Band Directors and Staff

Ms. Lee

Cheryl Lee is thrilled and honored to be a part of the Anderson High School Band Staff. Prior to her appointment in June 2020, she served seven years as the Director of Bands at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas where her teaching responsibilities included the Marching Band, Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble I, and Honors Music Theory.

Under her leadership, the program more than doubled in size and experienced substantial changes in terms of structure and focus. The Blue Valley West Marching Band competed at the regional and national level and won their State Marching Championship two of the last three years. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble performed at the state KMEA conference in 2015 and 2018 and the Music for All National Concert Band Festival in 2016. Jazz Ensemble 1 was consistently named “Outstanding Ensemble” at the University of Kansas Jazz Festival and performed at the 2020 Jazz Education Network conference in New Orleans. West also served the Kansas City area by hosting festivals annually, including a Percussion Festival and Concert Band Festival.

Ms. Lee is a native Oklahoman and spent five years teaching for Broken Arrow Public Schools as the head director of Haskell Middle School (now Oneta Ridge). While at Haskell, she worked with the Pride of Broken Arrow marching band which won its first Grand National Championship in 2006. In 2009, Ms. Lee moved to Kansas to serve as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Kansas while earning a Master of Music degree in Conducting with Dr. Scott Weiss and Dr. Paul Popiel. While at KU, she conducted the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, University Band, “Helianthus” New Music Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and athletic bands including the Marching Jayhawks. Ms. Lee was invited to join the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society as well as the Phi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society for maintaining a perfect grade point average and completing oral exams with an honors designation.

Ms. Lee’s Bachelor of Music Education degree is from Oklahoma State University. She was drum major for the Cowboy Marching Band in 2002 and 2003 and was voted “Member of the Year” by the members and staff for the 2003 season. Ms. Lee performed on baritone with the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps for the 2003 and 2004 seasons and was a visual instructor for Crossmen from 2007-2009 and for the Boston Crusaders in 2013. For New Year’s Day 2021, she was selected to serve on the Music for All Tournament of Roses Parade All-National Honor Band staff. Her professional affiliations include KMEA, NAfME, and PASIC, and she is a National Board Certified Teacher.

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Mr. Nedley

A homegrown Texan, Mr. Nedley grew up in Grapevine and attended the University of North Texas, where he received his degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Percussion.

During his time at UNT, he also had the privilege to teach and arrange music for the Green Brigade Drumline for 3 years. Mr. Nedley has a strong background in marching percussion and marched with both the Carolina Crown (2002) and Phantom Regiment (2003-2006) Drum and Bugle Corps.

After touring with drum corps across the country, Mr. Nedley played with the Dallas Cowboys Rhythm and Blue Drumline for two years and the Dallas Mavericks Drumline for five years.

Mr. Nedley is in his ninth year of teaching at Anderson High School and is currently conducting the Symphonic Band. He oversees all percussion-related activities at Anderson and its feeder, Murchison Middle School, as well as assists with the Marching Band and other concert ensembles.

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Mr. Cleveland

Originally from Arlington, Texas, Jeff Cleveland left the state to attend Illinois State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree with a minor in Italian Studies.

Mr. Cleveland is a proud alumnus of the Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps. He played trumpet for the 2007 and 2008 seasons before aging out as drum major in 2009. He also marched with the corps in the 2014 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

Upon completing his degree at Illinois State, Mr. Cleveland spent three years as the Assistant Band Director for Ingleside ISD in Ingleside, Texas. There he oversaw the junior high band program and assisted with the high school band.

He then completed a Master of Music and Human Learning degree at The University of Texas at Austin. While at UT, Mr. Cleveland served as a teaching assistant for the Longhorn Band and Longhorn Pep Band.

The 2022-23 school year is his ninth year of teaching and sixth with the Anderson Trojan Band. With teaching and performing experience across the country and in Italy, we are delighted to have him on the band staff. His professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

When he is not in the band hall, Mr. Cleveland enjoys trying as many restaurants as possible around town and keeping tabs on his favorite soccer team. He is excited about another great year at Anderson High School!

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Clayton Stroup

Front ensemble/percussion staff. Bio coming soon!

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Chad Wood

Chad Wood is a Colorado native who is an avid participant and spectator of the marching arts. 

With strong ties to the Rocky Mountains, Chad began his marching career in Denver, CO with the Blue Knights (2015-2017) where he spent three summers, and was a color guard captain in 2017. Chad has also had the honor of traveling internationally to the island nation of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf to perform with the Blue Knights in the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Chad then went on to march Bluecoats (2018) and Santa Clara Vanguard, where he aged out in 2019. Chad simultaneously spent his time with WGI finalists such as Malachi (2016, 2017), CGT Dallas (2018 WGI Fan Favorite), and Invictus World (2019-present). Chad has had the pleasure of working with several independent and high school programs throughout Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas for the past eight years.

Currently, Chad is in his second year working with the Anderson High School Color Guard and is a choreographer at Invictus World.

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Kenzie Hewitt

Kenzie Hewitt is a native Texan who is passionate about teaching and participating in the performing arts. Kenzie started her marching career in San Antonio at Claudia Taylor Johnson High School. Some honorable mentions from her years at CTJ include competing and becoming a BOA Grand Nationals finalist (2011), performing in the Rose Bowl parade (2013), and winning BOA San Antonio (2014). She was also a WGI Open Class finalist in 2012 and won the silver medal in WGI Open Class in 2013. She then went on to compete in World Class with CTJ for her junior and senior years.

After graduating high school, she continued her career marching with Blue Knights, a world-class drum and bugle corps based out of Denver, CO, where she spent 3 of her summers. Kenzie simultaneously spent her time with Invictus World Guard where she was a part of the inaugural cast, and where she continues to march and teach today. Kenzie then went on to march with Bluecoats drum and bugle corps, where she aged out in 2018.

Kenzie has had the pleasure of working with several other guards around Texas, including some in the Bryan, College Station, Edinburg, and Austin areas. She has also had the privilege to work with a drum corps based out of Anoka, MN. This is Kenzie’s second year at Anderson, and she is happy to have found a home with the Trojan Band and Guard. Kenzie cannot wait to see the program continue to grow!

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