FHS Band Lesson Studio
FLUTE Flower Jacobs 817-688-3163
Flower Jacobs is the flute instructor at Forney High School. She is seeking her bachelors in Music Education from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is currently studying with Dr. Sarah Frisof, Dr. Clifton Evans, and Dr.Douglas Stotter. Mrs. Jacobs has performed with the University of Texas at Arlington Symphony Orchestra on both flute and piccolo. She has also taken part in many chamber ensembles including the UTA Woodwind Quintet. Mrs Jacobs has studied with many internationally recognized instructors and participated in masterclasses given by world renowned flutist such as James Galway and Trevor Wye. She does many performances, and is currently teaching at several schools.
WOODWIND Mike Medley 713-725-3289
Mr. Michael Medley graduated from JF Dulles HS in Stafford, TX, while performing with the marching band, Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Bill Duggan. After two year of advancing to the alternate bass trombonist to the All-State Band, in his senior year he advanced to the Area level on euphonium and was the only tenor and bass trombonist to tape for the State auditions from his region, making the Symphony Orchestra. He was chosen as a “Who’s Who in American High Schools” his senior year and the Outstanding Student for Band at the high school. He received his formal training in music education and performance (with a specialization in tenor/bass trombone) at Texas Tech University, under the brass teaching teaching of Mr. Robert Diehl (Professor of Trombone), Mr. Anthony Britten (Professor of Horn), and Mr. Will Streider (Professor of Trumpet).
He obtained his woodwind studies with Mr. Robert Walzel (Professor of Clarinet), Mr. Don Turner (Professor of Saxophone) and Mr. Richard Meek (Professor of Bassoon). He studied conducting with Mr. James Sudduth (Director of Bands), and jazz studies with Mr. Alan Shinn (Director of Percussion and Jazz). While at TTU, he was the only brass student to give two senior recitals – six weeks apart! – and the only bass trombonist to ever win the university concerto competition, performing the Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra by Thom Ritter George. He was also chosen by the Director of Bands, Mr. James Sudduth, to provide a transcription of the Rachmaninoff piano concerto for the Symphonic Band, to be performed during the Russian Music Celebration of that semester.
In 1987, he was chosen via national audition as one of two bass trombonists to participate in the summer tour of the American Waterways Wind Orchestra, directed by Robert Austin Boudreau. His graduate work in Music Education took place at Eastern New Mexico University under Dr. David Wilborn. That year, he served as an assistant band director for Valencia ES 4th and 5th grade bands, under the formal direction of Rick Ball. From January 1996 to May 2008, he served as the 6-12 grade band director at Ft. Bend Baptist Academy in Sugar Land, TX, where his ensembles have earned Sweepstakes honors and placed in the top 4 in State rankings during five of his last six years there.
He has also been an active performer, studio musician and instructor in the Houston area on piccolo, flute, alto flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor trombone, bass trombone, electric bass, and acoustic bass. He has enjoyed guiding students to acceptance in the Texas All-State groups on flute, clarinet, bass/contrabass clarinet, saxophone, and tenor/bass trombone. Beginning in his high school years, Mr. Medley has had extensive performing experiences in such diverse musical settings as church praise team, travelling worship ensemble, tejano band, flute choir, recorder consort, bassoon choir, mixed woodwind ensemble, saxophone ensemble, brass choir, trombone ensemble, tuba ensemble, wind ensemble, British brass band, community band, community orchestra, semi-professional orchestra, jazz/dance band, R&B horn band, fusion jazz quintet, and musical theatre pit orchestra. From June 2002 to July 2008, Mr. Medley performed with the Masquerade Theatre (resident company for Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center in downtown Houston) where he served as electric/acoustic bassist, tubist and associate conductor.
Through the involvement with the various jazz groups and orchestras, Mr. Medley has had the opportunity to perform with such talents as Paul English, Denis DiBlasio, Tony Campise, Eric Dolphy, Shelly Berg, Dennis Dotson, Doc Severinson, Ashley Alexander, Louis Bellson, Buddy Rich, Liza Minelli, Rita Moreno, Michael Martin Murphy and the touring Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Mr. Medley is currently a member of Oak Grove Baptist Church and of the praise and worship team there (currently performing on electric bass, C flute, alto flute, bass flute, soprano saxophone, piano and occasionally leads worship from the guitar). He is a performing member of the Ft. Worth City Band, performing on alto saxophone, flute and piccolo, a member of the German Band of North Texas, performing on oboe, English horn and saxophone and is a substitute performer on lead trombone and lead tenor sax with the Langdon Center Big Band in Granbury.
CLARINET
CLARINET
SAXOPHONE
TRUMPET Roger Gilliam 214-906-1936
Mr. Gilliam holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Southern Methodist University, where he was Principal Trumpet in the Wind Ensemble, the Chamber Orchestra, the Opera Orchestra and the Dallas Civic Symphony. He received a Master of Music degree from the University of Hartford in Hartford, Connecticut. Mr. Gilliam has performed as a member of the Corpus Christi Symphony, the Hartford Symphony, the Connecticut Opera Orchestra and was a founding member of the Galliard Brass Quintet. Mr. Gilliam has studied conducting with James R. Jones, formerly with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and trumpet with Bill Hipp, Richard Gianguilio and Robert Nagel. SeeSaw Music, in New York has published seven of Mr. Gilliam's compositions and several of his works are available through the Robert King catalog. His brass quintet, 3 Episodes for Brass was performed by the New Louisville Brass Quintet and a non-published work for wind ensemble, Quotient 1969, was performed by the SMU Wind Ensemble. In 2002, Mr. Gilliam started RGC Music, a music publishing company that publishes music for all instruments and ensembles.
