Meet The Directors
Kevin Black, Assistant Director 2005 - Present
Kevin Black has been the Assistant Director of Orchestras at Clear Lake High School since 2005.
In his seventeen years of teaching he has also served as Director of Orchestras in Pasadena ISD
and Clear Creek ISD, most notably at Clear Creek High School and Space Center Intermediate.
During his tenure at Space Center Intermediate, his program doubled from 55 students to 120.
The orchestras were recognized as a finalist in the TMEA Middle School String Honor Orchestra
contest, and were consistent UIL Sweepstakes winners. At Clear Creek High School, his program
tripled from 32 students to 91 in the span of three years. During his tenure, they were awarded
UIL achievements for the first time in six years, and the first sweepstakes award in eight years.
Mr. Black earned his B.M.Ed. from SUNY Potsdam (Crane School of Music) in which he studied
cello under Julian Tryczynski and Dr. Angela Myles Beeching. His professors include notable
educational composers Richard Stephan, Elliot Del Borgo and Robert Washburn. During his time
at Crane, he had the unique opportunity to study as the continuo cellist for the studio of Patricia Misslin, where he accompanied future Metropolitan Opera singers Stephanie Blythe and Margaret Lattimore. He also holds a M.M. in Cello Performance from the University of Akron, studying cello with Michael Haber, formerly of the Cleveland Orchestra, and chamber music with Alan Bodman, of the Meadowmount School of Music.
In 2010, Mr. Black was awarded a fellowship with The Fund for Teachers ® and used his grant funds to study chamber music at the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar at Stanford University. While in Palo Alto, he participated in an intense week of coaching and performances with members of the St. Lawrence Quartet, the Gryphon Trio, and notable pianist, Stephen Prutsman. In addition to this festival, his favorite moments in his career include conducting in Carnegie Hall, New York, in 2006 and Symphony Hall, Chicago, in 2010.
Mr. Black attributes his love of the arts and education to his parents, who raised him in a musical home. His father, a tenor with the Syracuse Opera and middle school choir director, and his mother, a visual artist/educator and pianist/organist, captured his interest by enrolling him in cello lessons when he was 8 and percussion lessons when he was 9. He currently lives in Clear Lake with his two children, Sophia and Sean, whom also study music on the violin and cello. He is an active in TMAA, TMEA, and TODA, and is an active clinician as a cellist and a conductor. In addition, he is a freelance cellist and enjoys performing for many churches in the Greater Houston area.
TMEA Honor Orchestra Achievements
2011 Clear Lake High School Full Orchestra - 1st
2010 Clear Lake High School String Orchestra - 2nd
2010 Clear Lake High School Full Orchestra - *2nd
2009 Clear Lake High School String Orchestra - 7th
2009 Clear Lake High School Full Orchestra - *3rd
2008 Clear Lake High School String Orchestra - 7th
2008 Clear Lake High School Full Orchestra - *10th
2007 Clear Lake High School String Orchestra - 2nd
2007 Clear Lake High School Full Orchestra - *3rd
2000 Space Center Intermediate String Orchestra - 6th
*Indicates recording submitted is played by previous school year's full orchestra.
Related Links
RateMyTeachers.com - Kevin Black
