Conductors
& Soloists
Jarred Dodd
Director of Bands
Jarred Dodd is Head Band Director at Rushing Middle School, in Prosper Texas. His responsibilities at Rushing MS include: directing the Symphonic Winds, assisting with Concert Bands I and II as well as the Jazz Band, and teaching beginner oboe, bassoon, trumpet, and horn classes. Mr. Dodd has served as head director of Rushing Middle School since opening the school in 2020. Ensembles under his direction have consistently earned superior ratings in Texas UIL competition and local festivals and have helped to develop a number of TMEA All-State musicians. Most recently, the Rushing MS Symphonic Winds earned recognition as a state semi-finalist in TMEA Honor Band competition and as a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence by the Foundation for Music Education.
Mr. Dodd began his musical career as a trumpet student of Kelley Fletcher in Sulphur Springs, TX and was a two-time member of the Texas All-State Band. He received his B.A. in Music Education from Texas Tech University, studying with Dr. Sarah McKoin and Dr. Keith Dye. While at TTU, Mr. Dodd was a member of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and the athletic bands. He began his teaching career in Frenship ISD working closely with friend and mentor, June Bearden who was the first to instill his love for working with Middle School students. Mr. Dodd has been fortunate to learn from and be inspired by many mentors and master teachers throughout his career: Melodianne Mallow, June Bearden, Gary Williams, Alan Harkey, Terry Maxwell, Larry Doran, and Brian Merrill.
Mr. Dodd is a lifelong learner and recently completed a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in April of 2023 from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has been a presenter at Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Bandmasters Association conventions, and is an active member of both organizations.
Mr. Dodd and wife Alison, a fellow educator, enjoy spending time with their two children, Spencer (4) and Hannah (5mo).
Brandon Holt
Assistant Band Director
Brandon Holt is an Assistant Band Director at Rushing Middle School. His responsibilities include teaching Concert Band I, beginner flute, clarinet, and saxophone, along with assisting with the Symphonic Winds, Concert Band II and Jazz Band.
Previously, he served at Prosper High School (2019-2023), Rogers Middle School (2016-2019), and served in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD at L.D. Bell High School (2006-2016) and Harwood Junior High (2004-2006).
Mr. Holt has received state and national acclaim through the many successes of the band programs he has worked as a director. These acclaims include medaling at numerous Bands of America Regional, Super-Regional, and Grand National Marching Championships, as well as being named the 2007 Bands of America Grand National Champion. Concert and marching bands under the direction of Mr. Holt have been awarded numerous Texas UIL Sweepstakes Awards and have received top honors at participating festivals and competitions.
Originally from Oklahoma, Mr. Holt began his instrumental studies in Midwest City as a saxophonist. Following his high school years, Mr. Holt graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University with a Bachelor of Musical Arts and later completed his graduate work at Baylor University, where he earned a Master of Music degree.
Mr. Holt has been fortunate enough to be mentored and inspired by many people throughout his career, including: Jackie Gilley, Bill Pearson, Belinda Miller, Dr. Michael Jacobson, Dr. Christopher Bade, Jeremy Earnhart, Melodianne Mallow, Jolette Wine, John Benzer, and John Alstrin.
Mr. Holt is a Yamaha Performing Artist. His professional affiliations include the North American Saxophone Alliance, Texas Music Educators Association, and Texas Bandmasters Association.
Mr. Holt resides in Prosper, Texas with his wife, Rachel, a fellow educator, and daughter, Elizabeth.
Kaitlyn Norwood
Assistant Band Director
Ms. Kaitlyn Norwood is an Assistant Director at Rushing Middle School. Ms. Norwood’s responsibilities at Rushing MS include directing the Concert Band II and Jazz Band, assisting with Symphonic Winds and Concert Band I, and teaching beginner trombone, euphonium, and tuba classes. Concert Band II has received superior ratings under her direction.
