Meet the Directors

Justin Threadgill

Justin Threadgill serves as The Director of Bands at Tyler Legacy High School in Tyler, Texas. In this role, he serves as conductor of the Wind Ensemble, leads the Marching Band, leads Jazz 1, and assists with all band ensembles on campus. He also assists with teaching in the Tyler ISD Middle School Band Programs. 
Mr. Threadgill graduated from The University of South Florida in Tampa, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. During his time at USF, he performed in the Herd of Thunder Marching Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble, as well as National Trumpet Competition Qualifying Trumpet Ensembles, Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Band, and Core 4 Band. He studied trumpet under Dr. Jay Coble and conducting under Dr. Matthew McCutchen and Dr. Marc Sosnowchik. He performed locally with The Tampa Bay Brass Band as well as other smaller ensembles. Mr. Threadgill marched with two World Class Drum Corps, first as Lead Trumpet and Soloist with The Madison Scouts Drum & Bugle Corps in 2019, then as a member of The Cavaliers during the Covid season of 2020 and as Lead Trumpet & Barbershop Quartet member in 2021. Mr. Threadgill also taught at several high schools in the Tampa Bay Area working with Marching Bands, Concert Ensembles, and Jazz Bands.
Aside from his busy schedule as a musician and educator, Mr. Threadgill enjoys spending time with his wife and puppy exploring new areas and the outdoors. He is an avid golf fan and loves to play as well. He also enjoys fishing, boating, coffee, celsius, and grilling! His professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. 

Alonso Hernandez

Mr. Hernandez is a graduate from Sam Houston State University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. During his time at Sam Houston, he performed in the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Clarinet Choir, and the Bearkat Marching Band. He studied clarinet under the direction of Dr. Patricia Card and conducting under Dr. Jacob Sustaita. While completing his degree, Mr. Hernandez worked with several schools in the Houston/College Station area, teaching private lessons and providing clarinet masterclasses. He specialized as a woodwind technician for the marching season and worked with different concert ensembles. Before transferring to Sam Houston State University, Mr. Hernandez attended Blinn Community College where he studied clarinet under the direction of Jill Stewart and served as Drum Major for two years. Mr. Hernandez recently completed student teaching at Travis B. Bryan High School and Sam Rayburn Intermediate School, where he rehearsed and conducted both performing ensembles and had the privilege to teach beginner clarinet/euphonium/tuba students.
Mr. Hernandez has performed locally with the Sugarland Winds as well as other smaller ensembles in the Houston area. He has also performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention with the SHSU Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Matthew McInturf. From 2016-2018, Mr. Hernandez was a member of the Texas Community College Band Directors All-State Band, serving as principal bass clarinet.
Besides performing and teaching, Mr. Hernandez likes to live an active lifestyle to keep up with the life of having an energetic husky at home. He is a huge soccer fan, movie enthusiast, gamer, and enjoys trying new things. His professional affiliates include Texas Music Educators Associations, Texas Bandmasters Association, International Clarinet Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity.

Kaylen Rhodes

Originally from Springtown, Texas, Ms. Rhodes is a graduate of Springtown High School and began her collegiate studies at Tyler Junior College before earning her Bachelor of Music Education degree from The University of Texas at Tyler. 

Ms. Rhodes brings three years of teaching experience from Troup ISD, where she served as Director of the 7th Grade Band and taught beginning band classes while assisting with the 8th grade and high school band program. During her time at Troup, she contributed to ensembles earning consistent UIL Sweepstakes ratings, including the 8th grade band and high school marching and concert band.

Ms. Rhodes also brings Drum Corps International experience, having marched trumpet with the Sacramento Mandarins in 2018 during the organization’s historic first finalist season.

Outside of teaching, Ms. Rhodes enjoys running, yoga, rock climbing, traveling, and spending time with friends. She is also an avid fan of fantasy literature, especially The Lord of the Rings.

Darriel Montgomery

Darriel Montgomery serves as an Associate Band Director and the Percussion Director of Tyler Legacy High School, in Tyler, TX. Prior to his appointment at Tyler Legacy High School, Mr. Montgomery was the Assistant Band Director and Percussion Director of Westwood ISD in Palestine, TX. During his tenure there, Mr. Montgomery was instrumental in the growth of the percussion section, bringing Westwood High School its first-ever competitive (and award-winning) marching percussion section in 2016. Darriel has also taught on the percussion staff of numerous public schools throughout the State of Texas, such as James Martin High School (Arlington, TX), Azle High School (Azle, TX), and many, many others. He is also an active clinician, having served as the 2015 Percussion Clinician for the TMEA / ATSSB All-Region Clinic, hosted by the University of Texas at Tyler.
Darriel is a Cum Laude graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a Bachelor of Music degree, and has studied percussion under Michael Varner, Jim Yakas, Mike Drake, and Mark Maynor. During his tenure at UT Arlington, Mr. Montgomery was a highly-active performer in the music program. He served as a member (and often, section leader) of the Maverick Marching Band, the Wind Symphony, the Symphony Orchestra, the Percussion Ensemble, the Jazz Orchestra (as a bassist), and the Dan Burkholder Jazz Combo (also as a bassist). Darriel received his Associate of Arts degree from Trinity Valley Community College (Athens, TX), and is also an alumnus of Tyler Junior College (Tyler, TX).
From 2006 to 2008, Darriel was a member of the Texas Community College Band Directors Association All-State Band, serving as principal percussionist in 2006 (his first year as a percussionist). In 2009, Darriel was a member of the Tyler Junior College Indoor Drumline, under the direction of Tom McGowan. Darriel was also a member of TJC Indoor in 2010, which was their inaugural year in the Winter Guard International’s acclaimed Percussion Independent World Class. During this time, TJC Indoor served as the ambassadors to Dynasty USA in 2010, and traveled to Belgium to perform their show and offer clinics and masterclasses for the budding indoor drumline programs overseas. Darriel is a former snare drummer for the Dallas Mavericks Drumline, and performed with them from 2013 to 2015.
Mr. Montgomery is a member of many professional organizations, including the Texas Music Educators Association, the Percussive Arts Society, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Kerstin King-Threadgill

Kerstin King-Threadgill serves as the Color Guard Director at Tyler Legacy High School in Tyler, Texas. In this role, she assists with the visual component of the marching band and leads the program into the winterguard season. She is also an Algebra II/Pre-AP Geometry teacher at Tyler Legacy High School.
Mrs. King-Threadgill graduated from The University of South Florida in Tampa, earning a B.S in Secondary Math Education. While being a student at USF, Mrs. King-Threadgill performed and served as Color Guard Captain in the Herd of Thunder Marching Band. She has also competed in WGI in Independent Open & Independent World class from 2018-2020 with the University of South Florida Winter Guard. Since her retirement as a performer, Mrs. King-Threadgill has served as a color guard technician at multiple high schools in the Tampa area and remains involved in her Alma Mater.
Besides being an educator and her love for color guard, Mrs. King-Threadgill enjoys exploring local coffee shops, trying new cooking recipes, learning new things, reading books, and spending time with her husband.
Mrs. King-Threadgill is beyond excited to see growth and success in her students… both as performers and humans.