Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
The city of Midlothian is located 25 miles southwest of downtown Dallas. Midlothian High School is currently the lone high school within the Midlothian Independent School District. This is the first year that high school students are split between two campuses, as Midlothian Heritage High School is home to all freshmen, and the main campus houses all sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The Midlothian attendance zone includes two feeder middle schools, and six elementary schools.
Beginning band starts in sixth grade at both Frank Seale and Walnut Grove Middle Schools. Students are placed in homogenous classes, and begin to learn the importance of a characteristic tone on their instrument, and develop individual playing skills. Full band classes are structured for seventh and eighth graders where individual skills are emphasized, and ensemble skills are developed and refined.
At the high school level, a large part of the fall semester consists of development of the MHS marching band, commonly referred to as the Panther Regiment, though concert fundamentals are employed throughout the year. All students participate in this ensemble, whose purpose is to support the MHS varsity football team at every game, and to prepare a visual and musical program to compete in regional and state-level marching contests. The Panther Regiment consists of approximately 160 winds, 30 percussionists, and 30 colorguard members.
The concert ensembles at MHS are the foundation of the band program. Students are placed in one of three concert ensembles after an audition at the end of each semester. In these classes, students learn to use higher levels of listening, perception, matching, and recognizing proper balance. Each ensemble meets daily, and prepares multiple musical programs every spring semester.
On an individual level, students participate in the TMEA All-State audition process in the fall, as well as the Texas Solo and Ensemble Competition in the spring. The majority of this preparation takes place in individual private lessons. Over half of the students in the band program at MHS are enrolled in private lessons year round. This specialized one-on-one help is critical to the development of the members in our ensembles.
The Midlothian High School Wind Ensemble is making its first appearance at the Midwest Clinic. In recent years, this ensemble has performed at the 2006 Music Educators National Convention in Salt Lake City, the 2008 30th Annual Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, and the 37th Annual Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic at Troy University in 2010.
MIDLOTHIAN HIGH SCHOOL WIND ENSEMBLE
Conductor's Bio
Larry Doran has been the Director of Bands for the MISD for eighteen years. In addition to his teaching duties, he is an active freelance percussionist in the metropolitan Dallas/Ft. Worth area. A native of New Castle, Pennsylvania, Mr. Doran attended Penn State University where he graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education. He then continued his education at the University of Michigan where he received a Master's Degree in Percussion Performance in 1991.
Mr. Doran has performed with the Ft. Worth Symphony, Ft. Worth Opera and Ft. Worth/Dallas Ballet. He has also performed and recorded with the Dallas Wind Symphony. In 1991, he toured the United States and Spain as a member of Percunits A2 percussion ensemble. He was visiting professor of percussion at the Encuentros de Percussion in Xixona, Alicante, Spain that same year.
Mr. Doran directs the Wind Ensemble, and oversees all facets of the vertically aligned Midlothian band cluster as the administrator of the instrumental music Department. He has maintained a busy summer schedule teaching at various band camps in the United States including: Yamaha Sounds of Summer camps in Texas and Iowa and the International Music Camp in North Dakota. Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Doran was Associate Director of Bands at North Mesquite High School for four years.
His marching and concert bands have received recognition in state and national festivals, highlighted by being consistently awarded the ‘Sweepstakes’ Award in UIL both on the field, and in the concert hall. In 2006, the Midlothian Wind Ensemble was a featured performer at the 60th annual National MENC Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Wind Ensemble was a featured ensemble at the 30th annual Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington in November of 2008. Troy University hosted the Annual Southeastern U.S. Concert Band Clinic, featuring this ensemble in February of 2010. The MHS Wind Ensemble has qualified for the semi-finals of the Texas State Honor Band competition three times, and the finals twice. In addition to performing, teaching, and clinic presentations, Larry is an active adjudicator with Heritage Festivals.
Mr. Doran was one of two winners chosen for the National Band Association's International Conducting Symposium in April 2006. Colonel Fulvio Crux, director of La Banda Dell'Esercito (The Italian Army Band) served as resident conductor/lecturer/host for the symposium held in Rome, Florence, and Milan. He is the president of the local chapter of ATPE-The Association of Texas Professional Educators. His professional affiliations include the National Band Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmaster's Association, National Association for Music Education, Percussive Arts Society, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Local 72-147 American Federation of Musicians and Phi Mu Alpha. He is an elected member to Pi Kappa Lambda.
Mr. Doran is an artist/clinician for Yamaha Corp. and Sabian cymbals. He resides in Ovilla, Texas, with his wife, Sherry, and daughter, Sophia.
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