Mr. Gilliam is also active as a performer and teacher. In addition to being the Adjunct Brass Instructor at North Lake College in Irving, he works with several different schools teaching private brass lessons, including Forney, Mesquite and Garland. He is also active as a clinician, working with both orchestras and bands. Mr. Gilliam serves as the Sunnyvale School District Director of Bands.
TRUMPET Jay Ellsmore 319-541-2091
Jay Ellsmore has been teaching private lessons for seven years. A native of Iowa, he attended the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, where he completed his Bachelor of Music Degree. He then completed a Master of Music degree, also in trumpet performance, from the University of Northern Colorado. Mr. Ellsmore has been a regular in the trumpet sections of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra, and is currently a member of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra under the direction of Eugene Migliaro Corporon. In addition to teaching private lessons and performing, Mr. Ellsmore is the Bugler at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, routinely performing on simulcast racing channels at race tracks across the country, and on two television commercials in the DFW area. He has received many honors, such as being inducted into the American music honors society Pi Kappa Lambda, being selected as a finalist for the masters division of the National Trumpet Competition, and advancing to the finals of several concerto competitions. Mr. Ellsmore has studied with Robert Murray,John Daniel, Robert Levy, Bill Pfund, and others.
HORN
TROMBONE Shawn Smith 214-957-7864
Bio coming soon!
BARITONE Mario Morales
Mario Morales is currently finishing his undergraduate degree in music education and has studied tuba/euphonium at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has been under the instruction of Ed Jones(Principal Tuba for Ft. worth Symphony) , Gary Smith (Temple College low brass professor), Brent Colwell ( Director of bands @ Temple College) and Jon Mcphail (Band Director). Mario has performed in many ensembles throughout the north Texas area.
In addition, he has been teaching all across the north Texas area which includes Waxahachie, Ennis, Arlington, Ft. worth, Desoto and Grand Prairie. He enjoys teaching sectionals, master classes as well as private lessons. Through private instruction, Mario prepares his students technically and musically. Mario was a member of the Texas All-state band in 2004 and also made the Two year college All-state band in 2005.
TUBA
PERCUSSION Shannon Jacobs 817-688-6138
Shannon Jacobs graduated from Arlington Heights High School in Fort Worth, Texas in 2004. He is currently a student at The University of Texas at Arlington where he plans to receive his B.A in Music Education. At U.T.A. Mr. Jacobs has been a member of the arching band, concert band, 2006 PASIC drumline, wind ensemble, African ensemble, Brazilian samba band, marimba ensemble and percussion ensemble where he has performed with world renowned artist such as John Riley, Orlando Cotto and Ney Rosauro. He has also performed with the Syracuse Brigadiers Drum and Bugle Corps, and Surround Sound Percussion. Mr. Jacobs has been a marching percussion technician, clinician and arranger for Arlington Heights High School, Nimitz High School, Richland High School, and Forney High School. Mr. Jacobs has taught private lessons for the past four years and is dedicated to providing useful information to students that empower them to reach their highest musical goals. Shannon teaches privately at Forney High School as well as assisting with the percussion program.
PERCUSSION Patricia Islas 940-395-2966
Patricia Islas is a performer, composer, arranger, adjudicator and educator in the Dallas area. Ms. Islas is a graduate of the University of North Texas and holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance. While at North Texas, Ms. Islas studied percussion under Mark Ford, Dr. Robert Schietroma, Christopher Deane, and Paul Rennick, among others. She has also studied marimba exclusively with She-e Wu and Leigh Howard Stevens. With an interest in a variety of musical styles, Ms. Islas performed with the Indoor Drumline, South Indian, Gamelan, Contemporary, and Classical Percussion ensembles while at North Texas. She also performed with the University of North Texas Symphonic Band under the direction of Dennis Fisher. In 2004 Ms. Islas was a winner of the UNT Concerto Competition which led to performing with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra. Ms Islas has performed at several music conventions including PASIC and SEMUS, Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States. In 2002 she received the award for the Best Individual Keyboard Soloist at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. Currently Ms. Islas is composing music for her contemporary musical trio Team Islas. Since graduating Ms. Islas has been an educator in the Dallas area for several years. She has served as a private lesson instructor, beginning percussion teacher, and front ensemble instructor and arranger for numerous successful middle school and high school programs. In addition to her work at local schools, Ms. Islas spent the summers of 2004, 2005, and 2006 arranging music and serving as frontline technician for the Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps. This summer Ms. Islas will be helping with the upcoming 2007 Blue Knights Frontline. Patricia teaches privately at Forney Middle School and Forney High School.
