Meet the Directors
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Mrs. Smith has been the Head Orchestra Director for Rockwall High School since 2020. Prior to her appointment at Rockwall High School, Mrs. Smith spent one year as the Assistant Orchestra Director at Rockwall-Heath High School. Before moving to Texas in 2019, Mrs. Smith was the Head Director of Orchestras and AP Music Theory at Overland High School in Colorado. The OHS orchestra program was on the verge of extinction when Mrs. Smith first began her tenure, but during her five years at OHS, the program more than quadrupled in size. The orchestras received consistent superior ratings at festivals, and her students became a fixture of Colorado All State Orchestra. Mrs. Smith is passionate about string music education and feels incredibly fortunate to get to share her love of music with students every single day.
Mrs. Smith holds a Master of Music degree with an emphasis in conducting from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Music Education degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Mrs. Smith's primary instrument is violin, and she has been teaching private lessons since 2007. She is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association (TODA), and she was previously on the board of directors for Colorado's chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). In her spare time, Mrs. Smith enjoys hiking, running, cooking, and being outside. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and dogs. |
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Mr. Hocott is currently the Assistant Orchestra Director at Rockwall High School, as well as, the orchestra teacher at Dobbs and Jones Elementary Schools in Rockwall ISD. Before coming to Rockwall, he served as the Orchestra Director at Martin Middle School in Austin ISD.
This past fall Mr. Hocott graduated with a Masters of Music at the Center for Music and Human Learning from the University of Texas at Austin, and also has worked as a freelance bass player and private lesson instructor in the Austin/Round Rock area. He has previously worked with organizations like the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, Austin Youth Symphony, and the University of Texas String Project, as well as, playing in the bass section of the Victoria Symphony and Round Rock Symphony. Mr. Hocott holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Arts and Philosophy from Vanderbilt University and has performed in various bluegrass and jazz ensembles all around Nashville and South Texas. In his free time, he likes to spend time traveling, hiking, fishing, or staying home with his wife and two cats. |
