with include Brunswick, Maumee, Crestwood, and Field High Schools. In the spring of 2003 I was a student-teacher in the Berea City Schools.
teaching biography
I have five years of experience as a 5A assistant band director. Since 2008 I have served as Associate Director at William H. Taft High School in San Antonio. My duties include co-directing the second and third concert bands, assisting with the jazz program, as well as overseeing all aspects of the 45+ member percussion program. I also teach the beginning percussion class at Briscoe Middle School. In addition to being a perennial Sweepstakes program, the Taft Raider Band has advanced to the UIL 5A State Marching Contest two of the last three 5A state seasons. The Taft indoor drumline has also enjoyed success as an Open Class competitor in both the TCGC and TECA circuits. My concert percussion ensembles and soloists have consistently advanced to the Texas State Solo and Ensemble competition and received superior ratings. At UIL this spring, I conducted the symphonic band on stage and in the sight-reading room where we earned division I ratings across the board.
From 2005-2007 I was an assistant band director and the Director of Percussion for Akins High School in Austin, Texas. During this time, Akins was one of only ten bands in the State of Texas to qualify and perform in finals competition at the 2006 UIL 5A State Marching Contest. Akins also placed first in the percussion caption of every contest they attended that season that included a separate percussion score. During the 2006 indoor drumline season, Akins was a Class A medalist at the TCGC finals.
The Akins percussion program was successful on the concert stage as well. The percussion sections of each band were top-notch and an integral component of the Sweepstakes band program. Both years that I taught at Akins, my concert percussion ensembles advanced to the State Solo and Ensemble Contest and received superior ratings. This was an unprecedented accomplishment for the school. In addition, the number of percussion soloists to advance to the competition more than tripled during my tenure. Percussion students’ performances at region band auditions improved notably as well.
Prior to my appointment at Akins, I was a graduate teaching assistant in percussion at the University of Texas. My responsibilities included conducting the Steel Drum Band as well as teaching private lessons to undergraduate percussion majors. During my time in graduate school I also taught part-time at four Austin area high schools. I worked as a percussion assistant for two years in Pflugerville ISD, where I was on the marching band staff and indoor drumline staff at both Pflugerville High School and Hendrickson High School. In addition, I taught in Leander ISD as a private instructor at both Leander High School and Cedar Park High School.
I am currently on the percussion staff of the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps where I have served as Front Ensemble Coordinator since 2008. I was on the percussion staff of the 2007 Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps and 2007 Austin Independent Indoor Percussion Ensemble
Before moving to Texas in 2003, I taught percussion in Northern Ohio during each of my four years at Kent State University.The highly respected band programs I have worked with include Brunswick, Maumee, Crestwood, and Field High Schools. In the spring of 2003 I was a student-teacher in the Berea City Schools.
I am an educational endorser for Innovative Percussion.