Are you ready? Its just around the corner….
BIG COUNTRY Y.E.S.
Featuring Kathy Johnson
Speaking on
“A Judge’s Perspective”
Tuesday, October 1st, 2019
Hardin-Simmons University Band Hall
6:30 – 8:30 pm
FREE ADMISSION!
Come hear one of the finest Band Director’s in Texas as she talks about what judges are listening for in UIL and Festival performances.
Big Country Y.E.S. events are proudly sponsored by the band programs at Abilene Christian, Hardin-Simmons and McMurry Universities and the Abilene ISD Fine Arts Office. Clinician travel is paid for by N-Tune Music and Sound. All events are free and opened to all music educators.
What is Y.E.S.? Young Educators Symposiums were started by Brian Merrill and Lynne Jackson at SMU to provide an opportunity for young band directors (and the young at heart!) to get together and hear guest speakers talk about different ideas that they used to achieve success in their careers as music educators. Big Country Y.E.S was started in 2018 with Fred Allen and Richard Floyd as our two guest speakers.
Due to difficulties in setting up meals in advance, we have decided not to provide a meal on location this year. You are more than welcome to bring food with you and eat during the workshop. Kathy will be staying overnight following the clinic so that any who would like to can join us at a local restaurant for food and drink.
Please come (and bring a friend)!
Kathy Johnson, a veteran of 38 years of teaching in Texas, is currently teaching adjunct at the University of North Texas where she is the Coordinator and Instructor of Instrumental Methods. She also serves as Band Program Consultant for many schools in the DFW area.
Mrs. Johnson recently retired as Director of Bands at Argyle High School where her responsibilities included directing the award winning high school Marching Band and Wind Ensemble, and overseeing the entire instrumental music program in the semi-rural district of Argyle ISD. Under her direction, the Argyle High School Wind Ensemble was selected to perform at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago in 2007. They were also selected as the Texas Music Educators Association 3A State Honor Band, earning the honor of performing at the TMEA Conference in 2009.
Under the direction of Kathy Johnson, the Argyle High School Marching Band earned the title of Texas UIL 4A State Marching Band Champion, earning this title first in
2008. With this competition being held every biennium, they repeated as winners in 2010, 2012, and 2014; the first 3A/4A program to win four consecutive state
championships. In 2016 the Argyle Eagle Marching Band earned the silver medal at the Texas UIL 4A State Marching Band Championship. In 2014 the Argyle High
School Band program was named by the Texas Bandmasters Association as the Exemplary High School Band Program and in 2009, the Argyle Band program was
awarded the Outstanding Band Program Award by the Texas Chapter of the American School Band Director’s Association. Other Argyle Band accomplishments include Association of Texas Small School Bands Outstanding Performance Series Winner and National Wind Band Honors Winner.
Prior to coming to Argyle, she was a highly successful middle school director at McKamy Middle School in the Lewisville Independent School District where she also earned the honor of performing at the 2001 Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference as well as performing at the Texas Music Educators Conference as the 2001 TMEA 2C
Honor Band. She has earned the distinction of being one of the very few directors to earn multiple performances at both the Midwest Clinic and TMEA with different
programs at both the middle school and high school levels. Mrs. Johnson taught for twenty years in the Lewisville Independent School District in Texas. During her tenure there, Mrs. Johnson taught at three different middle schools where her students consistently earned Superior Ratings and “Best in Class” awards. Under her direction, the Griffin Middle School Symphonic Band advanced to the TMEA 2C State Honor Band finals and placed 4th and 3rd respectively in both 1986 and 1988.
A founding member of the internationally acclaimed Dallas Winds, she continues to regularly perform as a flutist. A member for the past thirty-five years, she has played
on countless concerts and sixteen compact disc recordings with many of the country’s foremost conductors. She has also performed with the Camerata Chamber
Winds. In the spring of 2019, Mrs. Johnson will serve as conductor of the Dallas Winds Youth Honor Band. This is the inaugural year for the Dallas Winds Youth
Honor Band and will include our first collaboration with United Sound, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide musical performance experiences for
students with special needs.
A highly sought after clinician, adjudicator, and consultant throughout Texas, her success and expertise on the development of the total band program have earned her recognition
with invitations to present clinics at many prestigious conferences, and in-services. In 2018, Mrs. Johnson was one of 16 teachers in the state of Texas who was awarded the
UIL Sponsor of Excellence Award. She was a contributor in the development of the Tonal Energy Tuner application for iPad and iPhone; one of the most widely used
applications in the country. In addition, Mrs. Johnson is co-author of Musical Mastery for Band, a method development book for band.
Mrs. Johnson received both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Music Education from the University of North Texas where she studied flute with Dr. George Morey and Dr.
Mary Karen Clardy. Mrs. Johnsons professional affiliations include the American Bandmasters Association, Phi Beta Mu where she is a board member representing the small schools of
Texas, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Association of Texas Small School Bands, Women’s Band Directors International and the Texas
Music Adjudicators Association. In addition, she is currently serving on the University Interscholastic League Prescribed Music List Committee. Johnson resides in Flower Mound, TX. with her husband, Eric.
Bill Harden
Asst Professor of Music
Director of Bands
Hardin-Simmons University
Bill.harden@hsutx.edu
