Middle School Directors

Nachel Konemann - Strickland- head band director

Nachel Konemann is starting her eighth year of teaching and is currently the Director of Bands at Strickland Middle School in Denton, TX. She has previously taught at Williams High School and Bowman Middle School in Plano, TX and Irons Middle School in Lubbock, TX.

Ms. Konemann holds a Master’s Degree in Music Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Texas Tech University. During her time at Texas Tech University she performed in the Texas Tech Wind Ensemble, Texas Tech Goin’ Band from Raiderland, and was a student of David Dees.

Ms. Konemann has worked with many ensembles outside of her own band program including the East Plano Chamber Winds and the Lubbock Youth Wind Ensemble. Her students consistently make All-District and All-Region Honor Band. She is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Bandmasters Association.

Ms. Konemann is recently engaged to her fiancé Zachariah. They plan to get married in June 2022. Together they have two cats: Harry, the fat one, and Stormy, the destroyer of worlds. In her free time, Ms. Konemann enjoys gardening, skiing, and arranging flowers.

Emily standlee-gomez - Myers- head band director

estandlee@dentonisd.org

Mrs. Standlee Gomez is in her 12th year teaching and is originally from the Beaumont, TX. Mrs. Gomez received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Music Degree. She performed on flute and piccolo with groups such as the UNT Green Brigade and Concert Ensembles. She also holds her Master's degree in Counseling and Education from Lamar University graduating with the highest honor of Sum Cum Laude.

She started her career in Houston, TX teaching private flute lessons. During this time, she developed her flute studio to over 40 students coming from middle school and high school. Her students were able to participate in the All-City band, All-Region band, and All-State band. Students were also performing at the State Solo & Ensemble competition receiving superior ratings.

After this experience, Mrs. Gomez decided to teach band in elementary and secondary schools. She received her first teaching position at Bonner Elementary as the primary director. During her time at Bonner, she taught beginner woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

In 2013, Mrs. Gomez moved to Dallas to teach at Ann Richards Middle School as the Associate Director of Bands. 3 years, Mrs. Gomez was promoted as the Director of Bands at Ann Richards Middle School.

This is Mrs. Gomez's third year at Myers Middle School. Several students made the All-City and All-Region Band. She also brought Wind Ensemble students to UIL. They made superior ratings at UIL receiving a 111-111 which is a perfect score.

Mrs. Gomez is the Head Band Director, the woodwind specialist, and directs the Wind Ensemble here at Myers.

Mrs. Gomez currently resides in Corinth with her Husband, Victor Gomez. They have three pets of which are two cats (Jett and Zoey) and one dog (Phoebe). On her free time she likes to paint, cook, watch Hulu and Netflix, and spend quality time with her family and friends.

Ray velasquez - strickland - assistant band director

rvelasquez@dentonisd.org

Ray Velasquez, a Corpus Christi, Texas native, is currently the assistant band director at Strickland Middle School. Ray holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas and a Master’s of Music Degree in Wind Conducting from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. In his study at Texas Tech, his primary conducting teacher was Dr. Sarah McKoin.

Ray has taught all over the state: two years in San Antonio at KIPP: Camino Academy and four years in Jacksboro at Jacksboro Middle and High School. While at KIPP, he started a 5th grade beginner band program with an awarded grant that put band instruments into the hands of 250 students. In Jacksboro, he taught the middle school band, all beginner classes, the jazz band at Jacksboro High School, and arranged the marching show for the Purple Pride Marching Band. He had several individual students who consistently placed at All-District, All-Region and All-Area Band.

This will be Ray’s ninth year in public education. He started at Strickland in Fall 2019. His responsibilities there include teaching all beginner brass classes, the Symphonic Band, and the SMS Two o’Clock Jazz Band. Most recently, the combined SMS Bands received a Sweepstakes at the Denton ISD Band Assessment. In his spare time, you can find him hanging with his miniature dachshund named Franklin, riding the biggest roller coasters in existence, and watching all the movies and TV shows he can consume.

lauren vandergriff - myers - assistant band director

lvandergriff@dentonisd.org

Ms. Lauren Vandergriff is originally from Plano, TX where she found her love for music playing the French horn. After graduating high school in upstate New York, she came back to Texas for college, earning her Bachelor of Music in Music Education at Southern Methodist University (as well as a minor in mathematics!).

During her time at SMU, Ms. Vandergriff was a part of the Meadows School of the Arts Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, she helped start an education outreach program with a non-profit organization called Bridge the Gap Chamber Players. With this program, she visited elementary schools in Dallas ISD weekly teaching supplementary after-school music lessons to students wanting to learn more about music.

This is Ms. Vandergriff's second year of teaching at Myers Middle School where she is the brass specialist and teaches Symphonic Band.

In her free time, she likes to spend time with her friends and family, cook, and play tennis and sand volleyball. Ms. Vandergriff is beyond excited to start her teaching career at Myers Middle School!