Coppell Middle School West Band
DIRECTORS
Katherine Rivera
Katherine Rivera is the newly appointed Head Band Director at Coppell Middle School West and will be entering her eighth year of teaching. She was formerly an Associate Band Director at Coppell Middle School East for three years. Prior to East, Mrs. Rivera was the Associate Band Director at Smithfield Middle School in Birdville ISD.
Mrs. Rivera will be directing the Honor Winds, Concert Band, assisting with the Symphonic Band, and will teach the 6th grade beginning trumpet, french horn, and trombone classes.
In her previous positions, the band programs placed a record number of students in the All-District, All-Region & All-City Band processes. The Non-Varsity bands under her direction received unanimous superior ratings at UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Evaluation, earning them the coveted Sweepstakes Award every year since her appointment. Her Symphonic Band was named a ‘Class A Winner’ in the 2020 Citation of Excellence project.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education in Texas Tech University #wreck'em
She is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Bandmasters Association. When she is not doing all things band, Mrs. Rivera enjoys spending time her husband (a band director in Birdville ISD!) friends, and their dog 🙂
Lisa North
Lisa North is currently in her thirteenth year of teaching. She was formerly an Associate Band Director at Timberview Middle School in Keller ISD for eight years. Prior to Timberview, Mrs. North was the Music Director at First Baptist Academy for three years. Mrs. North will be directing the Symphonic Band, assisting with the Honor Winds, and teaching the beginning flute, clarinet, saxophone, and euphonium/tuba classes.
Prior to teaching, Mrs. North received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. While at SMU, she studied flute with Deborah Baron, associate principal flute and piccolo of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. She also performed in the Meadows Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Paul Phillips and the Meadows Wind Ensemble under the direction of Jack Delaney.
Mrs. North is originally from Coppell, Texas. She is a graduate of Coppell High School and also Coppell Middle School West. At Coppell High School, she was a member of the Honor Band and served as flute section leader under the direction of Scott Mason. She also studied flute with Kareen Britt, associate flute and piccolo of the Dallas Opera Orchestra. In 2004, she was a member of the Texas Music Educators Association All-State Band.
She currently resides in the DFW area. When she isn’t teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband and german shepherd. She also enjoys baking and traveling.
Randall Nguyen
Mr. Nguyen has served the Coppell ISD Percussion program since 2018 and is in his fourth year as the Percussion Director.
While at Coppell, the Varsity marching band has been to UIL State Marching Band Contests and have been finalists in the Bands of America circuit. The percussion program at Coppell has been consistent medalists in multiple drumline contests in the North Texas area, including: HEB Drumline Contest, North Texas Drumline Contest, Lewisville Drumline Contest, and the Lone Star Classic Drumline contest. In 2019, the Coppell Varsity Drumline was awarded Champions in the Silver 1 division and received the Caldwell Cup for highest score of the night.
Mr. Nguyen currently holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. During his time at Lamar, he performed with many ensembles including Lamar University Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Marching Band, and Percussion Ensemble. While a part of these ensembles, they were fortunate enough to be invited to perform at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention and also at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention. He studied under the direction of Dr. Scott Deppe, Dr. Eric Shannon, Mr. Travis Fife, Dr. Matthew Holm, and Dr. Francisco Perez.
Mr. Nguyen holds professional affiliations with Texas Music Educators Association, Percussive Arts Society, and Kappa Kappa Psi.
