Biography
Kelly Connell is a passionate band director with over 10 years of experience teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She is currently a Band Director at Conroe ISD in The Woodlands, Texas.
Kelly’s career has been enriched by a diverse range of experiences, from teaching in a small inner-city charter school in Massachusetts to directing in one of the largest, most competitive and well-supported music education communities in the United States. All of Kelly’s experiences have informed her directing style. She is a passionate advocate for music education and believes that music can be a powerful force for good in the world!
In her previous roles, Kelly has led students to consistent success at festivals, competitions, evaluations. Every band under her direction have earned superior ratings at UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation. Her students have consistently won
top honors at local, regional, state, and national festivals. Kelly’s students’ success is partly due to her flexible teaching style and instrumental and ensemble pedagogy knowledge. She pushes her students to be their best and creates a supportive and encouraging environment where they can excel and have fun. She has been recognized for teaching and leadership, receiving numerous awards and honors, including the Dr. David Gottlieb Education Microgrant, Aldine ISD Teacher of the Year, and American Band College Outstanding Graduate Student, and was recently interviewed by Voyage Houston and ShoutOut HTX for her work.
In addition to her teaching duties, Kelly is an active clinician, adjudicator, and scholar. Kelly works with other band programs to provide insight on various topics, such as band rehearsal techniques, instrument pedagogy, and student management. She evaluates the performances of bands and musicians at festivals and competitions and uses her experience and knowledge to provide feedback to band directors and students. Kelly has researched and presented work on several music education topics, including band director burnout, flute pedagogy, and music literacy in the beginner and intermediate band curriculum.
Kelly believes the baton should be passed, not guarded! Having worked with several young and novice band directors in Houston, she is passionate about mentoring. She meets regularly to discuss the daily challenges of band directing, empower directors’ creative instincts, and dismantle outdated hierarchies.
She received her bachelor’s in music education with instrumental emphasis and urban education certification from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, as well as her bachelor’s in human rights with a minor in philosophy and honors. She also holds a Master’s in Music Education from the American Band College at Central Washington University in Ashland, Oregon. She is a National Board-certified teacher in Music, Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood, and band.
Kelly’s approach to band directing blends Texas-inspired fundamentals, music literacy, and precision with infusions of playfulness, intentionally selected repertoire, and the utilization of Music to connect students, the world, and beyond.