McMeans Junior High Camerata Orchestra

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

McMeans Junior High is part of the Katy Independent School District in Katy, Texas, a suburb of Houston, Texas. The district serves 181 square miles in parts of Harris, Fort Bend and Waller Counties. Katy ISD is a racially diverse district comprised of 77,730 students in 66 schools. Fine arts education in Katy ISD begins in Kindergarten and continues through 12th grade. Beginning in grade 6, at the junior high level, the fine arts courses become elective choices. A junior high student in grades 6-8 may choose to study courses in visual art, band, choir, orchestra, and/or theater arts. The orchestra program at MMJH consists of approximately 145 students divided into 5 different orchestra from beginning through advanced levels. Beginning orchestra students are divided into homogeneous classes and focus on fundamental skills such as proper posture and position, tone production, note reading, and ear training. These skill continue to develop as the students progress to more advanced skills and ensemble work. The students in the Camerata orchestra represent the most advanced students at the school. Students compete in various competitions throughout the year including region orchestra, solo and ensemble contest, UIL concert and sight-reading contest as well as festival performances. The ensembles typically perform 4-5 noncompetitive concerts throughout the year. Students who are a member of the Camerata orchestra attend a weekly sectional rehearsal after school in addition to the daily class. Students who are involved in orchestra are also active in athletics, theater arts, academic quiz bowl and student council.

McMeans Junior High Camerata Orchestra

Conductor's Bio

Amy Williams is in her ninth year as the director of orchestras at McMeans Junior High Orchestra in Katy ISD. Previously, she was the orchestra director at Frank Tejeda Middle School in North East ISD, a position she held since the opening of the school in 2001. Mrs. Williams graduated from Texas Tech University in the spring of 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in music education. She began teaching in the fall of 1999 at Bowie Middle School in Amarillo, Texas. Under her direction, the Bowie Orchestra received the first sweepstakes trophy in the school’s 46 year history. After two years at Bowie Middle School, she moved to San Antonio to direct the orchestras at Tejeda Middle School in San Antonio. During her time at Tejeda, the orchestra earned consistent Sweepstakes Awards at UIL competitions as well as Best in Class and Overall Outstanding Orchestra at Choice Music Events since the opening of the school. Under her direction, the Tejeda Middle School was named TMEA Middle School Honor Orchestra for 2007. In 2009 the Tejeda Honor Orchestra was selected to perform at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago. Since moving to McMeans Junior High in Katy, all MMJH orchestras have earned consistent Sweepstakes Awards at UIL. The MMJH string and full orchestra have advanced to the state finals in the TMEA Honor Orchestra Contest multiple times. In addition, the full orchestra performed at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago in December of 2014. In 2015 the string orchestra performed at TMEA as Junior High String Honor Orchestra which ranked them first in state. The McMeans string orchestra will perform at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago again this December. Mrs. Williams received the Marjorie Keller Outstanding Young Orchestra Director in Texas in the spring of 2004 and was named Educator of the Month for March 2001. In February of 2016, the Houston Symphony awarded her the Spec’s Charitable Foundation Award for Excellence in Music Education. Her professional affiliations include TMEA, TODA, and Mu Omicron. She enjoys spending time with her husband Gene, her dog Mickey, and her cats Queenie, Xia Xuan, and Charlie.