Executive Board
Jesse Cannon II, President
Jesse Cannon II is currently the Director of Visual & Performing Arts in Fort Worth ISD. Prior to Fort Worth, he was the Director of Choirs in Duncanville ISD. Mr. Cannon holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Dallas Baptist University and a Masters in Music Education with an Emphasis in Choral Conducting from Mississippi State University.
He has served in various capacities on the local, state, and national level including TMEA Region 20 President, Vocal Chair, and Vocal Secretary and the American Choral Directors Association (Southwest ACDA Repertoire & Resources Chair for High School Mixed Choirs). He is also a member of the Texas Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity. He has been the recipient of several grants and scholarships for study and arts advocacy initiatives.
Choirs under his direction have consistently earned superior ratings at regional and state contests, have been named Overall Outstanding and Grand Champion in choral competitions throughout the US, and have rapidly expanded in enrollment to become one of the largest choral programs in the area. His choirs performed at the 2020 Texas Music Educators Association Convention and the 2021 National American Choral Director’s Association Convention. The Duncanville HS Choir has also been recognized by The American Prize and The Foundation of Music Education Mark of Excellence as a National Winner.
Jesse Cannon II was recognized as a Music Teacher of Excellence by the Country Music Association Foundation (2022), Duncanville HS Teacher of the Year (2021), and been awarded the Grammy Signature School Award for the Duncanville HS Choral Department. He is an active Region Clinician and adjudicates several times each year for the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Contest.
Contact Information
1407 I.M. Terrell Circle S., Ste. 2203-Room 02
Fort Worth, TX 76102
(817) 814-2635
president@tmea.org
Robert Horton, Past-President
Dr. Bob Horton holds three degrees from Sam Houston State University: BMed, 1990, MM 2005, EdD 2012. For 25 years, Bob was a music educator in grades K-12. Under Bob’s direction, The York, McCullough, and Woodlands High School choirs have been awarded consistent sweepstakes trophies, named “Best in Class” at various festivals, and performed in Carnegie Hall.
Bob’s career has been marked by service to his colleagues. He was privileged to serve the Region IX Junior High/Middle School and High School divisions. Bob also served as Middle School/Junior High Vice President and President of the Texas Choral Directors Association. In February 2015, Bob was elected to the office of State Vocal Chair. In 2017-2020, Bob served in the President track of TMEA.
As Fine Arts Director for Conroe ISD since May 2015, Bob has led and worked with a staff of over 350 teachers to implement curriculum for choir, band, orchestra, elementary music, art, theatre, and dance. Under Bob’s leadership, the NAMM Foundation has selected Conroe ISD as a “Best Communities in Music Education” since 2015.
In addition to his school duties, Bob is Director of Music Ministry at the Woodlands Methodist Church, where he has served since 1996. He directs the Adults Chancel Choir and the Select A Cappella Choir. He and his wife Connie, an award-winning Junior High Choir director and now school principal in CISD, have two children who earned All-State Choir membership and are now employed in music. Andrea, a graduate of Baylor (BM, 2017) and LSU (MM, 2019), is a choir director at Peet Junior High. Ben, Texas Tech University (BMusEd 2019), is a choir director at College Park High School.
Contact Information
9106 Black Buck Lane
Conroe TX 77303
Bus: (936) 709-7806
Cell: (281) 723-7798
pastpresident@tmea.org
Shane Goforth, President-Elect
Shane Goforth began his career as a Texas Band Director in 1996. He currently serves as the Director of Bands at North Shore Senior High School in Houston, Texas. Under his direction, the North Shore Senior High bands have advanced to the Texas State Marching Band Championships on six occasions and were a State Finalist and UIL Area F Champion in 2016. The North Shore Wind Ensemble was invited to perform at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago in 2017 and the Texas Bandmaster’s Convention in 2018 and 2024. The band has earned numerous and consistent UIL Sweepstakes awards and Best in Class recognitions and was named as a Commended Winner in the Foundation for Music Education’s National Wind Band Honors project. In 2023, Shane was awarded the Music Education Alliance’s William P. Foster Community Development Award for his service to his students and community.
