Russell Cote
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Russell Cote is in his 11th year at McKamy Middle School and 21st year of teaching. His responsibilities include directing Honor Winds, assisting Symphonic Band, and teaching the beginning Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, and Tuba classes. Mr. Cote's previous teaching positions include Flower Mound High School, Mansfield High School, and Blalack Middle School.
Ensembles under Mr. Cote's direction have consistently earned sweepstakes at UIL Concert & Sightreading contests, as well as runner-up, Best in Class, and Most Outstanding Band of the Day at several music festivals. Honor Winds was selected by the Foundation for Music Education as a Commended Winner in the National Wind Band Honors project in 2011, 2014 and 2015. The McKamy Honor Winds was awarded 10th Place in the 2013-2014 Texas CCC State Honor Band Contest. Mr. Cote earned his music degree at the University of Texas at Arlington where he served as principal horn in the Wind Ensemble conducted under Ray C. Lichtenwalter and was an active member in the marching band. He earned the 1st ever Jack H. Mahan Director's award for outstanding musicianship, dedication, and service. Mr. Cote marched with the World Champion Cadets of Bergen County in 1993 and 1994, as well as the Sky Ryders Drum and Bugle Corps in 1991. He has performed with the Metropolitan Winds, Legends Brass Quintet, and the Texas Wind Symphony. He has been a two-time participant in the UTA conducting symposium with Richard Floyd and Gary Green. His wife, Marlie, is an Elementary music teacher at Wellington and they have two sons: Ian (14) and Braden (11), dog, Shadow and cat Radar Mr. Cote's professional affiliations include Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha, TMEA, and TBA. |
Jessica Flanagan
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Jessica Flanagan joined the McKamy Band Staff in 2015. Her teaching responsibilities include directing Symphonic Band, assisting Honor Winds, and teaching the beginning Flute, Double Reed, Clarinet, and Saxophone classes.
Ms. Flanagan came to McKamy from Hedrick Middle School where she served as the assistant band director for ten years. Under her direction, the Symphonic Band consistently earned superior ratings at the UIL Concert & Sight Reading Contest and at Peak Music Festivals. Ms. Flanagan earned her Bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University and her Master's Degree-Clarinet Performance from the University of North Texas. Ms. Flanagan has had the privilege of studying with Dr. David Shea, Dr. James Gillespie, and Gregory Raden. She can be heard on the Kalvier Wind Recording Projects Allegories, Retrospectives, Poetics and Passions as a member of the UNT Wind Symphony, and on the Naxos label as a member of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra on their album, American Tapestries. Ms. Flanagan is a founding member of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, serves as the clarinet section manager, and is also the Artistic Director of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra Clarinet Choir. In addition to performing with the LSWO, Ms. Flanagan has performed with the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Denton, the Garland Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Wind Symphony, and McKinney Summer Musicals, and she has performed at TMEA, TBA, WASBE, Clarinet Fest-Austin, the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, and the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. Ms. Flanagan also serves at the Camp Coordinator for the Lone Star Music Camps (www.lonestarclarinet.com), and is on the staff of the North Texas Clarinet Academy. Ms. Flanagan performs exclusively on Vandoren and Buffet products and her professional affiliations include TMEA and the International Clarinet Association. |
Darrin Hicks
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Darrin D. Hicks is an active Teacher, Arranger, Clinician, and Performer in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and is currently an Associate Band Director and Director of Percussion in the Flower Mound High School Band Cluster in Flower Mound, TX. Prior to joining the band staff at Flower Mound, Mr. Hicks was an Assistant Band Director at Lake Highlands High School. Mr. Hicks’ performance career began in Drum Corps International, where he marched snare drum with the Crossmen during the summers of 2002 and 2003, and later with the Phantom Regiment in 2004 and 2005. Mr. Hicks graduated from Texas Christian University in 2007 with a bachelors degree in Music Education and was the 2006 winner of the TCU Concerto Competition on marimba. Mr. Hicks has served on staff with the TCU Drumline, the Pioneer Drum and Bugle Corps, and WGI Independent World Finalist Surround Sound Percussion.
Mr. Hicks returned to TCU in 2009 as a Graduate Assistant to the TCU Percussion Studio, and earned a Masters Degree in Percussion Performance in May, 2011. In the Spring of 2010, Mr. Hicks won the prestigious TCU Concerto Competition and had the honor of performing Jennifer Higdon’s Grammy Award-Winning Percussion Concerto. Mr. Hicks also commissioned and premiered Shattered Dreamscapes for Solo Marimba by Dr. Martin Blessinger, which is available from C. Alan Publications. Mr. Hicks can be heard on both of the TCU Percussion Ensemble recordings, The Palace of Nine Perfections and Escape Velocity, which are available on iTunes. Mr. Hicks has performed regularly as a member of Dynamic Rhythm Entertainment, the Cutting Edge Haunted House “Zombie” Drumline, Dallas Mavericks Drumline, and the Dallas Cowboys Drumline, and has also enjoyed writing and arranging for the Baylor University Golden Wave Band. As an educator, Mr. Hicks’ drumlines and percussion ensembles have proved to be some most successful in the state, winning numerous contests and awards. Mr. Hicks is an endorser of Innovative Percussion sticks and mallets and Pearl/Adams percussion instruments. |
