Ms. Jennifer Hanford
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Jennifer Hanford currently serves as an Assistant Band Director at James Bowie High School, in Austin Texas. She directs and assists with the concert bands, jazz bands, chamber music, and all program-wide operations.
As a director with the James Bowie Outdoor Performing Ensemble (JBHSOPE), Jennifer oversees all visual and woodwind education. Since her arrival in 2016, the JBHSOPE has advanced to the UIL State Championship two times, BOA San Antonio Finals, BOA Grand Nationals Semi Finals, and was the BOA McAllen regional champion.
In the concert hall, Jennifer’s bands consistently receive sweepstakes ratings at UIL Concert and Sight Reading. Ms. Hanford has also provided unique opportunities outside the classroom for her students, including performances at the SXSW conference, AISD Pops Festival, Essentially Ellington Jazz Competition, and Bluebonnet Music Festival.
Jennifer has a comprehensive background in the marching arts as a teacher and performer. She served as a visual technician with DCI World Class Semi-finalist Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps in 2014 and 2015, specializing in technique and body choreography. As a performer, she marched with the World Champion Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps on euphonium and baritone in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
Jennifer holds professional affiliations with the Texas Music Educators Association, and the Texas Bandmasters Association. Jennifer received her Bachelors degree in Music at the University of Tulsa and education certification from the University of Arkansas.
Photo courtesy of Steve Armstrong Photography.
Mr. Reid Paxton
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Mr. Paxton came to James Bowie High School in the summer of 2016. Since arriving at Bowie, he has had the opportunity to work with the freshmen wind bands and the program’s multiple steel bands. He has also enjoyed building the percussion ensemble program and directing the percussion section of the Outdoor Performing Ensemble. Previously, Mr. Paxton served as a percussion paraprofessional and private lesson instructor for the Liberty High School cluster in the Frisco Independent School District. In 2015 Mr. Paxton had the privilege to accompany the Fowler Middle School Percussion Ensemble to perform at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mr. Paxton also spends time working with the percussion section and front ensemble of the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps in Santa Clara, California. Before starting work at Vanguard in 2011, he was on staff at the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps from Rockford, Illinois in 2010 and the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps from Madison, Wisconsin in 2009. He was also a performing member of the Carolina Crown and the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps.
Mr. Paxton received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from the University of South Carolina, where he studied with Dr. Scott Herring. While at South Carolina he was involved with the USC percussion ensemble, USC Wind Ensemble, the Palmetto Pans Steel band, Opera at USC, and the USC Symphony Orchestra.
Originally from Gilbert, South Carolina, Mr. Paxton moved to Texas in 2010.
Photo courtesy of Steve Armstrong Photography.
Mr. Tyler Jacks
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Tyler Jacks joined the Bowie Band staff in the 2021-2022 school year. He is a native of Austin but spent the first 3 years of his teaching career in Abilene, Texas, where he was the Assistant Band Director at Abilene High School. While in Abilene, his duties included leading the marching band and non-varsity concert ensemble and teaching the beginning low brass classes at both feeder middle schools. The ensembles under his direction received consistent superior ratings at UIL Marching Band Contest and UIL Concert and Sight Reading.
Prior to his time in Abilene, Mr. Jacks attended Grisham Middle School and Westwood High School before receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Studies with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in the spring of 2018. During his time at UT, he worked as a marching technician at Westwood and Leander High Schools and student taught at Westlake High School and West Ridge Middle School. As a performer, he was a featured soloist with the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps in their 2017 silver-medal winning production, Ouroboros, and performed with the UT Trombone Choir at the 2015 International Trombone Festival in Valencia, Spain.
Mr. Jacks spends his summers working as a clinician at places such as the Howard Payne University Band Leadership Camp and traveling with his friends and family. He holds professional affiliations with the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and International Trombone Association.
Mr. Joshua Balli
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Joshua Balli comes to us from Fort Worth, Texas where he served as Assistant Band Director at Keller Central High School in the Keller Independent School District for the past 3 years.