Prior to her appointment at Rushing Middle School, she student-taught in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD at Colleyville Heritage High School with Gary Barnard, and Colleyville Middle School with Lauren Jones and mentorship from Jolette Wine. During her time at CHHS, she took the concert band to the South Coast Music Festival in Corpus Christi and received unanimous superior ratings.
Ms. Norwood graduated from Georgetown High School in Georgetown, Texas where she was a three year drum major and received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education, Magna Cum Laude, from Texas Christian University. During her four years at TCU, she served as Drum Major of the TCU Horned Frog Marching Band, Trombone section leader, TCU School of Music Ambassador, and Young Band Directors of Texas TCU Representative. She served as a marching technician for two years at Aledo High School with Joey Paul and taught private lessons in Fort Worth ISD throughout college. While at TCU, Ms. Norwood was a member of the Wind Symphony under Mr. Bobby Francis, the Symphonic Band under Mr. Brian Youngblood, the Jazz Ensemble under Mr. Joseph Carter, and the TCU Trombone Choir under Dr. David Begnoche. Her notable performances with the TCU Wind Symphony include the TMEA Clinic and Convention in 2020 and the American Trombone Workshop in 2020 with the TCU Trombone Choir.
Ms. Norwood has served on staff of the TCU Summer Band Camp and SASi The Leadership People for the past few years. Ms. Norwood’s professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Educators, Young Band Directors of Texas, Tau Beta Sigma, Alpha Delta Pi, and Order of Omega.
Outside of the classroom, Ms. Norwood enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, eating queso, and shopping!
Hayden Gish
Director of Percussion
Hayden Gish is a percussion educator and performer based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. After growing up in San Marcos, TX he moved to Fort Worth in 2019 to pursue a Bachelor of Music Education from Texas Christian University under Dr. Brian West. After graduating in 2023 he began his current position in Prosper ISD as the Percussion Director at Rushing Middle School, where he works with percussion students across the district in a variety of performance settings.
During his time in Fort Worth, Gish performed with the internationally recognized TCU Percussion Orchestra, including two performances at PASIC in 2019 and 2022 as a winner of the International Percussion Ensemble Competition. He spent his summers as a tenor drummer with the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2021 and 2022, serving as section leader. Gish
continued his drum corps involvement during the summer of 2023 with the Guardians Drum and Bugle Corps as a tenor technician.
John Alstrin
Guest Conductor
John Alstrin is currently in his fifth year as the Director of Fine Arts for the Prosper Independent School District in Prosper, TX. Prior to opening the Fine Arts office for Prosper ISD, Mr. Alstrin served as the Director of Bands at Prosper HS from 2014 – 2019. During that time, the Prosper band surged from 180 to 380 members in five years and went from last place at their first contest in 2014 to Bands of America Grand Nationals Finalists in 2018. The Prosper Band advanced to the UIL 5A State Marching Contest for the first time in school history in 2017, and then returned to the UIL 6A SMC in 2018. The Prosper Wind Ensemble was named a Commended Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honors competition and was named the Overall Grand Champions of the 2017 and 2018 Dallas Winds Invitational.
Prior to serving in Prosper, TX, Mr. Alstrin served as an Associate Director at LD Bell High School, the University of Houston, and Lake Highlands High School. Mr. Alstrin is active across the United States as a guest conductor, clinician, consultant, and adjudicator. In the summer months, Mr. Alstrin has served as the director for several drum major camps across the state of Texas and has served on the brass staff for the Madison Scouts and Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. His professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, past TMEA Region 24 Band Chair, the Texas Bandmasters Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma (honorary), Texas Fine Arts Administrators, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and Phi Beta Mu (Alpha Chapter). He is also currently serving as the Fine Arts Director Representative for the UIL Marching Band Rules Advisory Committee.
Mr. Alstrin currently resides in Prosper, TX with his wife Christina, son Collin (16), and daughters Addison (12) and Harper (8).
