Mark Richard is returning to the high school from which he graduated, this time as the new band director.
Richard made the announcement late last week, adding that he, Kelli Evans German, Art Kilchrist and Mark Rivero have been planning the Marching Band production this summer.
Richard holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (currently UL of Lafayette) and has over 40 years of teaching experience as a private and public school music educator.
Richard began his teaching and performance career at the age of 15, joining the Blue Raeder’s Drum and Bugle Corps out of the greater New Orleans area.
Following his age-out year with the World Finalist Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps in 1979, he worked as a percussion instructor with Imperial Guard and Pride of Cincinnati Drum Corps, and then returned to his home state of Louisiana and instructed several high school state championship drum lines while attending college.
Upon graduation and two PASIC/PAS championships, Richard began his professional teaching career at Belle Place Middle School.
In 1990 he accepted the Director of Bands position at New Iberia Sr. High School, and began his 11-year tenure with the “Pride of Cajunland Band,”
Under Richard’s direction, the band earned national recognition by being chosen to perform in the National Adjudicator’s Invitational in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1997, and was also chosen to by the state of Louisiana to celebrate the Bi-Centennial of the White House in 2000, and performed on the lawn of the White House in Washington D.C.
Re-locating to Houston in 2001, Richard began teaching the award-winning Galena Park High School Band. During his 11 years with the 5A Galena Park “Band of Gold” the band placed first in every national music competition attended including the Ozark Showcase of Music and the Smokey Mountain Music Festival.
Under Richard’s direction, the band program was a consistent UIL exemplary rated program in both marching and concert, advanced to Area F Marching Contest every qualifying year, and earned a UIL State Marching Contest advancement in 2009.
Richard recently retired from the 6A Exemplary “Falcon Brigade Band” at Benjamin O. Davis Sr. High School, in Houston, where he has been the Director of Bands since the schools opening in 2012.
As a graduate of Rayne High School, Richard said he is very excited to be returning home to his alma mater and “continue the hard work and efforts made by Mr. (Arian) Alba, the students, and parents of the Rayne High School Band program.”
