vaerewyckj@friscoisd.org

Jennifer Vaerewyck
Director of Bands

Jennifer Vaerewyck currently serves as the Director of Bands at Hunt Middle School.  Her teaching responsibilities include: directing the Wind Symphony, assisting with the Honors Band and teaching beginning flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, and saxophone classes.

Ms. Vaerewyck was a Cum Laude graduate of the University of North Texas where she received her Bachelor of Music Education degree. She studied flute with Dr. Mary Karen Clardy, played in the Symphonic Band, and was selected as the “Outstanding Undergraduate in Music Education.”  Jennifer was a member of the UNT Green Brigade Marching Band on flute and colorguard and toured the United States and Canada as a colorguard member of the Sky Ryders Drum and Bugle Corp performing in the 1991 DCI Finals in Dallas, Texas.  

Ms. Vaerewyck began her teaching career as Assistant Director of Bands at Grisham M.S. in Round Rock ISD. Her next appointments were Assistant Director of Bands at Briarhill MS in Lewisville ISD, and then as Director of Bands at Coppell North MS in Coppell ISD. Bands under her direction have received UIL sweepstakes awards and “Best in Class” honors at various contests and festivals.  

Ms. Vaerewyck is an active flute clinician, private teacher, and adjudicator with over 29 years of teaching experience.  Prior to returning to band directing, she has most recently been a private flute teacher for Marcus HS, Hebron HS, and Frisco HS.  Her flute students have achieved success at the region, area, and state levels.  She has taught numerous honor band flute sections at McKamy MS, Coppell North MS, Creek Valley MS, Argyle HS and Marcus HS. She has presented for area school district inservice programs, served as a discussion panelist for the Texas Flute Society, and served as a TMEA All-State flute & piccolo judge. Ms. Vaerewyck has been a band clinician for All-District bands in Coppell ISD and has previously been on faculty for the Texas Christian University Summer Music Institute.

Ms. Vaerewyck is a proud alumni of the fine band programs in Lewisville ISD.  She is a graduate of The Colony High School and was selected to the TMEA Texas All-State Band for three consecutive years. At seventeen, Jennifer performed in Carnegie Hall as principal flute with the Manhattan Philharmonic All-American Youth Orchestra. She returned to New York the following year for a solo performance after being named a “Yamaha Young Performing Artist.”  Her professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Flute Society, and The National Flute Association. Ms. Vaerewyck’s daughter and son both attended Frisco ISD schools, and she resides in Frisco with her husband.
[email protected]

Megan Perley
Associate Band Director

Megan Perley has been teaching for 13 years, and has spent the past 9 years as the Assistant Director of Bands at Hunt Middle School in Frisco. Her responsibilities include: directing the Honors Band, assisting the Wind Symphony, and teaching beginning trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba classes.

​Mrs. Perley’s bands have received Sweepstakes at UIL every year under her direction. Prior to her appointment in Frisco, she was both a head and assistant director at Abell Junior High in Midland, Texas. While in Midland she had the opportunity to march in the Rose Bowl Parade with the Lee High School Band.

Before becoming a band director, she studied at West Texas A&M University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with her bachelor's and master's degrees. She studied horn with Mr. Ron Lemon and Dr. Guglielmo Manfredi. She participated in the Sound of West Texas Marching band, Symphonic Band, Symphony Orchestra, Brass Choir, and Horn Choir. She was the graduate assistant for the Symphony Orchestra and was the graduate student in charge of managing the recital halls. She is a native of El Paso Texas where she attended Andress High School and had the opportunity to attend State Marching Contest and was an All-State Musician. 

Her professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Bandmasters Association.

Mrs. Perley lives in Frisco, Texas with her husband, young daughter Ella, and sweet rescue dog Pepper. She enjoys watching ALL sports (Green Bay Packers, Texas Tech, Dallas Stars, NCAA Gymnastics), reading and spending her free time with her family.
[email protected]

Heath Dillard
Director of Percussion

Mr. Dillard has served as percussion director for the Frisco High School cluster since 2007. His teaching responsibilities include:  Frisco High School drum line and percussion ensemble classes, Hunt Middle School beginning percussion and 7th/8th grade percussion for Wind Symphony and HonorsBand. 

​Mr. Dillard also serves as the percussion arranger for the Frisco High School marching band. Under Mr. Dillard’s direction, the Frisco High School percussion program has achieved numerous honors, including winning their division at the Lone Star Classic drum line contest in 2009 and the Lewisville Drumline Competition in 2016 and 2018.  Many of his former students have gone on to study percussion at the college level and perform nationwide.  

Prior to his apppointment in FISD Mr. Dillard taught in Roundrock ISD.  Mr. Dillard is a proud graduate of Northwestern State University of Louisiana. 
patrim@friscoisd.org

Michael Patri
Associate Percussion Director

Michael Patri is a percussionist and percussive techniques enthusiast based out of Dallas. His dedication and passion for the percussive arts has led him to work with numerous programs over the past decade, fulfilling many types of roles and responsibilities.

Under his marching percussion direction at Sunlake High School in Florida, the indoor percussion ensemble earned four consecutive FFCC Scholastic A Gold Medals (2016-2019) and one appearance as WGI Scholastic A Finalists (2018). During this time with Sunlake, he was also a Snare Technician for Stryke World during the 2017 season. 

Recently, Patri served as a Snare Technician in 2020, Battery Coordinator in 2021, and Battery/Ensemble Coordinator in 2022 for INFINITY III. Patri has served as the Battery Coordinator for INFINITY II since 2023 and additionally served as the Ensemble Coordinator in 2025. In conjunction to Patri’s instructional and administrative contributions to INFINITY, Patri also served as the Battery Arranger for INFINITY III in ‘24 and ‘25. Patri served as a Snare Technician for Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps during the 2023 season and currently serves as a Tenor Technician for Music City Drum and Bugle Corps starting in the 2025 season.

Patri graduated with his Bachelor's of Arts in Instrumental Performance from Southeastern University in 2020 and an MA in Music Performance - Percussion from the University of Central Florida in 2023. 

During the day, Mr. Patri serves as the Assistant Percussion Director for Hunt MS and Frisco HS. Patri's teaching style seeks to create an environment that fosters a sense of family, creativity, respect, and passionate commitment to hard work in pursuit of greatness.




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Frisco High School Band Staff

David Simon
​Director of Bands

Mr. Simon joined the Frisco High School Band staff in 2017, after serving eleven years as an assistant director at Marcus High School, in Flower Mound, TX.  At Frisco Mr. Simon directs the Wind Symphony, the Basketball Band, and co-teaches the Symphonic Band and Marching Band.

Matt Courtney
Associate Band Director

Mr. Courtney is native of Lewisville, TX and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. While at OU, he participated in the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Philharmonic Orchestra, Jazz Band and was a member of the OU Trumpet Studio.
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Toby Leikness
Color Guard Instructor

Mr. Leikness is a designer, technician, and clinician. He started his Color Guard career with the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps where he performed from 1993 through 1996, and from 1995 until 1997 he also performed with the Every-Body Winter Guard form Portland, OR.

HUNT MIDDLE SCHOOL BAND
FRISCO ISD

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