Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
A.A. Nick Kerr Middle School opened in 2000-01. Our namesake, A.A. Nick Kerr, was dedicated to the students of Burleson ISD for 34 years as a teacher, coach and principal. In August 2019, we opened the newly constructed Kerr Middle School on East Hidden Creek Parkway in Burleson. Kerr Middle School serves over 1,200 students in grades 6, 7, and 8. Our core belief is developing and maintaining strong relationships with students. The motto of Kerr Middle School is “All In, All Win” and we strive to make Kerr a place where every student can experience success. Kerr Middle School offers a variety of academic and extracurricular activities such as advanced coursework, band, color guard, choir, drama, cheerleading, dance, UIL athletics, and a plethora of elective classes.
The Kerr Honors Band consists of second- and third-year players enrolled in a full band class. Instruction and private lessons are offered five days per week. All students participate in All-Region Band Auditions, Solo & Ensemble Contest, UIL Concert and Sightreading Contest, and music festivals in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The Kerr Middle School Honors Band was recognized as a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honors in 2023 and performed at the 2024 Music for All National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis.
The band program includes beginner band classes, three concert bands, pep band, color guard, percussion ensemble, and indoor percussion. In beginner band, students are grouped into homogenous instrument classes that focus on building solid players with strong fundamentals while nurturing a love of music. Seventh and eighth grade students are placed in ability-based ensembles, where the curriculum is structured on performing diverse and appropriately challenging repertoire. Frequent performances such as formal concerts, solo and ensemble contest, festivals, color guard contests, indoor percussion contests, and pep rallies provide ample opportunities for students to perform exciting music. The program also believes in providing masterclass opportunities with local professional musicians and dynamic music educators to inspire and develop our students.
For more than two decades, the Kerr Middle School band program has consistently earned superior ratings at festivals, contests, and UIL Concert & Sight Reading. Individually, band students consistently earn 1st divisions on solos and ensembles, and earn a significant number of positions in the Burleson ISD District Band and the TMEA All-Region Bands.
Kerr Middle School Band is a proud feeder to the Burleson Centennial High School Band program. The Centennial Spartan Regiment is the largest student organization at Centennial High School, and is a consistent Bands of America Regional Finalist and UIL State Marching Band Contest Finalist. The Burleson Centennial Percussion Program has established itself as one of the top World Class Ensembles in the country, with multiple Top 10 Finalist appearances at the WGI and NTCA Championships. The Burleson Centennial concert bands have consistently earned sweepstakes at UIL Concert & Sightreading Contest and have consistent representation in the TMEA All-State process. The tradition of excellence in the Kerr Middle School Band provides a strong foundation for students to thrive in the nationally recognized Burleson Centennial High School Band program.
Kerr Middle School Band
Conductor's Bio
Catharine Klein is currently in her 16th year of teaching and 12th 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 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.
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