COA Brass & Percussion Faculty

David Amlung is the Chair of the Department of Music and Associate Professor of Music – High Brass at McMurry University. He also serves as Asst. Director of Bands and Adjunct Instructor of Trumpet at Abilene Christian University. Amlung previously held faculty positions at Middle Tennessee State University and Indiana State University and was an Associate Instructor of Trumpet at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music for two years. He is a dedicated teacher and has maintained extensive private studios in the Oklahoma City (OK), Cincinnati (OH), Bloomington (IN), and Nashville (TN) areas.

Amlung regularly performs with orchestras throughout the U.S. and has performed with the Oklahoma City and Columbus (IN) Philharmonic Orchestras, the Huntsville (AL), Richmond (IN), Danville (IL), Jackson (TN), Columbus (IN), Hamilton-Fairfield (OH) Symphony Orchestras, as well as the IU Festival Orchestra and Bloomington Camerata Orchestra. He has played under the baton of esteemed conductors David Robertson, Giancarlo Guerrero, Mario Venzago, Joel Levine, Otto-Werner Mueller, Gregory Vajda, David Hayes, Joseph Colaneri, Paul Nadler, and David Effron.

An active chamber musician and recitalist, Amlung has appeared in solo and chamber situations throughout the U.S. Performance venues have included Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall (New York City), Symphony Space (New York City), Civic Center Music Hall (Oklahoma City), Von Braun Center (Huntsville, AL) and also the Capital University Conservatory of Music, Texas Christian University, the University of Denver, Georgia State University, Austin Peay State University, the University of Memphis, Bard College, Murray State University, Belmont University, Wichita State University, Middle Tennessee State University, Indiana State University, Indiana University, Mannes College the New School for Music, and the University of Oklahoma.

He has competed numerous times in the National Trumpet Competition in both the Solo and Ensemble divisions. He was an Honorable Mention Finalist in the Undergraduate Division of the 2003 competition and was a member of the 2nd and 3rd place award winning University of Oklahoma Trumpet Ensemble at the 2003 and 2004 competitions, respectively. He was also a Semi-Finalist in the Solo Divisions in 2002, 2004, and 2007.

Amlung received his Doctor of Music degree in Brass Pedagogy from the Jacob's School of Music at Indiana University. He received his Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from Mannes College the New School for Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the School of Music at the University of Oklahoma. His primary teachers have included John Rommel, Vincent Penzarella, Karl Sievers, and William Adam. 

Jay Lester currently serves as Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Music Education as well as Director of Bands at Hardin Simmons University.  

His experiences as a trumpet player span over four decades and are quite varied. He has performed in over 35 music theater and opera pit orchestras, at over 100 rodeos, countless weddings, in chamber ensembles, in jazz bands and with professional wind ensembles and symphony orchestras.  Since the early 1990s he has performed with the Abilene Philharmonic, the West Texas Symphony, the Allen Symphony, the Corpus Christi Wind Symphony, the San Angelo Symphony, the West Texas Jazz Orchestra, and the Big Spring Symphony.  

Along with other professional trumpet players, Jay has performed in recital at the Texas Music Education Association and International Trumpet Guild conventions on multiple occasions with the Lone Star State Trumpet Guild.  Jay holds the BM and MM degrees from Hardin Simmons University and the M Ed from the University of North Texas.  His primary teachers include John Daniel, Scott Mather, and Dave Scott.  

Patrick Thomas was born into a musical family. His parents, David and Phyllis Thomas, met while singing in the Dallas Opera. Patrick’s grandmother, Virginia Thomas, attended the Westminster Choir College where she had the opportunity to join the choruses of the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York Philharmonic for performances of Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with the likes of Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini.

Patrick began his music education at a young age. Early activities included church bell choir, piano lessons with mom, and ear training with dad. In 6th grade, Patrick started playing the horn. His excellent middle school band directors, Katie Zier, Mark Biggs and Kristi Celone, were paramount to his early success.

