Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
Wiley Middle School is located in the heart of Leander, TX and the Leander ISD. The band program at Wiley Middle School serves more than 300 students, with seventh and eighth grade students enrolled in one of three performing bands and the sixth grade beginning band classes in a homogeneous instrumentation setting. We currently have 54% of the 6th grade class in band, and have 41% of our entire student body enrolled in a band course. Many students also take advantage of our Chamber Music course, so that they may take two periods (of eight) of band per day. Since the school’s opening in 2006, the Wiley bands have received consistent Superior and Excellent ratings at the UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluations. Students have been well-represented at Solo and Ensemble contests and participating numbers in the TMEA All-Region Band and Region Orchestra process continue to rise each year.
The Wiley Band Program holds our students to extremely high performance and character standards. We instill these values in our students through what we call “The Wiley Band Way” which emphasizes our top four priorities of being a great band student:
1. Demonstrate Character
2. Come Prepared
3. Participate with Enthusiasm
4. Support our Family
The Wiley Wind Ensemble was most recently named the 2023 Texas Class CC Honor Band performing at the 2023 Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio, TX. The ensemble was also the 2023 Grand Champion winner of the North Texas Festival of Distinction held annually in North Richland Hills, Texas. The ensemble was invited and performed at the 2012 Western International Band Clinic (WIBC) under the direction of Garland Chaisson, the program’s inaugural director. The band has also been a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence Wind Band Honors Contest in 2010, 2014, and most recently in 2022. To improve their individual skills and musicianship, all seventh and eighth grade students in the Wiley MS Band program attend weekly section rehearsals, and many students take advantage of the opportunity for private lessons through the LISD Private Lesson Program. In addition to their involvement in band activities, Wiley MS Band students are also active in other activities, including National Junior Honor Society, Student Council, Leadership, Theatre, Art, Choir, Athletics, Cheerleading, Dance Team, and many more. Through the dedicated work of many individuals, the Wiley Band program has built a tradition of success that has flourished within the school and in the community.
Wiley Middle School Wind Ensemble
Conductor's Bio
Jonathon Taylor Williamson is in his eleventh year of teaching and sixth year as Director of Bands at Wiley Middle School. Prior to coming to Leander ISD in 2018, he was the Director of Bands at both Richardson North Junior High and Forest Meadow Junior High in the Richardson ISD in Richardson, Texas.
At Wiley Middle School, Mr. Williamson teaches the Wind Ensemble, assists with the Symphonic and Concert bands, and teaches beginning trumpet, french horn, trombone, and tuba. Since beginning his career in music education, Mr. Williamsons’ bands have achieved UIL Sweepstakes ratings, as well as unanimous first division ratings. Over the past seven years of leading the Wiley Band, the program has grown from just under 200 students to now consistently having 300+ students in band each year, which is usually 50-60% of the total student population. In 2022, the Wiley Wind Ensemble earned the distinction as a National Wind Band Honors Class AA winner. Most recently, the Wiley Middle School Wind Ensemble was named the 2023 TMEA Class CC Honor Band and a 2024 Midwest Clinic Invited Ensemble.
In 2024, Mr. Williamson was named the 2024 Phi Beta Mu Texas Young Bandmaster of the Year. Mr. Williamson is an active clinician for several local band programs and is a yearly conductor and clinician at several summer band camps throughout Texas including the Baylor University and Sam Houston State University summer music camps.
In 2014, Mr. Williamson graduated summa cum laude receiving his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. While at Baylor, he studied under Dr. Eric Wilson, Dr. Isaiah Odajima, Wiff Rudd, and Mark Schubert and was a member of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra, Baylor Wind Ensemble, and award-winning Baylor Trumpet Ensembles. In 2014 Mr. Williamson received the Presser Foundation Scholar award for outstanding collegiate musicianship and academic excellence.
Mr. Williamson is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Bandmasters Association. He enjoys motivating young musicians to reach their highest level of performance by sharing his extreme love and passion for music with them on a daily basis. He feels honored, privileged, and extremely blessed to have had many great mentors, band directors, and close friends who have influenced his career thus far.
Mr. Williamson currently lives in Liberty Hill, Texas with his wife, Emily Williamson, current Choir Director at Stiles Middle School in the Leander ISD, and his dog-daughter, Lady. Outside of teaching band, Mr. Williamson is an active professional photographer.
Back