What should happen after the 1st year of band? Developing music literacy and thinking skills are imperative to the success of a band student. In addition, understanding the motivation and mental health of a second year student will help you build success in your band program. Practical techniques to improve your second year of band will be presented and discussed.
Louise Smith
- Biographical Information
Louise Smith is currently in her twenty
third year as band director for Gautier Middle School in the Pascagoula-Gautier
School District. Under her leadership, Mrs. Smith’s bands consistently earn
superior ratings in concert and sight reading, and her students frequently
achieve placements in honor and all state bands. Mrs. Smith attended the
University of Southern Mississippi where she earned her Bachelor of Music
Education in 2002 and her Master of Education in 2005. In 2012, she achieved
the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification in
Music. Mrs. Smith is a Teacher Leadership Initiative alumnus and has served as
a state coach for the program. In addition, she has worked on several national
initiatives such as National Boards Jump Start Initiative, Teacher Leadership
Initiative Redesign, and served on the Standards Setting and Content Validation
committee for NBPTS. In August, 2020 NEA Today featured Mrs. Smith in the cover
article “Helping Students and Educators Recover from Covid-19 Trauma” and U.S.
News and World Report named her one of the “Twenty Professionals Who Made a
Difference During the Pandemic.” Recently, Mrs. Smith was recognized as the
2023 Mississippi Teacher of the Year and as a 2024 Horace Mann Award winner by
the NEA Foundation. In her spare time, Mrs. Smith continues to perform and is
an active member of several associations including American School Band
Directors Association and Phi Beta Mu.
Jennifer Sills is in her 27th year of teaching band in Mississippi. She is currently the director at Singing River Academy in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District. She has previously had the honor of working in the Madison County School District, Gulfport School District, Stone County School District and Clinton Public School District in Mississippi. Ms. Sills received her Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Delta State University and her Masters and Specialist of Instructional Leadership from William Carey University. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher. Her professional associations include Gulf Coast Band Directors Association, American School Band Directors Association and Phi Beta Mu. Ms. Sills served as the Concert Director for the MS Lions All-State Band in 2018 and has served as a clinician throughout the state. She is a mentor for National Board candidates through the World Class Teaching Program with the University of Mississippi and is a member of the State Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council. Ms. Sills is the proud mother of Kaitlyn Sills Redwine and Peyton Sills, both of whom are educators as well.