Wakeland Band

Mr. Miller serves as Wakeland’s first Director of Bands and Fine Arts Department Chair Under his direction, the Wakeland HS Wind Symphony has performed at the 2011 Music for All National Concert Band Festival, earned 1st Runner-Up in the 2009 AAAA TMEA Honor Band Competition and 1st Runner-Up in the the 2008 AAA TMEA Honor Band Competition. The Marching Band is a two-time UIL AAAA State Marching Band Contest Finalist (2009 and 2011). The ensemble has also been a two-time finalist and has won the Outstanding General Effect Award at the Bands of America Arlington Regional twice (2009 and 20011)

 

The Wakeland Band has numerous soloists and ensembles that earn 1st Division Ratings at UIL Region Solo and Ensemble Contest each year, with the majority continuing on to UIL Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest. Since its inception, the Wakeland Band Program has earned the UIL Sweepstakes Award for receiving overall 1st Division (Superior) Ratings in Marching, Concert, and Sightreading Contests (2007-2011). In 2008, Mr. Miller was awarded the prestigious UIL Sponsor Excellence Award.

 

Mr. Miller also works on the staff of DCI’s 10-time World Champion Drum Corps – The Cadets. He first joined the Cadets staff for their 2007 program “This I Believe”, earning a Silver medal. His work earned a bronze medal with the 2009 Cadets program “Conflict and Resolution: The Music of Leonard Bernstein” and a Gold Medal for the 2011 Cadets program “Between Angels and Demons” at DCI World Championships.

 

Mr. Miller is the Assistant Region Band Chair for TMEA Region XXIV, aiding in the All-Region, Area, and All-State Audition process, as well as the TMEA Honor Band process for the Region.

 

Mr. Miller received his Bachelors of Music Education at Loyola University - New Orleans where he served as President of the Loyola University Collegiate Music Education Chapter, President of the Loyola University Bands, and Student Coordinator for the Dean’s Student Advisory Council. His primary teachers include Dr. Joseph G. Hebert and Col. John R. Bourgeois (conducting), Prof. Sue Loegering (bassoon), and Prof. John Reeks (clarinet). He is in the process of completing his Masters of Music Education.

 

Mr. Miller and his wife Lori live in McKinney,Texas with their 11-year-old son Gerry (a 6th-grade tuba player at Cobb MS) and 5-year-old son Benjamin.

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

Mr.  Arturo J. Denis is Wakeland High School’s first Associate Director of Bands, AP Music Theory teacher and serves as the TMEA Region 24 Jazz Coordinator.

 

Mr. Denis’ Symphonic Band has earned  consecutive UIL Sweepstakes Awards for receiving overall 1st Division (Superior) Ratings in Marching, Concert, and Sight-reading Contests since 2007. As Region Jazz Chair he hosts the All Region Jazz Auditions, Clinic and Concert attracting the best educators such as Steve Wiest and Ronnie Rios. Both The Jazz Ensemble and Jazz 2 have been awarded the “Outstanding Band Award” by the Collin County Community College Jazz Festival. Under his direction, the Jazz Ensemble won the AAA Classification of the 2008 Texas Christian University Jazz Festival and have placed in the top 5 finalist bands at the UTA Jazz Festivals. Previously, he served as Assistant Band Director at Clark Middle School in Frisco under David Dunham. While at Clark Middle School, both Mr. Denis’ Concert II and Jazz II bands received “Best In Class” Awards at the Sandy Lake Festival and his Concert Band II (CC Sub-NV) received Superior Ratings at both Pre-UIL and University Interscholastic League Region XXIV performances.

 

Mr. Denis attended The University of Texas at Austin earning a Bachelors Degree in Music Education. While studying at Texas, he was part of several organizations including Delta Sigma Phi, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and the Longhorn Marching Band where he received an award for Most Outstanding Musician. As a member of the “Showband of the Southwest”, Mr. Denis was a section leader and a trumpet soloist for the Longhorn Band. He was also a member of the esteemed University of Texas Wind Ensemble under the direction of artistic conductor Jerry F. Junkin. Mr. Denis is a member of the Texas Bandmasters Association and the Texas Music Educators Association.

 

Mr. Denis is married to Jenny Denis, a band director at Fowler Middle School in Frisco. Together, they have a baby girl named Rebecca and two chihuauas named Tico and Bruno.

 

Mrs. Marquez is on her third year on staff at Wakeland.  She teaches the Concert Band and music theory; is the sponsor for Wakeland’s chapter of Texas Future Music Educators, and the Wakeland Woodwind Choir; and assists with the Marching Band, Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony.

 

She attended the University of North Texas on a music scholarship and graduated in 2006 with a degree in Music Education. While at UNT, she performed in the Symphonic Band under Dennis Fisher and the esteemed UNT Wind Symphony under Eugene Migliaro Corporon.  Additionally, she led the UNT Green Brigade Marching Band for two years as drum major and was a four-year member of Dr. Jim Gillespie’s clarinet studio. Mrs. Marquez is a 2002 graduate of Coppell High School where she was Drum Major and a two-time All State clarinetist.

