Tom Bennett

Tom Bennett is in his fifth year as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at the University of Houston's Moores School of Music. He was born in Colorado City, Texas, the son of Lois and Harold Bennett. His desire to be a teacher and band director, as well as his love of music, was inspired and encouraged by his high school band director and former Texas Bandmaster of the Year, Mr. Melvin Montgomery. Mr. Bennett will always be grateful for the education he received in the Snyder Public Schools and the role model provided by Mr. Montgomery

Mr. Bennett attended Texas Tech University where he received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree in 1969. During his time at Texas Tech, he started the band program in the Cooper Rural School District (now Lubbock Cooper High School). Upon graduation, Mr. Bennett took his first position as director at LaMarque Junior High School. His teaching career, with a two-year interruption for service in the U. S. Army, spans the past thirty-five years. These years have all been spent in Texas public schools or universities.

After one year at LaMarque Junior High and two in the service, Mr. Bennett returned to LaMarque as the high school band director. His twenty-one years of service as a high school band director included positions in the Spring Branch, Plano, Richardson, Round Rock, Lubbock, and Spring school districts. During these years, Mr. Bennett's bands were honored with numerous UIL and festival awards. His marching bands at Spring and J.J. Pearce High Schools each advanced to the finals of the state marching contest with the Pearce Band placing third and the Spring High School Band placing second. His bands placed in the top five in honor band on five different occasions-LaMarque, Richardson Pearce, and Spring High Schools. The J.J. Pearce band in the Richardson ISD was selected as Texas 5A Honor Band in 1984 and received the prestigious Sudler Flag Award from the Sousa Foundation in 1987. The J.J. Pearce and Spring High School bands, in 1986 and 1999 respectively, presented concerts at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. While teaching at J.J. Pearce, Mr. Bennett was honored as recipient of the Ross Perot Award for Teaching Excellence in the Richardson ISD.

In 1987, after nine years at J.J. Pearce High School, Mr. Bennett entered Southern Methodist University where he completed his Master of Music Degree in 1988. In the fall of 1988 he was appointed Director of Bands at East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas. While at East Texas State, Mr. Bennett directed the marching band and wind ensemble and taught the conducting and band director methods courses. He is extremely proud of his ETSU students who are now successful band directors. During his tenure at East Texas State, the wind ensemble was honored with performances at the CBDNA Southwest Regional Convention in Fayetteville, Arkansas and the TMEA Convention in San Antonio.

After six years at East Texas State, Mr. Bennett returned to the high school ranks for the next six years. In 2000, after four wonderful years at Spring High School, he was selected to replace his mentor Eddie Green as the wind ensemble conductor in the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston.

At the University of Houston, Mr. Bennett teaches undergraduate and graduate conducting courses and specific courses for band director training. Under Mr. Bennett's direction, the wind ensemble has performed at TMEA and CBDNA. In February 2004 the ensemble released the fourth CD in the Music of Percy Grainger series commissioned by the International Grainger Society. It received a Grammy List Nomination. Mr. Bennett was awarded the Grainger Medallion for his work on the project. The wind ensemble has also completed work on a CD of Vittorio Giannini's band music for release by the Naxos Company. Mr. Bennett plans to finish the remainder of his career at the Moores School of Music. He is proud to work with such a wonderful and talented faculty and is especially grateful to Dr. David Ashley White, department chairman, for his unwavering commitment to music education. Mr. Bennett and his wife Susie reside in Friendswood. They have been married for 38 years and have two children.