Richardson High School
Sara Long is in her seventeeth year as Director of Orchestras at Richardson High School. Mrs. Long's orchestras have won numerous outstanding awards and honors during her tenure, including UIL Sweepstakes for many consecutive years. Most recently her orchestra was ranked 19th in the State of Texas. As Director of the Parkhill Junior High Orchestra in 2004-05, the Orchestra earned the distinction of being selected a State Honor Orchestra Finalist by the Texas Music Educators Association. In addition to her teaching experience, Mrs. Long has been a cellist with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, Interlochen World Youth Symphony, Texas All-State Orchestra, and Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. She is a former student of Christopher Adkins, principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Laszlo Varga, and Jim Higgins. Mrs. Long earned a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Houston (Summa Cum Laude) and a Master of Music from Northwestern University. She is also a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association. During her hours away from work, Mrs. Long enjoys cooking, riding bikes, genealogical research, and most of all, spending time with her husband and their two boys.
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Raphaelle Siemers is in her first year at Richardson High School as the Associate Director of Orchestras. Previously an orchestra director in Denton, Ms. Siemers, a Belgian violinist, earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Denver. She most recently earned a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance and Music Education from Southern Methodist University. While at SMU, Ms. Siemers studied under the tutelage of Emanuel Borok, former concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Siemers has a passion for working with underserved communities and positively impacting their lives through music. A former private teacher at RHS, Ms. Siemers is excited to work with the students full-time and hopes to continue developing their love of music. When not teaching, she enjoys spending time outside, playing board games, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. Ms. Siemers is an active member of Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Orchestra Directors Association.
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Richardson West Junior High
Angela Sledge is the Richardson West Junior High School Head Orchestra Director. Originally from Abilene, Ms. Sledge earned a Bachelor of Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University as a Summa Cum Laude graduate. In addition to her teaching experience at various summer camps, she has been a violinist and flutist with the Stephen F. Austin Wind Ensemble, Orchestra of the Pines, and Chamber Orchestra. Ms. Sledge is a former violin student of Isador Saslav. In addition to being a violinist, Ms. Sledge is also a flutist and has performed in many symphonies, orchestras, and ensembles. She is a former flute student of Sydney Carlson, Diane Boyd Schultz, and Mary Karen Clardy. She is a member of Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Orchestra Directors Association, and American String Teachers Association.
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Taryn Denton is in her first year as the Associate Orchestra Director at Richardson West Junior High School. Ms. Denton graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music Theory from the University of Texas at Arlington. She was a member of the Symphony Orchestra and a select String Quartet at UTA, and she studied viola with Catherine Forbes. Before coming to Richardson West, Ms. Denton taught for six years in Fort Worth ISD with the B Sharp Youth Music Program, where she taught strings and music theory to students grades kindergarten through twelve. She has also been a staff member of the UTA Summer Strings Camp since 2014. Outside of teaching, she enjoys kickboxing, fiction and poetry writing, making art, and spending time with friends and family. Ms. Denton is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association.
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Westwood Junior High
Jonathan Roozeboom is the Head Orchestra Director at Westwood Junior High School. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of North Texas College of Music. Mr. Roozeboom was a member of the UNT Symphony Orchestra, and studied violin with Philip Lewis. Growing up in Manhattan, Kansas, he was fortunate to study violin with Dr. Cora Cooper and be a part of the Gold Orchestra, a youth orchestra under the direction of Dr. David Littrell. He is a member of Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Orchestra Directors Association, American String Teachers Association, and Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society.
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Sara Cooper is the Associate Orchestra Director at Westwood Junior High. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Music Education, where she studied viola with Dr. Daphne Gerling. After university, Ms. Cooper returned to her hometown of San Antonio where she taught middle school orchestra and performed in small ensembles before returning to DFW. Ms. Cooper enjoys dabbling in sound engineering & production, and actively plays viola and synthesizers in ensembles across Texas. She is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Orchestra Directors Association.
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RICHARDSON AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
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8:00a
ACM Denton/Sledge Northwood Hills Roozeboom/Cooper 9:00a Spring Valley Cooper/Roozeboom 1:05p Bukhair Roozeboom/Cooper |
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9:00a
MST Sledge/Denton 2:15p Dover Sledge HPPM Roozeboom/Siemers Heights Denton Spring Creek Roozeboom/Cooper |