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Rich Armstrong is the Director of Bands for the Waxahachie Independent School District and in his 21st year as a music educator. He taught in Duncanville and Arlington, Texas prior to coming to Waxahachie. He serves as the conductor of the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Jazz Orchestra, and the director of the marching band. His bands consistently earn Superior Ratings at the U.I.L. Concert and Sight Reading Contest and the Jazz Orchestra has been named the 4A Champion at the UTA and TCU Jazz Festivals.

Mr. Armstrong graduated from MacAuthur High School in 1982, and then received a Bachelors degree in Music Education and a Masters degree in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has been an active clinician and adjudicator throughout the United States, Canada, Holland, and the West Indies in the areas of conducting, jazz, marching band, and music education. Rich has served on the staffs of many prominent drum major and leadership camps and is responsible for the development and implementation of the 2004 UTA Leadership Summer Camp curriculum.

Mr. Armstrong marched with the World Champion Garfield Cadets from 1980-1986 and was the drum major for the 1984, 85, 86 seasons. Mr. Armstrong has served on the staffs of the Cadets, Blue Devils, Carolina Crown, and the Dutch Boys Drum and Bugles Corps in the areas of brass, marching, and administration. His professional affiliations include TMEA, TBA, IAJE, and USSBA.. Mr. Armstrong enjoys spending time with his wife Denise and their three children, Micaiah, Elijah, and Lilyanna.

Rich Armstrong

Reggie Cook attended Texas Christian University from 1994 to 1998 earning a Bachelor of Music Education.  Mr. Cook participated in many ensembles including, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Marching Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Jazz Combo. His major instruments were percussion and bass in which he was a student of Dr, Michael Kingan and Dr. Nick Petrella.  Upon Graduation, he taught in Castleberry ISD in which the marching band placed 3rd in the state marching contest and the middle school placed second in the outstanding performance series.  In the last three years he taught at Venus ISD at the middle school earning a sweepstakes in 2007.   

Reggie Cook

Dan Francis is a native of Oklahoma and grew up in Oklahoma City.  He received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma.  Upon graduation Mr. Francis accepted a position with the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the orchestra for the next seven years.  Mr. Francis taught applied trumpet at Oklahoma Baptist University and the University of Central Oklahoma while playing with the orchestra. Mr. Francis obtained his Master of Music degree in trumpet performance from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, while continuing his playing career in Oklahoma City.  He was privileged to study trumpet with one of the premier trumpet teachers in the nation, Vincent Cichowicz of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  He also studied band performance techniques with John Paynter.

 In 1991 Mr. Francis came to Texas and taught at Graham Middle School for the next seven years.  His bands at Graham were consistent winners of the U.I.L. “Sweepstakes” award during his tenure.  The Graham High School Band was runner-up in the 3A Honor Band competition and advanced to the finals of the State Marching Contest twice during his time in Graham. Mr. Francis was the high school band director in Gainesville, Texas, from 1998-2000.  During that time the high school band received the second U.I.L. “Sweepstakes” in the history of the school.

 From 2000-2006 Mr. Francis has been the band director at Marsh Middle School in Castleberry I.S.D. in Ft. Worth, Texas.  His band progressed from a IV/III at U.I.L. competition the year before he came to a U.I.L. “Sweepstakes” in three years.  The band also won the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series Concert Selection category in 2003.  The high school band at Castleberry has advanced to the State Marching Contest twice and finished fourth in the 3A Honor Band competition during his tenure.

Dan Francis

Kendra Ray is the Assistant Band Director at Waxahachie Junior High School.  Miss Ray’s responsibilities include Symphonic II, assisting with Symphonic I, Concert band, and the Waxahachie High School Marching Band.

 Miss Ray attended Waxahachie High School and was a member of the Spirit of Waxahachie Indian Band as a saxophone player.  After graduating from Waxahachie in 2000, she went on to pursue a music degree.  She attended Stephen F. Austin State University where she performed as a saxophonist in the Wind Ensemble & Jazz Bands.  After graduating from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2004, Miss Ray was offered a teaching position at Turner Middle School.  She taught TAKS Math Enrichment for the 2004 -2005 school year.  After this school year, Miss Ray was appointed to her current position.  She is in her fourth year of teaching. 

 Her professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Tau Beta Sigma.

Kendra Ray

Mr. Owens is a native of Oklahoma where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and a Master of Music Education degree from North Texas State University. Mr. Owens has forty-five years of experience in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, and he has had State Honor Band in all three states. His Dickinson High School Marching Band advanced to every 4-A State Marching Contest, made the finals every time and won the State Marching Contest five times.  In 1994, the Dickinson band hall was renamed the “Don Owens Band Hall.” Mr. Owens has held individual offices in Oklahoma and Texas band organizations and has received numerous individual honors.  He was inducted into the Oklahoma Bandmasters Hall of Fame, he was the first Texas band director to receive the UIL Denius Sponsor Excellence Award, and he has received the National Band Association Citation of Merit.

After his second retirement, he was pleased to have been asked to lead the Turner Middle School Band.  With Mrs. Owens’ help, the Turner Middle School Band has an unblemished record of Division One ratings in Concert and Sight Reading and was chosen as the “Outstanding Band” at the Sandy Lake Music Festival in Dallas and at the “Festival in the Sticks” in Maypearl.

Donnie Owens

Mrs. Owens is a native of Oklahoma where she earned her Bachelor of Elementary Education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.  Before her retirement Mrs. Owens taught fourth grade for twenty-six years.  Mrs. Owens is a full time volunteer at Turner Middle School where she assists her husband, Donnie Owens, with the TMS Band. Band has been a way of life of Mr. and Mrs. Owens and their three children.  On the 5-A track, Julie was an All-State Flutist for two years, Steve was an All-State Trombonist for three years, and David was an All-State Saxophonist for two years and was a member of the McDonald’s All American Jazz Band and Marching Band.  Julie and family live in Plano, David and family in Coppell and Steve’s family reside in Clear Lake.

Margie Owens

Dawson Spicer