Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
WELCOME TO KELLER!
The Keller Independent School District is located approximately 20 miles Northeast of Fort Worth, Texas, and encompasses 51 square miles within Keller, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Hurst, North Richland Hills, Southlake, Watauga, and Westlake.
Keller ISD employs more than 4,000 staff members, including just over 2,700 classroom instructional employees. Everything Keller ISD employees do is focused on providing an exceptional educational experience for students whether it be teaching in the classroom, maintaining the facilities our students use, or offering support and guidance for students and staff alike.
Keller ISD Mission Statement: The community of Keller ISD will educate our students to achieve their highest standards of performance by engaging them in exceptional opportunities.
OUR PROGRAM
Keller Middle School is a seventh and eighth grade campus, fed by sixth grade beginner classes at Bear Creek Intermediate School. Our beginners meet on an A/B day rotation of 40 minute homogenous classes.
The Keller Middle School band program has been awarded several accolades in its long history of success. Most recently with Mr. Puckett, the Keller Wind Ensemble was an invited performing ensemble at the 2022 Texas Music Educators Association convention. The last three years Mr. Puckett received the Medal of Distinction Concert band division awards with his ensembles. Keller MS Band also performed at the 2018 Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic. Other awards include being name a National Winner in the National Wind Band Honors Mark of Excellence Project in multiple years, earning consistent Division I rating for all three concert bands at the Texas UIL Concert & Sight-reading Evaluation, advancing to the TMEA Area Honor Band competition every eligible year, placing large number of individual students in the TMEA All-Region Honor Bands. In recent years, Keller Middle School has had the largest number of students from a single school make the All-Region Honor Bands out of all 27 schools within TMEA Region 30. In 2020, the Keller Middle School Wind Ensemble was invited to the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington, but was prevented from performing due to COVID-19 precautions. Their jazz band and color guard programs have had solid representation at local contests and provide an invaluable community outreach beyond the traditional concert band setting. Our student leadership have organized chamber ensembles to perform outside of our school functions at local sporting events, nursing homes, churches and elementary schools. We have also provided services to our community with trash clean up collection, adopt an elder yard work, and supporting the local pet rescues.
Keller Middle School is a proud feeder of the Keller High School Band Program. The Keller Middle School, Indian Springs Middle School, and Keller High School staff members work together weekly to team-teach students in the entire program from grade six to twelve. The Keller Band Cluster believes in the impact that a strong music program has on students’ social-emotional experience and quality of life for years beyond their time within our program.
Keller Middle School Band
Conductor's Bio
David Puckett Biography
Before moving to Keller Middle School, David Puckett opened both South Keller Intermediate and Indian Springs Middle School in 2001. Mr. Puckett began teaching as a Texas music educator in 1997 and has taught at both the middle and high school levels. He teaches beginner brass classes, as well as team-teaches performance bands, and coordinates the jazz band, color guard and percussion ensembles with his colleagues. Mr. Puckett was named the recipient of the 2013 John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Cup. In 2014 the Indian Springs Band was a feature performance group at The Midwest Clinic. Most recently, Mr. Puckett led the Keller Middle School band at the 2022 Texas Music Educators Convention as the featured Invited Middle School Band. The ISMS band program made it to the state level of the Honor Band process three times and won the 2015 Texas Music Educators Association Honor Band competition, allowing them the honor to perform at the 2016 TMEA convention as the CCC Honor Band. In 2016 Music for All selected their group to travel to Indianapolis to perform at the National Concert Band Festival in March 2017. Choice Music’s Mark of Excellence has recognized Indian Springs sixteen times in the National Wind Band Honors contest, once in the Citation of Excellence and once in National Jazz Honors. Mr. Puckett’s bands receive consistent Superior ratings at Texas UIL Concert and Sight-reading contests as well as many Best in Class or outstanding bands of the day recognition at local festivals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Students from Mr. Puckett’s program consistently have the high individual representation at District and Region level honor bands and Superior ratings at solo and ensemble contests. Mr. Puckett’s groups have multiple recognition in the Global Initiative for Talented Students; Medal of Distinction Concert band division. Mr. Puckett is a member of: Phi Beta Mu – Alpha Chapter, an International Bandmasters fraternity where he serves on the public relations committee and TMEA area representative; the Texas Music Educators Association; the Texas Bandmasters Association and enjoys regular visits to The Midwest Clinic. Mr. Puckett served as chairman of the Texas Band UIL PML Music Selection Committee, has served in several offices at the TMEA region level, and currently serves as lead teacher of the seven Keller ISD middle school band programs. Mr. Puckett was a national finalist in Music and Arts National Educator of the year, is a PTA Honorary Lifetime member for service to the school, and has been Indian Springs Middle School’s Teacher of the Year. He thoroughly enjoys spending time outside of his own band hall as a band consultant, clinician, conductor, adjudicator, mentor and trombone performer. He has presented clinics at Texas Music Educators Association convention, Texas Bandmasters Association convention, Texas Christian University, Southern Methodist University, Sam Houston University, and many independent school districts in Texas. Mr. Puckett was honored to be the Georgia Music Educators All-State MS Honor band conductor, and looks forward to his upcoming musical engagements at the Texas Private School Music Educators Association Honor Band Clinician as well as sharing his passion for band in and out of state! Mr. Puckett graduated with his Bachelors of Music Education from the University of Nebraska –Lincoln and now resides in Keller, Texas with his loving wife Becky, beautiful daughter Rachel and surrounded by millions of fibers of joy from his two golden retrievers and calico cat.
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