Shane previously served as the Director of Bands at Holliday and Aubrey High Schools, where his bands competed at the Texas State Marching Band Championships and were awarded first place in the ATSSB Outstanding Performance Series. He is an active adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician and has presented clinics at the Midwest, TMEA, and TBA conventions.
A native of Frisco, Texas, Mr. Goforth started his musical career under the direction of Dr. Daryl Trent and studied saxophone with Brad Leali. He continued his education, earning an Associate of Music in Jazz Saxophone at Weatherford College, a Bachelor of Music with honors from the University of North Texas, and a Master of Music in Conducting from Sam Houston State University
Shane married the love of his life, Lawren, in 1994, and together, they have six children and one awesome grandson. Shane enjoys reading, golf, playing guitar, and spending time with his family in his spare time.
Contact Information
14122 Wadebridge Way
Houston, TX 77015
Bus: (713) 516-7158
presidentelect@tmea.org
Mike Howard, Vice-President & Band Division Chair
Mike Howard serves as Director of Fine Arts, Music and Performing Arts for the Leander Independent School District. Prior to this, he spent 19 years as a High School Band Director, most recently in Leander ISD at Vandegrift High School.
Under Howard’s direction, the Vandegrift Wind Ensemble was selected as the 2018 TMEA 6A State Honor Band and performed at the 2019 TMEA Convention and was chosen as a featured ensemble at the 2021 Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The Vandegrift Concert Program was also the recipient of the 2020 Sudler Flag of Honor by the John Philip Sousa Foundation and the recipient of the Earl D. Irons Program of Distinction in 2022. At Vandegrift HS, Mr. Howard’s Marching Bands have been recognized with several high honors such as 2019 BOA Grand National Champion, 4-time BOA Regional Champion, consistent BOA Super Regional Finalist, BOA Super Regional Class Champion, 6A UIL State Marching Contest Silver Medalist, 6A UIL State Marching Contest Bronze Medalist and 5A UIL State Marching Contest Silver Medalist. The Vandegrift HS Marching Band was also awarded the Sudler Shield by the John Philip Sousa Foundation in 2019. Prior to his time in Leander ISD, Mr. Howard was an assistant band director in Katy ISD.
Mr. Howard has served as Texas Music Adjudicators Association Concert Band Vice-President, TMEA Region 32 Band Division Chair, and TMEA Area E Band Division Chair. He is also an active clinician around Texas and has served as an adjudicator for UIL, Bands of America, and Drum Corps International.
Mr. Howard’s professional affiliations include membership in the American Bandmasters Association, Phi Beta Mu, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Music Adjudicator’s Association (TMAA), and the Texas Bandmasters Association. He graduated from Texas State University – San Marcos with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and from Concordia University Texas with a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. He lives in Leander, Texas, with his wife Amber, daughter Madison, and son Justin.
Contact Information
11301 Hill Dr.
Leander, TX 78641
(512) 570-0161
bandvp@tmea.org
Jennifer Martin, Vice-President and Orchestra Division Chair
Jennifer Martin currently serves as the Orchestra/Mariachi Specialist for Fort Worth ISD. She has also served as Head Orchestra Director at Boles Junior High in Arlington ISD and as Director of Orchestras for Midway ISD in Waco, TX. She began her musical studies as a part of her public school orchestra program in the 5th grade. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Music Education in 2003.
Orchestras under Mrs. Martin’s direction have received consistent UIL Sweepstakes Awards and Best in Class awards at festivals across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They have also ranked among the top ten orchestras in the state in the TMEA State Honor Orchestra contest at the HS and JH/MS levels. She is in frequent demand as a clinician and judge for orchestras around the state.
Mrs. Martin was honored as an AWARE Foundation Teacher of the Year Finalist in 2022 and was the winner of the Smile Doctors Arlington Rockstar Teacher award in 2021. She holds memberships in the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Orchestra Directors Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Texas Fine Arts Administrators, and Mu Omicron.
