Rodney Bennett is the director at Olney High School in Region 7. He is in his thirty-ninth year of teaching and thirteenth year as Director of Bands for Olney ISD. He previously held the same position at Palacios ISD for three years and was Director of Bands for twenty-three years at Munday ISD.

Bennett holds Bachelor of Music and Music Education degrees from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls and a Master of Music degree from Eastern New Mexico University.

Mr. Bennett currently serves as TMEA Region VII Band Chairman and served in this position for Region II from 1994-2005 and 2008-2014. He has also served in various capacities as Region and Area Honor Band host and Region, Area, and State Honor Band Judge. Bennett has also served as TMEA Region XIII Region Band Organizer and Region II North Zone A-AA-AAA District Band Chairman. He was also a TMEA clinician at the 1994 and 2000 conventions.

Mr. Bennett currently serves on the TMAA Marching Band Adjudication Sheet Revision Committee and is also a current member of the Olney ISD District Improvement Committee. He has served on several UIL committees, including the UIL State Marching Band Contest Revision Committee as the Class A Representative and the UIL Sight-reading (Continued on Page 11 Committee. He has served on the TMEA Honor Band Revision Committee and now serves as the Region VII Band Division representative to the UIL Music Advisory Committee. While at Munday, Mr. Bennett served as a member of the Munday High School Campus Improvement Team and on the Munday ISD District Improvement Committee.

Mr. Bennett is a member of Phi Beta Mu (Alpha Chapter) and served as a Member At-Large on the International Board from 2009- 2017. He has also served on the International Bandmaster of the Year and Texas Young Bandmaster of the Year Selection Committees, and chaired the Outstanding Contributor and Constitutional Revision Committees. Bennett was a clinician as part of a panel presentation on successful small school band programs at the Midwest Clinic in 2000 and 2004, both sponsored by Phi Beta Mu. He also performs annually at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention as part of the Phi Beta Mu Reading Band.

Bennett is a member of the Association of Texas Small School Bands (ATSSB) and served as Class A Representative on the State Board of Directors (1994-1996, 2001- 2002). Bennett has also been nominated several times for President-elect of ATSSB and continues to serve as a judge for Region, Area, and All-State tryouts.

He a member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, American School Band Directors Association, and the National Band Association. Since 1999, Mr. Bennett has served as Director of Doc’s Oil Bowl Band (Shriners All-Star football game), and is the only remaining charter member of the group (founded in 1974). Bennett is a life member of Kappa Kappa Psi and holds a Faculty Life membership in the Tri-M Music Honor Society. He is also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Musicians, previously serving as an advisor to the Munday High School Chapter and current sponsor of the Olney High School group.

Rodney is married to wife Marilyn (also a band director) for 40 years. Bennett has one son, Ronnie (lead minister – One Life Community Church) in Wichita Falls, Texas. Ronnie and wife Ashley have three children – Emma, Jude, and Ezra. Bennett is also a former member of the United States Marine Corps, member of the American Legion, and an avid railroad enthusiast.

Angie Liss is the band director at Howe High School where she has worked 29 years, with 19 of those serving as head director.A graduate of Howe High School where she was a band member(flute) under
the direction of Elmer Schenk,she attended Baylor University on a piano scholarship for two years before transferring to Texas Woman’s University where she graduated with honors with a degree in Music Therapy.  After working for 6 years as a music therapist in the Arlington and Allen Independent School Districts she was hired by Mr. Schenk as an assistant. During those years prior to being hired by Howe, she was also very active as an accompanist for several DFW metroplex band and choir programs. She continues to serve as an accompanist, not only for her church,but for many area band and choir programs. When needed, Mrs. Liss also performs with groups such as the Plano and McKinney Community Bands on piano and has subbed in for various jazz bands in the metroplex area.

Howe Bands will celebrate 50 years next year and during those years they have been highly successful including 38 sweepstakes awards. Howe bands have competed at the state marching contest 23 times and are tied for 2nd on the leader board for most appearances at the UIL State Championships out of all bands regardless of classification. Mrs. Liss was part of 15 of those 23 either as a student, assistant director, or head director and was an assistant director when Howe won the 2000 TMEA Honor Band. Under her direction, the Howe HS band has been an Honor Band Finalist multiple times as well as numerous finalists in the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series and a first-place finish in the march category in 2009 with their performance of “Big Cage”.

Aside from her work in the band world,Mrs. Liss has served on multiple district level committees, coached softball & track as well as UIL academic events, taught elementary music, choir, sociology, psychology, and many “other duties as assigned.” Last winter she was awarded the prestigious UIL Sponsor Excellence Award for her dedication to her students and UIL programs. She is also regularly active in her community most recently helping to organize the city-wide Howe Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Mrs. Liss served for 3 terms on the ATSSB Executive Board where she was the3A State Representative. What she is mostproud of during her time on the executive board is the board’s navigation of all things Covid that culminated in the 2021 All-State Clinic & Concert held June 9-12 at the Melissa Performing Arts Center.

Angie & her husband, Andreas, live in Howe where they spend their extra time working around the farm and at their church.They have four grown children and their spouses and four precious grandchildren that also consume as much of their extra time as possible.

Matt Knight is in his 26th year at Abernathy ISD where he served 3 years as the assistant before moving into the head director position.  He grew up in Garland, Texas, graduating from South Garland High School in 1987.  After earning his Bachelor of Music degree from Texas Tech University, Mr. Knight accepted the assistant band position under one of his mentors, Harold Bufe.  Knight was the 2009 recipient of the First State Bank Teacher of the Year Award and currently serves on the Abernathy High School Leadership Team.  He is also a member of the Goin’ Band Association and a former member of its board of directors (president for five years and on the board for 13 years).  Knight has also served as music director/coordinator for his church and is an active member in the Abernathy community.

Professionally, Knight has maintained Abernathy’s tradition of excellence with consistent sweepstakes bands.  Abernathy has appeared numerous times at the area level of the UIL Marching Contest and was a 2005 State Marching Band Contest participant. Knight and the students of Abernathy have had multiple pieces advance to the state level in the Outstanding Performance Series.

During his 11-year tenure as the Region 16 ATSSB coordinator, Knight has been instrumental in promoting opportunities for students to perform.  Region 16 has gone from four all-region bands to seven and maintained an all-region jazz band. With over 2500 students auditioning each year, approximately 850 of these students are placed in performance groups.  Of these performing groups, Knight has been a host/coordinator for the A-AA All-Region Band for 23 of the last 25 years. He believes in leading by example and hard work being a good teacher.

In keeping with the spirit of student performance and growth, Matt’s greatest local accomplishment has been in the arena of solos and ensembles through the qualification of over 1000 students in the last 15 years for the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Competition.  Student opportunity and growth are paramount to Matt Knight surpassed only by his focus on relationships with students and colleagues.  The two concepts of opportunity and relationship are the foundation for Knight’s career and fuel his desire to represent small schools on the state level.

On a personal note, Matt enjoys working with his wife of 20 years, Anna Jo, who is the elementary music teacher and an assistant band director in the Abernathy program.  Their son, Keelan, is a junior at Abernathy. He is currently drum captain and is looking forward to pursuing a career in engineering or architecture following college.