Directors

Artistic Director Jim McDaniel

Jim McDaniel has acted as the Conductor/Artistic Director of the Carrollton Wind Symphony since 2006. During this time the band has grown to over 90 members and has performed at the National Association of Community Bands Conference in 2010 and performed twice at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention in 2010 and 2015.

McDaniel graduated from Texas Christian University with both his bachelor's and master`s degrees in Music Education and received Supervision and Principal certification from Texas A&M University. He began his career as a professional trumpet player, playing orchestral literature under the baton of Fritz Berens and Professor James A. Jacobsen (Prof) at TCU, and later performed with Schola Cantorum of Texas, the Brazos Valley Symphony, Oratorio groups in Forth Worth, Texas. He also started the Brazos Valley Symphonic Quintet in Bryan, Texas while he was teaching at Texas A&M University.

His talents were not limited to symphonic literature as he also played for various big band orchestras such as the Miss Forth Worth Pageant, Six Flags Over Texas, and many church orchestras and solo jobs. During hls years of service as a high school band director, his symphonic bands were consistent Sweepstakes winners in UIL as well as numerous competitions in Texas, Florida, Colorado, and Oklahoma. His marching bands were selected three times to the Texas State Marching Contest, and his jazz bands won numerous festivals and performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He is an active clinician and judge for marching, jazz, and symphonic bands, has judged the Honor Bands for Colorado, Oregon, and Texas, and holds membership in Phi Beta Mu, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, Phi Mu Alpha, and Texas Bandmasters Association. McDaniel has held the position of President of UIL Region 5 and 8, served 15 years for Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Mu as the chair for presentations at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, co-chaired the Texas Assessment Proiect and served as President of the Texas Music Administrators Conference.

After many years in the classroom, Mr. McDaniel became the first Supervisor of Music for Bryan ISD in 1993, was Executive Director of Fine Arts for Carrollton Farmers Branch lsD from 1996 -2012, and most recently named Director of Fine Arts for Frisco ISD from 2012 -2014. Under his watch, hundreds of teachers and thousands of students have benefited from his knowledge and vision of the importance of the ARTS in education He has received numerous awards including, The Texas Bandmasters Association Award - `'Lifetime Administrator Achievement Award'', "Texas Administrator of the Year''-presented by the Texas Music Administrators, inducted into the TCU Band Hall of Fame, recipient of the TCU ''Outstanding Alumni" for both jazz and symphonic bands and in 2011 was a guest conductor at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago.

His numerous awards and recognitions are evidence of a lifelong goal to "Make a Difference" for students and teachers. Although now retired from full-time public school service, Jlm is still 'making a difference' by staying connected with teachers and students as Executive Secretary of UIL Region 24, through clinics, mentoring districts bands, supervising student teachers, and as Artistic Director of the Carrollton Wind Symphony.

His most important job, however, is that of husband, father, father-in-law, and Poppy. Jim and his wife Susan, have a daughter Heather who is a special needs teacher, and a son-in-law Ryne, a lawyer ln Plano. Heather and Ryne have two children, Harper and Avery. All reside in Frisco, Texas.