Mr. Balli is originally from the Rio Grande Valley where he graduated from Robert Vela High School in Edinburg, Texas and received his Bachelors Degree in Music Education from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a concentration in Saxophone in the Fall of 2018. While at UTSA, he performed with various ensembles such as the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Saxophone Choir and completed his student teaching at John Marshall Harlan High School and Jefferson Middle School in Northside ISD. Outside of school, he marched DCI from 2013-2016 with Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps and the Blue stars Drum and Bugle Corps as both a Brass and Color Guard Member. As an educator, Mr. Balli is very active in DCI and WGI having taught at the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps, Monarch Independent World Percussion and is currently serving as a visual technician and choreographer for the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets.
Mr. Balli is very excited to move to Austin and join the Bowie Band Community!
Mr. Daniel Riley
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Daniel is a world class instructor that has worked with top groups in the pageantry arts industry. Several competing in DCI, WGI, and BOA. He currently works with the Santa Clara Vanguard, Paramount World Winter Guard, and most recently, Castle H.S in Evansville Indiana. Daniel also keeps himself busy year round, with sharing his experience with groups and circuits around the country. Riley enjoys helping out organizations wanting to learn and grow. His experiences has allowed him to work as choreographer, designer, technician, and adjudicator.
Mr. Riley has had the honor of working with several successful high school programs and independent organizations competing in State circuits, WGI, DCI, and BOA. Groups include: Northmont H.S., Ooltehwah H.S., Owasso H.S., Stoneman Douglas H.S., Park Vista H.S., James Bowie H.S., Blues Springs H.S., West Broward H.S., Castle H.S., Alliance of Miami, Braddock Independent, Paramount World Winter Guard, The Cadets, and the Santa Clara Vanguard.
Riley has spent more than a decade with Northmont H.S. from 1998-2011. During his time with the organization, Northmont was a BOA Grand National Finalist, the 2001 WGI Scholastic Open Silver Medalist, and won WGI Scholastic Open Class in 2008. Daniel has been a part of winning 2 DCI World Championships with the Cadets Drum Corps, in 2000 and 2011. Mr. Riley was the Director for Braddock Independent World Guard from 2010 – 2015. In 2011 Braddock Independent won the WGI Independent World Bronze medal. From 2008-2015, West Broward H.S. competed in WGI, after the school’s 1st year in existence, which soon became the 2010 Scholastic A Bronze Medalist, 2011 Scholastic Open Medalist, and winners of the WGI Fans Favorite award 2010-2013. Daniel joined the educational team at Paramount World Winter Guard in 2017. Paramount won the WGI Independent World Class Championship in 2018 and were the 2019 WGI Independent World Class Silver Medalist.
Riley has been the Color Guard Caption Head for the Santa Clara Vanguard since 2013. In 2017 Santa Clara won the George Zingali Color Guard Award and was awarded the DCI Silver medal. In 2018 Vanguard became the DCI World Champions and captured the bronze 2019.
Mr. Riley’s personal marching experiences include; Frankton H.S., Adagio Winter Guard, the Cadets of Bergen County, and was a Visual Ensemble performer in the cast of Blast! 1st U.S. National Tour.
Matt Hartwell, Drill Designer
Evan VanDoren, Music Arranger
Jeremy Spicer, Program Coordinator
David Duffy, Program Coordinator
Travis Chilles, Program Design – Artist
Conrad Isenhour, Movement Coordinator
Michael Rosales, Visual Designer
Aaron Owens, Visual Staff
Samantha Hernandez, Visual Staff
Emily Laque, Visual Staff
Bryce Cotner, Visual Staff
Alex Deller, Visual Staff
Erik Gamez, Visual Staff
Jake Polson, Visual Staff
Mark Instratie, Color Guard Staff
Atticus Griffin, Color Guard Staff
Gerren Molina, Color Guard Staff
Mark Leaonard, Color Guard Staff
Katie Hopkins, Color Guard Staff
Kaysey Thompson, Color Guard Staff
Ben Armeni, Percussion Staff
Matt Hart, Percussion Staff
Tyler Primeaux, Percussion Staff
Dan Hartung, Percussion Staff
Liam Keanini, Percussion Staff