Dr. Bradley Kent serves as State Director of Music for the University Interscholastic League, where he oversees a system that provides educational competition for some 750,000 student participants in Texas. Prior to his UIL appointment, he held the position of Director of Fine Arts for the Richardson Independent School District, where he administrated all Band, Choir, Orchestra, Visual Art, and Theatre programs. Dr. Kent began his career as a band director in the Lewisville Independent School District and went on to serve on the faculties of Texas A&M University at Commerce and Lamar University. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Midwest Clinic, the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention, the College Band Directors National Association Conferences, and the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention. He has presented guest lectures and clinics across Texas and at events such as the International Wind Music History Conference, the Midwest Clinic, the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, the College Band Directors National Association Conference, and the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention. Dr. Kent also maintains an active conducting schedule, including serving as Conductor and Music Director of the newly formed Texas Youth Wind Symphony, a group comprised of high school musicians from throughout the greater Austin, TX area.

Dr. Kent holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree and the Master of Music degree from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Louisiana State University. He enjoys serving as both a clinician and evaluator for ensembles of all levels and is active as an advocate for the arts and arts education.

Dr. Kent and his wife Laurie, along with daughters Sydney and Marin reside in Cedar Park.

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Dr. Bradley Kent serves as State Director of Music for the University Interscholastic League, where he oversees a system that provides educational competition for some 750,000 student participants in Texas. Prior to his UIL appointment, he held the position of Director of Fine Arts for the Richardson Independent School District, where he administrated all Band, Choir, Orchestra, Visual Art, and Theatre programs. Dr. Kent began his career as a band director in the Lewisville Independent School District and went on to serve on the faculties of Texas A&M University at Commerce and Lamar University. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Midwest Clinic, the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention, the College Band Directors National Association Conferences, and the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention. He has presented guest lectures and clinics across Texas and at events such as the International Wind Music History Conference, the Midwest Clinic, the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, the College Band Directors National Association Conference, and the Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention. Dr. Kent also maintains an active conducting schedule, including serving as Conductor and Music Director of the newly formed Texas Youth Wind Symphony, a group comprised of high school musicians from throughout the greater Austin, TX area.

Dr. Kent holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree and the Master of Music degree from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Louisiana State University. He enjoys serving as both a clinician and evaluator for ensembles of all levels and is active as an advocate for the arts and arts education.

Dr. Kent and his wife Laurie, along with daughters Sydney and Marin reside in Cedar Park.

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Mr. Shiree Williams is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting at The University of Texas at Austin, under the tutelage of Professor Jerry Junkin. Prior to his enrollment, Mr. Williams served as Director of Bands at Faubion Middle School and the Associate Director of Bands at McKinney High School. A native of south Georgia, Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree cum laude from Valdosta State University and a Master of Music in Conducting (Wind Emphasis) degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he was the conducting student of Dr. Glenn Price.

Regarded to be an effective educator and conductor, Mr. Williams receives opportunities to teach and conduct in many settings. He is a frequent guest clinician for concert and marching bands and has guest conducted various middle school, high school, collegiate, and professional ensembles. Mr. Williams has also had the great fortune to work with and learn from masterful conducting teachers in H. Robert Reynolds, Craig Kirchoff, Richard Floyd, Mallory Thompson, Rodney Dorsey, Kevin Sedatole, Donald Schleicher, Mark Scatterday, Jamie Nix, and Colonel Timothy Holton.

Mr. Williams’s professional affiliations include Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, the National Band Association, College Band Directors National Association, World Association of Bands and Wind Ensembles, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmaster’s Association, National Association for Music Educators, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.

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Mike Howard is currently in his 11th year at Vandegrift High School and in his 17th year of teaching high school band. He was one of the founding directors of the band when VHS opened in 2009 and became Head Band Director in the Fall of 2014. While at Vandegrift, Mr. Howard’s bands have been consistent UIL Concert Competition Sweepstakes Award Winners. He has also been instrumental in several marching band high honors such as BOA Regional Champion, BOA Super Regional Finalist, BOA Super Regional Class Champion, multiple invitational marching contest championships, UIL State Marching Contest Finalist, 6A UIL State Marching Contest Bronze Medalist, 5A UIL State Marching Contest Silver Medalist, and 4A UIL State Marching Contest Champion. At Vandegrift, Mr. Howard is the director of the Viper Marching Band, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band.
Aside from being the Director of Bands at VHS, Mr. Howard is an active Leadership Consultant and Workshop Presenter. He has been a facilitator for SASI for the last 11 years. In this time, Mr. Howard has had the opportunity to work with thousands of students and directors from around the United States. As a lead facilitator for SASI, he is heavily involved with the operations of all Drum Major camps as well
as teaching several site-based workshops throughout the summer.
Before coming to Vandegrift, Mr. Howard taught at James E. Taylor High School in Katy, Texas. As Associate Director of the JE Taylor HS Band, his responsibilities included directing the Jazz Program, assisting with the marching band, conducting the Concert Band, and coordinating and teaching the drumline. Mr. Howard, a native of Hondo, TX, started his teaching career at Morton Ranch High School,
where he was a band director and helped open the school in 2004. At Morton Ranch, he taught the Concert Band, Jazz Band, assisted with the marching band. Before teaching at Morton Ranch, Mr. Howard was an instructor for the Cedar Park High School Band in Cedar Park, Texas and an instructor for the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps from Madison, Wisconsin. As a performer, Mr. Howard has
performed with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the Austin Lyric Opera and several bands around the Austin/San Antonio area. Mr. Howard graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos, Suma Cum Laude, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He lives in Leander with his wife Amber, his daughter, Madison and his son, Justin.

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Matt Ehlers just finished his thirteenth year at A.N. McCallum High School and Lamar Middle School Fine Arts Academies in Austin, Texas where he serves as Associate Band Director/Percussion Director. Originally from Seward, Nebraska, he graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas. As Associate Director of Bands at McCallum High School, Ehlers conducts the Beginner and Advanced Steel Bands, high school and middle school percussion ensembles, the marching percussion ensemble, 6th-grade beginning percussion class, and co-directs the JV Full Orchestra. Ehlers was awarded McCallum High School’s “Teacher of the Year” award for the 2010-2011 school year. 

In 2006, Ehlers founded the annual “Knight of Percussion Benefit Concert” with the intent to raise money and awareness for a different local charity each year through a percussion concert performed by McCallum High School and Lamar Middle School percussion sections. Ehlers served as board president of the Small Victories Foundation, a nonprofit organization that empowers individuals recovering from traumatic brain injuries through participation in the arts from 2014-2017. 

In 2013, with the help of a Creative Classroom grant, Ehlers founded the thirty-piece Brazilian Samba School, known as the “Samba Knights,” at McCallum High School and created a community partnership with the Austin Samba School. During the summertime, Matt co-directs two annual youth steel band camps in Austin that he helped create in 2007. You can find many of his original steel drum compositions and arrangements at BoxFish Music and Drop6 Media/Row-Loff Productions. 

Matt and his wife Katie live in north Austin with their daughter Lily. They enjoy spending time outside, a good BBQ, and attempting various renovations on their house

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Welcome to the newest series on Sketchbook titled, Sound Advice. Listen to Erik Kosman and me discuss all things related to audio as it pertains to music, pageantry, and production.  In this episode, we discuss the 2020 DCI Rules Congress.

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