Melodianne Mallow
Guest Conductor
Melodianne Mallow taught in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX area for 29 years. The last 23 were spent in Birdville ISD, Richland HS cluster, where she was band director at Richland Middle School, North Richland Middle School (17 years) and assistant director at Richland High School. She previously taught in the Eagle Mt.-Saginaw ISD and Mesquite ISD. Ms Mallow received a BME from Howard Payne University and a MM from Texas A&M Commerce. Ms. Mallow’s bands earned consistent UIL Sweepstakes, numerous Best in Class festival awards, as well as National Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Honors. Under her leadership, the North Richland Middle School Honors Band was a three-time TMEA CC Honor Band state finalist, being named TMEA Class CC Honor Band in 1998. The Texas Bandmasters Association named North Richland Middle School the Exemplary Middle School Band Program in 2009. Students in the North Richland MS Band achieved much success at district band, region band, ensemble festival and solo festival. They were fortunate to continue band at Richland High School. Melodianne served twice on the UIL Sightreading Selection Committee and was Region V, Middle School Band Division Chairman. She was named Teacher of the Year at North Richland Middle School, National Band Association Citation of Excellence recipient, and a Texas Bandmaster Association Meritorious Award recipient in 2015.She retired at the end of the 2012 school year and is in year 12 as a full-time band consultant/clinician, associated with numerous middle school band programs. Professional affiliations include PBM honorary fraternity, TMAA, TMEA, and TBA. Ms Mallow is grateful for many, many mentors, most notably her father, James Mallow, Eddie Green, Henry Schraub.
Jung Moo Lee
Tuba Soloist
Jung Moo Lee is a tuba player of Center Stage Brass, a music director of Dallas Asian Wind Ensemble, and a tuba instructor of Coppell ISD and Prosper ISD, where he maintains a studio of over 100 tuba students weekly. His students are selected consistently and placed in the region, area, and state and have received superior ratings at solo and ensemble festivals. Also, his students have studied national high rank music schools, such as UNT, UT Austin, Baylor, and TCU. He has presented master classes and summer camps with college and high school students in Seoul, Daegu, Daejeon, Jeju in South Korea, and the DFW metroplex. As a teaching fellow at UNT, he taught private lessons at the undergraduate and graduate level as well as coaching brass quintets and taught an undergraduate conducting class.
Mr. Lee has performed with Daegu Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Civic Wind Ensemble, Dallas Pops, North Texas Wind Symphony, North Texas Symphony Orchestra, and Meadows Wind Ensemble. He was the 3rd place winner of the Pusan MBC Music Competition and finalist of UNT Concerto Competition. He also played as a tuba player with large and small ensembles at international music conferences and festivals, such as PASIC, ITEC, TMEA, WASBE, and Crested Butte Music Festival. Currently, he is a very active performer as a tuba player of the Center Stage Brass. Mr. Lee has been a chair and adjudicator for International Tuba Euphonium Conference Young Artist Division in 2021/2023, TMEA All-Region Audition, and many others.
Mr. Lee has achieved a BM in Tuba Performance from Kei-Myung University in South Korea, a MM in Instrumental Conducting from Southern Methodist University and a MM and a DMA (ABD) in Tuba Performance from the University of North Texas.
Sarah Jebakumar
Tuba Soloist
Sarah Jebakumar is a Freshman at Prosper High School, in Prosper Texas and is an active member in the Prosper Mighty Eagle Band.
Sarah began her musical journey as a tuba student of Rushing Middle School, in Prosper TX. While at RMS, she was under the direction of band directors Mr. Jarred Dodd, Ms. Nicki Neugent, Ms. Hitz, Ms. Kaitlyn Norwood and private lesson teacher Mr. Jung Moo Lee.
Sarah was a member of the All-region Wind Ensemble, Symphonic winds and an athletic band. She has won multiple awards including Outstanding Soloist, Concerto Competition Finalist and First Chair of Freshman Region Band.
Sarah is a Patriot at American Heritage Girls scouts’ troop TX 3170, in Frisco Tx. She served as a leader for the flag ceremony for 2 years. She loves serving at her church in Plano Tx.
Sarah enjoys spending time with her family, laughing with her sister, and eating good dosas!