Directors

Lois Wiggins, Director of Bands at Edythe J. Hayes Middle School since its opening in 2004, has taught instrumental music for 24 years in Kentucky, Tennessee & Indiana. Lois is the Fayette County Public Schools Content Area Leader for Band as well as Exploratory Team Leader and Yearbook Advisor at Edythe J. Hayes Middle School.

Ms. Wiggins received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education degree from Austin Peay State University, Clarksville Tennessee, Masters in Music Education from the University of Georgia, Athens Georgia, and a Rank I in Secondary Education, from Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Ms. Wiggins has served KMEA as Elementary/Middle School Band Chair as well as Festival Manager for the Madisonville District of KMEA. She has also served as 2nd All District Band Chairperson, Festival Commission and Marching Band Board of Control member. Lois is the current Elementary/Middle School Chair Elect for KMEA, she also plays in the solo cornet section of The Lexington Brass Band.

Ms Wiggins has conducted honor bands in Tennessee and Kentucky and has served as an adjudicator at Concert Band, Marching Band and Solo & Ensemble Festivals throughout Tennessee & Kentucky. Wiggins has also served as a clinician at the KMEA In service Conference and the Tapestry Multicultural Conference. Professional affiliations include: Phi Beta Mu Band Masters Fraternity and International Board of Directors, National Band Masters Association, Women Band Directors National Association, Sigma Alpha Iota & Phi Delta Kappa.

Lois Wiggins was recognized as "Outstanding Young Band Director in Kentucky" by Phi Beta Mu in 1992 and was selected "Middle School Teacher of the Year" in the Second District KMEA in 1996 & 1999. Ms. Wiggins was named KMEA Middle School Teacher of the year in 2000. Lois currently resides in Lexington KY with her dog Wynton and enjoys model railroading, gardening, scrap booking and desktop publishing.

Dawn Gentry, Associate Band Director at Edythe J. Hayes Middle School in Lexington, KY, has taught instrumental music for 13 years in Kentucky. Mrs. Gentry received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Kentucky, and her Master in Music in instrumental conduction from Eastern Kentucky University. Past positions include Associate Director - Henry Clay High School Lexington, KY, Associate Director - Anderson County High School Band, and Band Director at numerous elementary and middle schools in Fayette Co.

She currently teaches at Glendover and Athens Chilesburg Elementary schools in addition to Edythe J. Hayes Middle School. Mrs. Gentry is a product of the Fayette County school system, having graduated from Northern Elementary, Beaumont Middle School and Lafayette High School, where she played the Euphonium and Trombone. She is a member of KMEA and MENC. Mrs. Gentry currently resides in Lexington, KY with her husband David, and her three daughters Maggie, Callie.and Remie. She enjoys reading, soccer, and spending time with her husband, and daughters.

Bill Kite~ Associate Director

William C. Kite, Prior to his appointment at Henry Clay High School and Edythe J. Hayes Middle School, Mr. Kite served as associate Band Director at Beaumont Middle school and spent four years at Henry Clay High School and Morton Middle School in Lexington, Kentucky, serving as Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Director of Bands. Mr. Kite directed the Jazz Ensemble, Lab Jazz Band, and Concert Band at Henry Clay High School in addition to assisting in the direction of the Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, and Pep Bands. He also assisted in the direction of the 6^th Grade Advanced Band and the 7th Grade Band at Morton Middle School. In 2002 through 2004, Mr. Kite spent two years at Meade County High School in Brandenburg, Kentucky, where he directed the Jazz Ensemble, taught General Music classes, and aided in the direction of the Concert Band, Marching Band, and Pep Band.

Mr. Kite graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2001 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. He studied trombone at UK and his experience includes performing and recording with a variety of University of Kentucky musical ensembles. Mr. Kite has performed with various professional and community ensembles around the state of Kentucky including the DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra, the Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra, Lexington Jazz Men of Note, Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors, Lexington Brass Band, and the Capital City Community Band. He is also active as an adjudicator serving in local and statewide auditions as well as numerous Solo and Ensemble Festivals. Mr. Kite is a member of the Music Educators National Conference and the Kentucky Music Educators Association, currently serving as the KMEA All-State Jazz Coordinator. A native of Marshfield, Massachusetts, he lives with wife April and son Will and daughter Ella in Lexington, Kentucky.
Webpage: Henry Clay High School Band

John Willmarth is an active performer, composer, author, and educator in the central Kentucky area. A versatile percussionist, Willmarth is experienced in many areas of percussion including concert, marching, and world percussion.
A multi-faceted educator, Willmarth works with musicians that range from beginners to advanced university students. At Jesse Clarke Middle School he tutors young percussionists on a weekly basis. He serves as Director of Percussion and Director of Jazz at Lafayette High School. At the University of Kentucky, he is an adjunct faculty member specializing in drumset studies. In addition, Willmarth maintains a private teaching studio at the Don Wilson Music Company in Lexington. As a marching percussion consultant and clinician, he has worked with high schools across the Midwest as well as for Bands of America, The Yamaha Corporation of America, and the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts.
As a freelance percussionist, Willmarth maintains a busy performance schedule. He holds the drumset chair in the Dimartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra, The Raleigh Dailey Trio, and the University of Kentucky Faculty Jazz Quartet. In addition, he is a regular percussionist for the Paragon Music Theatre Company, a member of the Lexington Brass Band, and has performed with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2005, Willmarth and fellow percussionist Jim Corcoran formed the Tandem Percussion Duo. The group is dedicated to exposing kids to percussion through school and community performances. Willmarth is a former member of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps where, in 1995, he helped to lead the corps to its second DCI title as section leader of the drumline.
An emerging composer, Willmarth received 2nd place honors in the 2006 Percussive Arts Society Composition Contest for his piece for solo timpani, “Bushido: The Way of the Warrior.” An experienced arranger, he has written marching percussion books for high schools across Kentucky as well as The University of Kentucky and the University of Iowa. His percussion compositions and arrangements are published by Innovative Percussion and Drop6 Media, Inc. As an author, Willmarth has contributed articles to Percussive Notes and Bluegrass Music News.
Willmarth earned his bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Kentucky under the tutelage of James Campbell. At the University of Iowa, he completed a master’s degree in percussion performance where he studied with Dan Moore and James Dreier. As a teaching assistant in the jazz area, he assisted John Rapson with classes in Jazz History and Jazz Improvisation. Willmarth is a member of the Percussive Arts Society and the International Association of Jazz Educators and an artist with Innovative Percussion and Evans Drumheads.

Webpage: www.johnwillmarth.com