Clinician Detail

Raising the Bar with Middle School Band Magic

Clinic Synopsis:

Featuring the 2025 Midwest Middle School Band Directors. What makes a middle school band program truly exceptional? In this inspiring and practical panel, five directors whose ensembles were selected to perform at the 2025 Midwest Clinic share the “magic” behind their success. From building strong fundamentals to creating a culture of excellence and belonging, this clinic dives deep into what’s working in today’s top programs—and how you can adapt those strategies to raise the bar in your own band hall. Come for the stories, but leave with the tools to spark transformation in your students and your school community.

Amy Allison Rivera - Biographical Information

Amy Allison-Rivera is in her 27th year of teaching and her 25th year in Leander ISD in the Austin, TX area.  Since the opening of the school in 2004, Mrs. Allison-Rivera has been the head band director at Canyon Ridge Middle School. Under her direction the CRMS Band Program has had great success. The CRMS Band Program was named the Texas Bandmasters Association Exemplary Middle School Band Program of the Year in 2021 and was awarded the Silver Sudler Cup from the John Philip Sousa Foundation in December of 2017. The CRMS Honor Band was an Invited Band performing at the 2021 Texas Music Educators Association Convention and performed at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago in December of 2014. Ms. Allison-Rivera brought the Honor Band to the TBA Convention in 2015 to give a demonstration clinic on rehearsal strategies and practice techniques, and again in 2023 to give a clinic on the new sight reading procedure for the state of Texas. The band program has reached the state level of the Honor Band competition twice and has been named a National Winner in the National Wind Band Honors through the Foundation for Music Education for the past several years. Throughout her teaching career, her bands have consistently received sweepstakes ratings at the Texas UIL Concert and Sight-reading Contest. Before her time at Canyon Ridge, Mrs. Allison-Rivera taught at Cedar Park Middle School, Leander Middle School, and at DeSoto West Junior High and was selected as the First Year Teacher of the Year for DeSoto ISD in 1998.Mrs. Allison-Rivera received her Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University. She performed as the piccolo player with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania before pursuing her career in teaching and is currently the piccolo player for the Cedar Park Winds. Mrs. Allison-Rivera is a regular clinician throughout the state of Texas and is the conductor of the 7th Grade Honors Band at the Stephen F. Austin State University every summer. She was inducted into Phi Beta Mu, the International Bandmasters Fraternity, in 2011, and served as the Region 26 Middle School Coordinator from 2006-2009. She has served on the PML committee and the sightreading committee for UIL and conducted the PBM Reading Band on grade 1s at TBA in 2024. She has presented at the TBA Academy twice. Amy lives in Cedar Park, Texas, with her husband, Bert, and their dogs, Winston and Winnie.

Meredith Bates Bishop - Biographical Information

Meredith Bishop is the Director of Bands for Pearland Junior High West and Sablatura Middle School in Pearland, Texas. She graduated in 2006 from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Music Education and Honors College Degree. Her primary instrument is the French horn, and her secondary instrument is the flute. She currently teaches the varsity level Honors Band, beginning horn, trumpet, and flute classes, and serves as the electives team department head. Mrs. Bishop began teaching in Pearland ISD in 2006 at the Pearland Ninth Grade Center, which became Dawson High School the following year. She helped open Dawson High School as the assistant band director, then followed her passion to teach younger students at Pearland Junior High East. She earned the Head Director position in 2012 and has served as Director of Bands for Pearland JH West and Sablatura MS since then. In addition, she was instrumental in creating the Pearland ISD Instrument Inventory Management Systems and has served as the District Instrument Inventory Coordinator for nearly twenty years. Since 2012, Mrs. Bishop has grown the Pearland JH West band program from 180 to over 420 students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Her bands consistently earn first division sweepstakes ratings at the Texas University Interscholastic League Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluation. In 2017, 2019, 2023, and 2025, the Pearland JH West Honors Band finished as a state finalist and semi-finalist in the Texas Music Educators Association Honor Band Competition. In 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024, they placed as commended and national winners in the class AA and New Music divisions of the Mark of Excellence Wind Band competition. The Pearland JH West Honors Band has been named Best-in-Class and various local music festivals, was an invited band at the 2024 Music for All National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, IN and was recently selected to perform at The Midwest Clinic in 2025. In 2017 and 2025, Mrs. Bishop was named the Pearland Junior High West Teacher of the Year. She is an active member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, and serves as the Texas Region 19 Band Representative for the UIL/TMEA Music Advisory Committee and Region 19 Beltway Zone Middle School Band Coordinator. Mrs. Bishop is supported by her amazing husband Matthew, three daughters, Hayden, Mallory, and Madison, parents Dan and Judy, and the outstanding parents, staff, faculty and administration of the Pearland Community.  

