Mrs. Kristy Dell is the Associate Director of Bands.
Kristy Dell has been in education for 22 years and is currently the Associate Director of Bands at Gaither High School in Tampa, Florida. Her responsibilities include directing the Symphonic Band and Percussion Ensemble, co-directing the Concert Band and Marching Band, and teaching Leadership Strategies, Music Theory, and First Year Experience Orientation (dual enrollment) classes.
In her time at Gaither, ensembles under her direction have earned Superior ratings at the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) District Music Performance Assessment; the Symphonic Band was selected to perform at the 2022 Music for All Ignite Music Invitational, the 2020 Music for All Concert Band Regional Invitational and the 2019 Grand National Adjudicators Invitational; the Percussion Ensemble was selected to performed at the 2024 Music for All Ignite Music for All Invitational, has been named a State Level Winner in The Foundation for Music Education Mark of Excellence National Percussion Honors Festival in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and was selected to perform at the 2020 Florida Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference. In addition, her students participate in the Hillsborough All-County High School Bands, and the Florida All-State Bands.
Prior to teaching at Gaither, Mrs. Dell was the Director of Bands at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Tampa, Florida where her responsibilities included directing the Beginning Bands, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble. In her tenure at Wilson, the bands earned Superior ratings at the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) District Music Performance Assessment, the Percussion Ensemble was selected to perform at the 2014 Florida Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference, and the Symphonic Band was selected to perform at the 2015 Stetson University Honor Band Invitational. Her students also participated in the Hillsborough County Master Musician Program, the Hillsborough All-County Middle School Band, and the Florida All-State Bands. During the 2011-2012 school year, Mrs. Dell served as a Peer Evaluator with Hillsborough County Public Schools under the Empowering Effective Teachers initiative. Prior to teaching at Wilson, Mrs. Dell was the Director of Bands at Lake Gibson Middle School in Lakeland, Florida and at Broadmoor High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
On the national level, Mrs. Dell served the National Band Association as a High School Representative from 2020-2022 and served as an Elementary/Middle School/Junior High School Representative from 2016-2018. At the state level, she currently serves the Florida Bandmasters Association as a Co-Chairperson of the All-State Bands Committee and a Concert Band and Solo and Ensemble Adjudicator throughout the state of Florida. Formerly, Mrs. Dell served the FBA as a member of the Concert Music Committee from 2009-2016, the District VII Secretary from 2012-2014, Chairperson of the Benevolence Committee from 2010-2014, Middle School All-State Band Coordinator from 2007-2014 and also served on the committee to create the “Best Practices for Middle School Bands in Florida in 2009. At the district level, Mrs. Dell currently serves as the 11/12 Hillsborough All-County Band Coordinator. Formerly, she served on the committee to write curriculum maps for secondary music in Hillsborough County from 20014-2015 and was the Coordinator of the Hillsborough All-County Middle School Band from 2007-2009. Furthermore, she has guest conducted the University of Alabama at Birmingham Middle School Honor Band, the Volusia, Pasco, Lee, Polk and Big-Bend All-County Middle School Bands, and the University of Tampa and Florida State University Summer Bands.
Mrs. Dell holds a Master of Music Education degree from The Hartt School-University of Hartford and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from The Florida State University. She is currently an active member of the National Band Association (NBA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Florida Music Education Association (FMEA), Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) and is an elected member of Phi Beta Mu-Omega Chapter.