Richland High School Band
Meet Our Directors
Honors Band
Marching Band
Band Fees
RABB
Private Lesson Coordinator
Mr. Mike Pickrell - Head Band Director
Mike Pickrell joined the Richland High School Band in 2013 and has served as the Director of Bands since 2018. All Concert Bands under his direction earned UIL Superior ratings every year and the Varsity Band was recognized as a 2023 TMEA 5A State Honor Band Finalist. During his tenure the Richland High School Marching Band is a UIL State Finalist, Bands of America Regional and Super Regional Finalist on multiple occasions, and a Bands of America Regional Champion.
Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Pickrell served as the Director of Bands for Williamstown High and Junior High School in Williamstown, KY. During his time both the High School and Junior High School concert bands earned recognition as Exemplary Performing Groups in the KMEA Concert and Sight-Reading Festival, and the marching band was a state finalist every year and a BOA Class A Champion and Regional Finalist. Mr. Pickrell began his career as an assistant band director at Keller High School in 2007. Mr. Pickrell was a performing member of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2004-2005 and a Brass Instructor from 2006-2009.
His professional affiliations include TBA, TMAA, and TMEA. He graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Bachelors in Music Education, Mike currently resides in Keller, TX with his beautiful wife Sharon, loving daughter Auden, and rambunctious son Paul.
Symphonic Band
Marching Band
Jazz Band
Instrument Inventory and Rental
Locker Assignment/Checkout
Mr. Anthony Rivera - Assistant Band Director
Anthony Rivera is currently in his twelfth year of teaching and is serving his sixth year as the assistant band director at Richland High School in North Richland Hills, TX. At Richland High School, Mr. Rivera works with the award-winning Richland Marching Band, conducts the Symphonic Band, directs the Jazz Band, and assists with the Honor and Concert Bands. Before his appointment at RHS, Mr. Rivera was the head director at Richland MS in Birdville ISD, head director at Travis Middle School in Amarillo ISD, and an assistant director in Monahans, TX. Mr. Rivera’s concert bands have consistently been named best in class and runner-up in festivals in the panhandle and DFW areas, earned unanimous superior ratings at UIL Concert Sightreading, and have advanced to the State level of the TMEA Honor Band process. The marching bands Mr. Rivera taught with have been consistent competitors at contests around Texas and have been recognized as a Bands of America Regional Champions and a UIL State Marching Contest Finalist. In addition to his band director duties, Mr. Rivera serves as a clinician to many bands across Texas and has served as a region band clinician. Mr. Rivera was a teacher of the year finalist in 2017 and 2021. Mr. Rivera is a 2011 Cum Laude graduate of West Texas A&M University and received his Master of Arts from WTAMU in 2018. He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and the Texas Music Adjudicators Association. Mr. Rivera resides in Watauga, TX with his wife Katie, and dog Blaze.
Concert Band
Marching Band
AP Music Theory
Woodwind Coordinator Presto/Forms
Mrs. Lizzie Perry - Assistant Band Director
Mrs. Perry is a Texas native and comes to us from teaching at Coppell High School where she taught the CHS9 Symphonic Band this spring and worked with both marching ensembles in the fall of 2023. Before this, she served as an Assistant Band Director at Wakeland High School in Frisco, TX for two years. She directed the Concert Band and assisted with teaching the other concert ensembles and marching band at Wakeland. Mrs. Perry holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Mrs. Perry was a member of the Santa Clara Vanguard (2019-2021), serving as drum major for her final two seasons. She currently serves as a Tour Assistant for Vanguard. She also serves as the Secretary and co-chairperson of the DEI committee for the Vanguard Emerging Leaders and is a founding member of the organization. She holds professional affiliations with the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Tau Beta Sigma.
Mrs. Perry is delighted to join the team at Richland High School and serve the community by continuing to share her passion for music, inclusivity, equity, and contribute to the tradition of excellence.
.jpg)
Percussion
Front Ensemble
Private Lesson Coordinator (Percussion)
Mr. Nathan Hawk - Percussion Director
Nathan Hawk is an educator, arranger, and percussionist who resides in Dallas, Texas. He currently serves as the Percussion Director for Richland High School from North Richland Hills Texas. His duties include: creating a cluster wide percussion curriculum 6-12, overseeing marching percussion, and conducting the percussion ensemble.
Prior to his appointment at Richland, Mr. Hawk was the Percussion Director at Irving High School, a private lesson teacher at Duncanville and Arlington Martin HS, and music arranger at various high schools in Texas and Pennsylvania.
Mr. Hawk has been involved in the indoor drumline and drum corps activity as an instructor, Coordinator, arranger, and performer. He was a member of the Hawthorne Caballeros (2004, 2007), The Glassmen (2008-2010), and Matrix IPE (2009-2011). As an educator Mr. Hawk taught with the Glassmen (2011 snare tech), Caballeros (2012-2013 Battery Coordinator - Front Ensemble coordinator) and arranged for the Penn State University ID (2013-2014).
Mr. Hawk received a Bachelors in Music Education from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania where he studied under Dr. Gifford Howarth.
Mr. Ari Lozano - Assistant Percussion Director
Ari Lozano returns for a second year with the Richland Royal Band, acting as the primary percussion lesson teacher for the cluster, as well as the front ensemble coordinator for the high school. Mr. Lozano also assists in teaching and programing the middle school percussion classes with Mr. Hawk.
Hailing from Houston, Texas, Mr. Lozano has been teaching percussion for two decades, most recently working with programs in the DFW area such as Prosper HS, Lovejoy HS, and Denton HS, where he started Roots Percussion Independent.
When he is not teaching or hanging out with his cat - Paul Thomas Anderson, Mr. Lozano writes and arranges percussion music for marching band, bowls in a local league, enjoys cooking, and is considered to be somewhat of a film connoisseur.
Percussion
Front Ensemble
Private Lessons Instructor
Color Guard
Middle School Feeder Program
Recruitment
Color Guard Administration
Mrs. Lara Rogers - Color Guard Director
Born and raised in London, England, Lara Rogers has an extensive Color Guard background. She began Winter Guard at the age of 2 with a local group Thurrock Academy and spent 15 consecutive years there, resulting in numerous British Championship titles from the Winter Guard United Kingdom circuit. In 2012, she joined Mayflower Performing Arts, and spent 2 years there preparing her for the Winter Guard International World Championships in 2013, in which the group advanced to World Class finals.
She began her drum corps performing career with the Black Knights (2008-2011) and moved to The Company Performance Ensemble in 2012 which led to a European Championship. Mrs. Rogers went on to being a Color Guard performer of the DCI World Champions Carolina Crown for the 2012 and 2013 seasons in which she was crowned DCI World Champion.
Starting a new life in the States shortly after her DCI experience, Mrs. Rogers began teaching, choreographing and conducting clinics for many schools across the US. She has been a director for award winning color guard and band programs and is excited to grow and expand the reach of the RHS Color Guard. Mrs. Rogers is currently working towards a BBA and MBA in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management. Outside of school and teaching, Mrs. Rogers loves to spend time with her husband and DCI Blue Devils alumni, Gabriel, two daughters - Madison and Harriet.