Elementary Vice President Candidates

Jackson Hill is an eighth year music educator and is entering his seventh year as Elementary Choir Director at the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts. In this position, he provides daily instruction to each of the school's 250 elementary students. Since assuming this role, his choirs have repeatedly received top rankings at local music festivals, have collaborated with local university and community choirs each year, and have been invited to sing at Southwest ACDA (2020) and National ACDA (2021) conferences. Jackson Hill completed his Bachelors of Music Education from UT Arlington (2014) and his Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from Texas State University (2021). In 2020, he was recognized by TCDA as a Young Director of Distinction. He was recently published in a three part article in the Choral Journal, titled: Inside the Choral Classroom: Advice for the First-Year Teacher.

If Elected: As a division, our teaching experiences could not be more diverse. Some of us work at intermediate schools that have an auditioned choir we get to see every day. Some of us work at schools where we see a class of 40 students for one six weeks and then not again until the following year. If elected, I would try to offer a convention experience that incorporates presenters who work in a variety of instructional settings, offers a hands-on approach to pedagogical sessions, and provides tools that can be readily incorporated for elementary choir directors, even if choir is an auxiliary part of their job.

Phillip Sammons is in his 7th year as a music educator. He currently teaches K - 2 music at the St. John’s School in Houston, TX, where he also conducts the lower school choir. Phillip holds a B.M. from the University of Houston, and a M.M. from Louisiana State University, where he studied clarinet performance. Phillip obtained his Kodaly certification from the Plano ISD Certification program held at SMU in 2018. He is passionate about teachers having quality choral resources, and hopes to be a Kodaly musicianship instructor in a certification program. A proud member of OAKE, he presently serves on the choir committee. Previously, Phillip taught at Horn Elementary in Houston ISD. His choir was one of two elementary honor choirs invited to perform at the 2021 TMEA Convention last February.

If Elected: I hope to bring energy and passion to this position! My experience with choir has shown that incredible connections can be forged between the classroom and your rehearsal. As elementary teachers with limited rehearsal time, it is crucial that we use this time to draw our students in, help them discover elements of music literacy, and ultimately become artistic music-makers! To do this, we need to learn from the best educators who have mastered their techniques and inspire outstanding musicianship from their ensembles! Possible sessions could include: choosing appropriate literature that highlights literacy; creating accompaniments for folk songs and canons using recorders and barred instruments; rehearsal strategies and more. I remember the hesitation I felt as a young teacher beginning to teach choir. If elected, I would aim to design sessions that empower teachers, new and experienced alike, to embrace choral music with positivity, creativity and thoughtfulness.