Staff

Mr. Tanner Smith, Director of Bands

Mr. Smith joined the staff in 2016 as Director of Bands at Wakeland HS. He came to Wakeland HS from Independence HS in Frisco. His responsibilities at IHS included the Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, along with assisting the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band.

Mr. Smith grew up in Austin and Sugar Land, Texas where he studied with the late Ms. Diane Gorzycki and Mr. Dean Westman, both of whom inspired him to become an educator. Mr. Smith attended the University of Oklahoma where he studied conducting with Dr. William Wakefield, Mr. Brian Britt, Dr. Debra Traficante, and Dr. Brian Wolfe; he also studied trumpet with Dr. Karl Sievers. Prior to coming to Wakeland, Mr. Smith had previously taught at Independence (Frisco), Allen High School (Allen, TX) and Garner Middle School (San Antonio, Texas).

Mr. Smith completed 5 years of Drum and Bugle Corps in 2011 with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Before marching with the Cavaliers he had marched with Capital Regiment (2006) and Carolina Crown (2007-2009). For the 2013 season, Mr. Smith was on the brass staff for The Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps. He has previously been on the Educational Team for the Music for All: Drum Major Institute and assisted with 2013 Bands of America Honor Band in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Mr. Smith is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the National Bandmasters Association. He currently lives in Frisco with his wife Corey and their dogs Rex and Chester.

Mrs. Ashton Seneca, Associate Director of Bands

Mrs. Seneca joins the Wakeland HS Staff in 2015 as the Associate Director of Bands teaching Symphonic Band, Concert Band II, and assisting with the marching band. She also assists with Concert Band I and Wind Symphony. Previously, she served as the Assistant Band Director at Griffin Middle School.

She graduated with a Bachelor’s of Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. While at USM, she performed with the Symphonic Band under the direction of James Standland and with the USM Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Thomas Fraschillo.

Mrs. Seneca marched mellophone with The Cadets, DCI’s 10-time World Champions. She began marching in 2006 with the show entitled “Part 2: Through the Looking Glass” and finished in 2009 with the corps 75th Anniversary production entitled “West Side Story.” She spent four summers under the instruction of esteemed brass caption head, Gino Cipriani. During her time with The Cadets, she earned a Silver Medal for the 2007 show entitled “This I Believe” (in which she served as one of the narrators) and a Bronze Medal for the 2009 show entitled “West Side Story: Celebration and Conflict”.

Mrs. Seneca lives in The Colony, TX with her husband Jeremy who is a member of the staff of The Cavaliers, DCI’s 7-time World Champions. He is an avid trumpet player and a talented drill writer for many ensembles in Texas and several other states.

Mr. Kevin Jones, Associate Director of Bands

Mr. Jones joined the Wakeland HS Staff in 2016 as the Associate Director of Bands teaching Concert Band I and assisting with the marching band. He also assists with Symphonic Band, and Wind Symphony.

Mr. Jones grew up in Highland Village, Texas where he attended Marcus High School under the direction of Ms. Amanda Drinkwater, graduating in 2011. After high school, Mr. Jones pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education at the University of Oklahoma. At OU he studied bassoon with Mr. Rodney Ackmann and Mr. Carl Rath, and studied music education with Dr. Christopher Baumgartner, Dr. Michael Hancock, Dr. Brian Wolfe, and Dr. Michael Raiber. During his time at OU, he performed with the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, Sooner Showmen, Steel Band, and Sooner Bassooners.

Prior to coming to Wakeland, Mr. Jones taught at El Sistema Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK) and continues to be heavily involved with Bocal Majority and Operation O.B.O.E. Double Reed Camps. He has spent time working with many premier bands in the DFW metroplex including the Marcus Band (Flower Mound, TX), the Hebron Band (Carrollton, TX) and the Coppell Band (Coppell, TX).

Mr. Jones is a member of several musical organizations including the Texas Music Educators Association, the Oklahoma Music Educators Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the International Double Reed Society, the Midwest Double Reed Society, and is a founding member of the Texas Double Reed Society.

Mr. Jones lives in Frisco with his cats Olimar and Louie.

Mr. Brian Teed, Percussion Director

Mr. Teed joins the Wakeland Band as the former Director of Percussion at The Colony High School in The Colony, TX and Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, TX. The Colony High School has had many individual and ensemble successes during Mr. Teed’s time including competing at the 5A State Marching Contest for the first time in nearly 10-years.

Mr. Teed is originally from The Woodlands, Texas where he had the privilege of being under the direction of Mr. Andrew Salmon at The Woodlands High School. He holds a master’s degree in Percussion Performance and a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma, where he was awarded the Ronald J. Dyer award for outstanding contributions to the OU Percussion Studio. During his graduate degree, Mr. Teed taught the University of Oklahoma Drumline alongside Mr. Glen Buecker, was the Assistant Director of the OU Steel Drum Band, and was the Director for the “Sooner Showmen” Women’s Basketball Band.

Mr. Teed has performed at numerous conventions and festivals including the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria, The National Convention on Percussion Pedagogy in Norman, Oklahoma, and the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. During his time at OU, he earned first place in the University of Oklahoma Concerto Competition in the Graduate Division (2013) and Undergraduate Division (2011). He was a founding member of the Norman Philharmonic Orchestra.

His professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, the Percussive Arts Society. He is also an educational artist for Vic Firth.

Mr. Teed currently resides in McKinney with his wife Jennifer, who is the Assistant Band Director at Pioneer Heritage Middle School in Frisco ISD.

Mr. Michael Alonzo, Color Guard Director

Michael Alonzo began his marching arts career at Little Elm High School and was a part of their winterguard production Somewhere in Time (-2010 WGI Scholastic A Gold Medalists). He continued performing in the colorguard with Drum Corp International’s The Crossmen (2010), The Cavaliers (2011 - Bronze Medalist), and The Blue Devils (2012 - Gold Medalist; 2013 - Silver Medalist).
Mr. Alonzo has been an instructor, technician, and choreographer to the colorguard programs at Alvord High School, Fossil Ridge High School, L.D. Bell High School, and Wakeland High School.
Mr. Alonzo received his Bachelor of Arts in Music (Cum Laude) from the University of North Texas, studying voice with Inci Bashar, Richard Croft, and William Joyner. He is currently an in-demand vocalist in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, regularly performing with The Orchestra of New Spain, Fort Worth Opera, and Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Nathaniel Collins, Percussion Assistant

Nathaniel Collins is excited to join the staff for the Wakeland Bands for the 2018-2019 school year.

Nathaniel is an active performer and educator currently based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Prior to this year, Nathaniel taught in the Plano West Senior High cluster from 2011-2018. While in Plano, Nathaniel acted as the Percussion Instructor at Jasper High School, Plano West Senior High and coordinator for the Plano West Middle School Drumline.

Nathaniel holds the position as Principal Percussionist with the Abilene Philharmonic and a position with the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale. Additionally, Nathaniel works frequently with the Dallas Winds and will appear on the upcoming albums featuring the music of John Williams and John Mackey. Nathaniel also works with many local professional large ensembles and music theater companies. In the past year, Nathaniel has performed with the Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, and Imprint TheatreWorks' production of “Murder Ballad.”

Nathaniel completed his Masters of Music in 2012 at Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor's of Music with Distinction from the Eastman School of Music in 2009.