Band Directors

Louise Smith, Gautier Middle School Band Director

Louise Smith is currently in her twenty fourth year as the band director for Gautier Middle School in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District. While at Gautier Middle School, Mrs. Smith’s bands have consistently earned superior ratings in concert and sight reading at concert evaluations. In addition, her bands have been invited to perform at the Louisiana Concert Band Invitational, a Music for All event and the Mississippi Bandmasters Association State Conference. Also, Mrs. Smith’s students frequently earn superior ratings in Solo and Ensemble Festival and placements in band clinics and the Mississippi Lions All State Band.

Prior to her appointment in Gautier, Mrs. Smith graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi where she earned her Bachelor of Music Education in 2002. While at USM, she consistently placed in the Mississippi Music Teachers Association Solo Festival and performed with the Pride of Mississippi, Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Winds, and the Wind Ensemble. Mrs. Smith earned her Master of Education with an emphasis in Administration and Leadership in 2005 from the University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Coast Campus. In 2012, she achieved the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification in Music, Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood. Mrs. Smith is a Teacher Leadership Initiative alumnus and has served as a state coach for the Teacher Leadership Institute, a joint project between the National Education Association, National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards, and the Center for Teaching Quality. In addition, she has worked on several national education initiatives such as National Boards Jump Start Initiative, Teacher Leadership Initiative Redesign, and served on the Standards Setting and Content Validation committee for the National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards. In August, 2020 NEA Today featured Mrs. Smith in the cover article titled “Helping Students and Educators Recover from Covid-19 Trauma” and U.S. News and World Report named her as one of the “Twenty Professionals Who Made a Difference During the Pandemic.” Recently, Mrs. Smith was recognized as the 2023 Mississippi Teacher of the Year and a 2024 Horace Mann Award winner by the NEA Foundation.

In her spare time, Mrs. Smith performs with the Coastal Flute Choir and newly formed Coastal Winds Wind Ensemble. In addition, she is an active member of the Gulf Coast Band Directors Association, Mississippi Bandmasters Association, Mississippi Women’s Band Directors Association, American School Band Directors Association, Phi Beta Mu, Mississippi Association of Educators, Alpha Delta Kappa, Sigma Alpha Iota, and Tau Beta Sigma. Her favorite time spent is traveling with her husband, Brian, and spoiling their puppy, Polly.

Kristopher Chandler, Gautier Director of Bands

Kristopher Chandler, Gautier High School Director of Bands

Kristopher Chandler is in his sixth year as Director of Bands for the Gautier Band Program in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District. Under his direction, Gautier High School Band has earned several distinctions including the 2021 and 2022 MHSAA/MBA 5A State Marching Championship Silver Medal. The Wind Ensemble earned the Overall Grand Champion at the 2022 Southern Star Music Festival and was selected to perform at the 2023 University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Tri-State Honor Band as a featured guest ensemble.

Mr. Chandler holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master of Music Education from VanderCook College of Music. As a Presidential Scholar at Southern Miss, Mr. Chandler studied conducting and music education with Dr. Mohamad Schuman, and published his undergraduate research entitled “Do You Want To Be Successful? Successfully Selecting Performance Repertoire for Concert Festival Evaluation.”. His Graduate research culminated in the publishing of “Am I on the Right Path? A Survey of Appropriate Literature for Middle School Band Evaluation.” In 2018, he was named the A.E. McClain Outstanding Young Band Director of the Year and in 2022, he was selected one of Yamaha’s “40 Under 40” educators.

Mr. Chandler holds professional membership in the Mississippi Band Directors Association, Gulf Coast Band Directors Association (where he currently serves as President), American School Band Directors Association, National Band Association, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Reed Parker, Gautier High School Assistant Band Director and Director of Percussion

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Reed Parker, Assistant Director, Gautier High School

Reed Parker is in his sixth year of teaching; all of which have been with the Gautier Band Program as Assistant Director of Bands and Director of Percussion. In this position, he teaches all percussion classes in grades 6 - 12, conducts the Gautier High School Symphonic Band, and serves as Assistant Marching Director of the award winning Gautier High School Marching Band. In 2021, the Gautier High School Marching Band Percussion earned 1st place Percussion at the MHSAA/MBA 5A State Marching Championship. All ensembles under Mr. Parker's direction have consistently earned all superior ratings in Marching, Concert, and Sight Reading performance.

He is a 2020 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi where he studied with Dr. John Wooten and earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree with an emphasis in Percussion. During his time at USM, he was a member of both snare line and bass line in the Pride of Mississippi Marching Band, participated in the Southern Miss Steel Pan Orchestra, and performed in multiple percussion and concert ensembles. Mr. Parker was an active member of Drum Corps International being selected as a member of the 2016 Louisiana Stars Drum and Bugle Corps as well as the 2018 Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps.

Mr. Parker's professional affiliations include the Mississippi Bandmasters Association and Gulf Coast Band Directors Association. He currently resides in Ocean Springs, Mississippi with his lovely wife, Anna, their son, Aven, and their dog, Maggie.

Jennifer Sills, Singing River Academy Band Director

Jennifer Sills in in her 28th year of teaching band in Mississippi. She is currently in her 2nd year with the Pascagoula-Gautier School District where she serves as Band Director at Singing River Academy and assists with all facets of the Gautier Band Program. She has had the privilege of working in the following school districts: Madison County, Gulfport, Stone County, Clinton, and Jackson Public Schools. Ms. Sills received her Bachelor of Music Education from Delta State University and her Masters and Specialists of Instructional Leadership from William Carey University. She also achieved National Board Certification. Ms. Sills is a member of the Mississippi Band Directors’ Association, American School Band Directors’ Association, East Central Mississippi Band Directors’ Association and Phi Beta Mu. She has served as guest clinician throughout the state of Mississippi and has consistently produced superior bands throughout her career. She has an active private lesson studio and is a National Board mentor for the World Class Teaching Program through the University of Mississippi as well as a member of the State Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council. Ms. Sills is the proud mother of Peyton Sills, assistant band director at Madison Central High School, and Kaitlyn Sills Redwine, an English teacher in Birmingham, AL.