Meet our Utley Middle School Orchestra Directors
Mr. Josh Hadsell
Mr. Hadsell grew up in Northwest Arkansas where he joined the local orchestra program in 6th grade playing viola. Mr. Hadsell has been teaching since 2012 where he started out as an elementary music teacher for Richardson ISD for two years. He then began his string orchestra directing career in 2014 at Rockwall High School and was there 3 years as the Assistant Director. He has been at Utley ever since as the Head Orchestra Director for the program. He received his Bachelors of Music Education degree from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri.
Under his direction, the Utley orchestra program has grown in size and level, received continuous sweepstakes awards at the annual orchestra UIL contest, and has become a place for students to learn and express themselves through music on their instruments. He spends most of his time with his wife Leah of 11 years, two children Farryn (4) and Nash (2), and his hairy yet ever faithful Golden Retriever, Gordon. He enjoys listening to most genres of music, being outside and adventurous, and eating Mexican food. (YUM) |
Mrs. Abby Waymon
Abby Waymon has been teaching orchestra at Utley Middle School in Rockwall for two years. She graduated from Oklahoma City University with her Bachelors in Music Education and her Masters in Double Bass Performance, and during that time she was awarded Outstanding Student in Instrumental Music Education.
Mrs. Waymon’s first experience in education was with El Sistema Oklahoma, where she taught double bass class and conducted an intermediate level full orchestra. She has taught in both Oklahoma and Texas covering grades 5-12, and she performed with the Fort Smith Symphony for two seasons. Mrs. Waymon loves dogs and the Dallas Mavs, and she will never say no to ice cream! |
Meet our Rockwall High School Orchestra Directors
Mrs. Hannah Smith
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 Cody and dog Denali. |
Mr. Hocott
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. |