Mrs. Martin also stays active as a performer in the viola section of the Waco Symphony Orchestra, where she has shared the stage with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer, Renee Fleming, Art Garfunkel, and Lyle Lovett. When she is not teaching or performing, she and her husband Jimmy can be found around the metroplex with their daughter Haley playing cello and soccer and their son Joe playing violin and rock climbing.
Contact Information
4207 Crossgate Ct.
Arlington, TX 76016
817-814-2640
orchestravp@tmea.org
Joshua McGuire, Vice-President and Vocal Division Chair
Joshua McGuire is the Head Choir Director at Rock Hill High School in the Prosper Independent School District. Previous to Rock Hill High School, he was the head director at Sachse High School for fifteen years in the Garland Independent School District. During his tenure at Sachse High School, choirs performed for the Music Educators National Conference, served as demonstration choirs for the American Choral Directors Association, were honored with Performance of Distinction recognition at the American Classic Madrigal and Chamber Choir Festival in San Antonio and North Texas, and were consistently awarded Sweepstakes at UIL Concert & Sight Reading.
Mr. McGuire has been honored to serve the directors and students of Texas in various roles within the Texas Music Educators Association as a Region Vocal Chair, All-State Choir section leader, All-State Choir organizer, TMEA Convention Vocal Division Clinic & Convention Coordinator, and Area Vocal Chair.
Originally from Illinois, he has taught middle school and high school in the Chicago area and holds a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Western Illinois University. He holds memberships in the American Choral Directors Association, Texas Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and Pi Kappa Lambda.
Contact Information
16061 Coit Rd
Frisco, TX 75035
(429) 219-2300 x 81201
vocalvp@tmea.org
Christopher Giles, Vice-President and Elementary Division Chair
Christopher Giles is a K-5 music specialist at Mireles Elementary in San Antonio, TX and an adjunct professor at the University of the Incarnate Word. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio where he received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education. Mr. Giles also holds his principal certification from Lamar University.
He completed Orff-Schulwerk certification and two Master’s classes at Trinity University. He has also been awarded campus Educator of Year, received his district’s Stellar Success Award and Above and Beyond Educator award in music education, and has a Grammy nomination.
His ensembles have been invited to perform for district initiatives and his Orff Ensemble was an invited performing group for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Conference. He is a past president of Central Texas Orff, served as the Region 29 Elementary Division Chair of TMEA, and is a National Board Trustee for the American Orff Schulwerk Association.
Christopher is an advocate for music education and believes that every child deserves a high quality elementary music education experience.
Contact Information
12260 Rockwall Mill
San Antonio, TX 78254
(210) 394-0289
elementaryvp@tmea.org
Carter Biggers, Vice-President and College Division Chair
Carter Biggers, DMA, is Director of Bands, Associate Professor of Music, and Co-Lead in the Division of Music at Texas Woman’s University. Prior to his appointment to TWU in 2016, he was Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at Pennsylvania State University and a graduate fellow and teaching assistant in the School of Music at the University of Iowa. He holds degrees from The University of Iowa (DMA) and Texas Tech University (MM and BM). In addition to his university teaching experiences, Dr. Biggers was a high school and junior high band director in Texas, where his students and ensembles consistently received top ratings at local and state contests.
Dr. Biggers is a passionate advocate for the creation of new wind band music and is regularly involved in commissioning works by a diverse group of established and emerging composers. Other research interests lie in diversity, equity, and inclusion in programming practices and in primary and secondary classroom educational materials. Additionally, he is an active guest conductor, adjudicator, clinician, and researcher.
His professional affiliations include the College Band Directors National Association, National Band Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors, National Association for Music Education, Association of Concert Bands, Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.
Contact Information
Texas Woman’s University
Division of Music
304 Administration Drive
Denton, TX 76209
(940) 898-2689
collegevp@tmea.org