 

Mrs. Marquez is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Women Band Directors International, and Pi Kappa Lambda. Mrs. Marquez and her husband Isaac currently reside in McKinney, TX.

 

Mr. Gomez serves as Wakeland High School first Percussion Instructor, also supervising percussion activities at Griffin Middle School and Staley Middle School. He previously served in a similar post at Flower Mound High School in the Lewisville ISD.

 

During his tenure at Wakeland, the marching band has been a consistent finalist in several Dallas-Fort Worth area marching contests. With his assistance, the Jazz Band has won numerous awards at the CCCC and TCU Jazz Festivals. Additionally, his assistance with the Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band percussion sections has led to 3 UIL Sweepstakes Awards in two years for receiving overall 1st Division (Superior) Ratings in Marching, Concert, and Sightreading Contests (2007 – AAA Varsity; 2008 – AAA Varsity and AAA Non-Varsity). High School

 

Mr. Gomez holds a music performance degree from the University of North Texas and is at forefront of several contemporary fields of percussion. His focus on modern teaching methods, mixing ‘world’ rhythms into drumset performance and inventive marching cymbal technique have defined his career thus far. He is an in-demand percussionist in the Dallas area, having played with the North Texas Lab Bands, the UNT Steel Band, the UNT Drumline, and the UNT Pop Ensemble. At UNT, Mr. Gomez studied with Ed Soph, Dr. Robert Schietroma, Paul Rennick, Mark Ford, Chris Deane, and Dr. Jon Kellis.  Since 1995, he has explored South Indian rhythms and concepts under Poovular Sriji, traveling to India in 2000. With Mr. Gomez, the UNT Cross-Cultural South-Indian Ensemble has premiered several pieces and arrangements of Sriji’s., The Colony High School, and Colleyville. Under his direction, these groups have earned several awards, including highest honors at the high school PASIC competition. He is a clinician at The University of North Texas and has presented two clinics at PASIC - on demonstrating methods and techniques for fusing South Indian rhythms into marching percussion and on the talents of the Carolina Crown Cymbal Line. Mr. Gomez is proudly sponsored by the Zyldjian Cymbal Company.

 

Mr. Gomez teaches private percussion and drumset in Flower Mound, Plano, and Carrollton. He has developed original instruction methods and materials specializing in beginning percussion and drumset coordination.

As a cymbal instructor, Mr. Gomez has written a unique method defining motions and their applications to cymbal movement in the drumline idiom. Since 1998, he has been instructing and writing the choreography for the UNT cymbal line, winning four Percussive Arts Society Championships and two Best Cymbal Line caption awards. At UNT, Mr. Gomez expanded cymbal applications in percussion and world ensembles. Working with composers Paul Rennick, Poovular Sriji, and Christopher Deane, he has arranged and premiered numerous cymbal ensemble pieces at both UNT and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC). From 1998 to 2002, Jeremy served as the cymbal tech for the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corp, winning two Cymbal Ensemble Championships. His pieces used elements of South Indian and Asian music forms combined with artistically appropriate choreography to entertain and educate. Mr. Gomez is an active drumline instructor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area; his high school credits include Plano Senior High School, Flower Mound High School

 

Mr. Gomez and his wife live in Frisco. He has a talented 3rd-grade daughter named Renee and a newborn son named Reese.

 

Mr. Kichline serves as Wakeland High School’s first Colorguard Instructor. He previously taught in similar positions at Paschal High School and Arlington-Martin High School.

 

During his tenure at Wakeland High School, the marching band has been a consistent finalist in several Dallas-Fort Worth area marching contests. The 2007 Winterguard, the school’s first, won the NTCA Novice Class Championships. In 2008, the JV Winterguard won the Silver Medal in the Regional A Classification at NTCA Championships. The Varsity Guard won the Silver Medal in the Scholastic AA Classification.

 

In addition to his duties at WHS, Mr. Kichline has served on the staffs of Ars Nova Winterguard and Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps. His guards at Ars Nova have been a consistent finalists at the Winter Guard International Independent A and Independent Open World Finals.

 

Prior to moving to Dallas-Forth Worth, Mr. Kichline served as the guard instructor and designer for Siloam Springs High School, the Fayetville Public School District, and the University of Arkansas. In 2000, he co-founded the Sarajevo Winterguard to provide access for students interested in high-level guard opportunities after high school level. Mr. Kichline was a member of the Delta Brigade, a 1995 Drum Corps International Division II Finalist Corps as well as Americanos, a DCI Division II Semi-Finalist Corps. He is an in-demand clinician in North Texas for his successful implementation of modern dance, ballet, and jazz into the Winterguard repertoire. 

Mr. Kichline resides in Frisco.