Catharine Klein - Biographical Information

Catharine Klein is currently in her 17th year of teaching and 13th year in Burleson ISD. She serves as the Head Band Director at Kerr Middle School, where she conducts the Honors Band and Concert Band, assists with Symphonic Band, and teaches beginner flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon. Mrs. Klein is a native of Austin, Texas. She earned a Bachelor of Music Education Magna Cum Laude from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and a Master of Music Education from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. During her time at Ball State University, she studied flute with Dr. Julia Mattern, conducting with Dr. Thomas Caneva, and student taught with Susan Finger at Anderson Eastside Middle School. At Ball State, she was awarded the Presser Foundation Scholar award for outstanding collegiate musicianship and academic excellence. As a graduate teaching assistant at Baylor University, she worked with Dr. Eric Wilson and Isaiah Odajima and studied flute with Dr. Francesca Arnone. Under her direction, the Kerr Middle School Bands have consistently earned sweepstakes awards, as well as unanimous superior divisions at UIL Concert and Sight-Reading and the North Texas Festival of Distinction, and achieved consistent representation in the middle school all-region band. The Kerr Middle School percussion ensemble was a featured performing ensemble in the 2022 Midwest Clinic, and the Kerr Symphonic Band was recognized as a Commended Winner of the 2022 and 2023 Citation of Excellence. The Kerr Middle School Honors Band advanced to Area in the 2023 and 2025 TMEA Honor Band process, earned distinction as a National Winner of the 2023 Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honors, and was a featured performing ensemble in the 2024 Music for All National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, Indiana. Most recently, the Kerr Middle School Honors Band was selected as a featured performing ensemble in the 2025 Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference. Mrs. Klein’s professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, and the Texas Music Adjudicators Association. Mrs. Klein lives in Burleson, Texas with her husband, Andrew, who serves as the Assistant Band Director at Burleson Centennial High School and Percussion Director at Kerr Middle School. When she is not teaching, she enjoys yoga, traveling, and playing with their miniature dachshunds.

Liz Love - Biographical Information

Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska, Liz Love is an active music educator and saxophonist in the Austin, Texas area. She is currently in her fourth year as the Director of Bands at Leander Middle School. Previous to her time at LMS, she was the Director of Bands at Grisham Middle School, and the Assistant Band Director at Running Brushy Middle School in Leander ISD. She is a sought-after clinician and adjudicator around the state of Texas and across the country. In 2019, the Grisham Middle School Honors Band was selected to perform at The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic!Ms. Love is a founding member of the Austin Saxophone Ensemble, which is in its eleventh season and has recorded extensively. She also founded ASEYouth, a city-wide youth saxophone ensemble with the most talented middle and high school saxophonists from the Austin area. Ms. Love is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Bandmasters Association. She also served as the TMEA Region 26 Middle School Band Chair for four years, as well as the Region 26 TBA representative. Liz has given clinics at TMEA and TBA about mental health and the UIL Sight-Reading process, the latter with a demonstration band of students from Leander Middle School.Ms. Love received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and her Master’s Degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. She has performed and recorded extensively on flute, clarinet, and saxophone at both schools and counts Susan Scarborough, Jerry Junkin, Jeff Hellmer, Harvey Pittel, and Carolyn Barber as her principal mentors.Liz attributes her passion for music and education to her incredible music-teacher parents, Ed and Loretta. Teaching middle school kids how to play their instruments and be better people is her JAM. She lives in Cedar Park, Texas with her ridiculously supportive and adorable husband, Walter.

Ross Patterson - Biographical Information

Ross Patterson is the Director of Bands at Shadow Ridge Middle School in Lewisville ISD and is currently in his 16th year of teaching. Before joining the faculty at Shadow Ridge, Mr. Patterson served as Assistant Band Director at Robinson Middle School in Plano ISD and later as Director of Bands at Burnett Junior High and Harrison Intermediate in Wylie ISD. While at Burnett, his Wind Ensemble was invited to perform at the 2020 Music for All National Concert Band Festival. Most recently, the Shadow Ridge Honor Winds, under his direction, was named a Texas State Honor Band finalist in 2024. His ensembles have consistently earned Sweepstakes awards at the UIL Concert & Sightreading Contest.Mr. Patterson is an active clinician, adjudicator, and presenter. He has led sessions for band director workshops at the Midwest Clinic, Texas Bandmasters Association, Oklahoma Bandmasters Association, Young Educator Seminars at Southern Methodist University, and the Teaching the Middle School Band workshop at Sam Houston State University.A native of Weatherford, Texas, Mr. Patterson holds bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Music Theory from the University of North Texas (2007) and a master’s degree in Music Education from Southern Methodist University (2013). He is a trombonist with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, directed by Eugene Corporon, and continued teaching during his graduate studies as a private low brass instructor in the Lewisville, Plano, and Richardson ISDs.