Throughout middle school and high school, Patrick was extremely fortunate to have Karen Houghton as his primary horn teacher. Besides his parents, Mrs. Houghton is the single most influential person in Patrick’s musical career. She illuminated the wonderful world of horn playing in so many ways - teaching transposition, orchestral and solo repertoire, attending International Horn Symposiums, and always pushing for excellence – to name a few.

After high school, Patrick continued his education at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Additionally, he attended the Aspen Music Festival, Monteux School and Music Festival, American Horn Quartet Seminar, and Summer Brass Institute. His most influential horn instructors during this time include Mark Houghton, Eli Epstein, Julie Landsman, David Wakefield, and Phil Munds.

An active performer, Patrick joined the Abilene Philharmonic as 2nd horn in 2008. Since then, he has enjoyed learning alongside Jeffrey Powers, Principal horn of the Abilene Philharmonic. Patrick is also a regular performer with the Waco Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, and West Texas Symphony in Midland-Odessa.

Patrick joined the faculty at Abilene Christian and Angelo State Universities as Adjunct Professor of Horn in 2023. In addition to the horn, he enjoys playing piano, composing, audio engineering and soccer. Finally, Patrick would like to thank and acknowledge Jake Martin, Dr. John Irish, Dr. Allen Teel and Dr. Trent Shuey for all their faith and support.

Robert Lee Tucker has a Bachelor of Music from Hardin-Simmons University, a Master of Music from University of Cincinnati, a Doctor of Philosophy from Texas Tech University, and a Master of Business Administration from Howard Payne University. An original member of the Texas Baptist All-State Choir, many years later he had the fortune of directing the band for that organization. Prior to accepting the position of Director of Bands at Howard Payne University, Tucker taught horn and music education at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He then taught public schools in the award-winning Stanton Band program in Stanton, Texas. While at Hardin-Simmons as a student he played in the band, Cowboy Band, sang in the choir, performed with the Abilene Philharmonic and the college orchestra.

At Howard Payne University, after serving as Director of Bands, he became the Dean of Fine Arts where he completed 18 years before accepting the position as Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Hardin-Simmons University. His wide range of interests and experience has resulted in published articles, speaking engagements, published compositions, commissions, and opportunities for overseas travel and teaching. His recent book “Like a Crown: Adventures in Autism” is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble and discusses the joys and challenges of raising an autistic child. With over 200 compositions and arrangements to his name, he continues to compose, play jazz and rock piano, conduct, lead music theatre productions, play French Horn, and have speaking engagements on a wide variety of topics including autism, book collecting, church music, and history. He has performed with the Richmond Symphony, Cincinnati Chamber Symphony, El Paso Symphony, Midland-Odessa Symphony, San Angelo Symphony, Lake Charles Symphony, Rapides Symphony, and the Abilene Philharmonic. As a conductor, he has directed 15 Messiah performances, 10 musicals, and performed over 100 clinics in area schools and served as President of the Texas Association of Music Schools. He completed an MBA in 2013 and is now pursuing the Doctor of Business Administration from Grand Canyon University.

Dr. Jeff Cottrell is an active performer, teacher and award-winning composer.  He currently teaches at Hardin Simmons, McMurry and Abilene Christian Universities. 

Dr. Cottrell performs on tuba with the Key City Brass Quintet and trombone with the “oldies” rock band Johnny D and the Doo-Wops. He also plays trombone for the local dance band Fanfare, lead trombone for the West Texas Jazz Orchestra, and trombone and euphonium with the San Angelo based combo Jazz Concho. 

Jeff's first love is composing and arranging. He has numerous published works that have been performed around the world in various venues. His compositions include works for choir, orchestra, concert band, jazz band, brass quintet, trombone ensemble, and tuba-euphonium ensemble. In 2006 he was honored with The International Tuba-Euphonium Association’s Harvey Phillips Award for Composition Excellence for euphonium featured in jazz/rock/fusion, and in 2013 his tuba-euphonium composition Tuba Loca was recorded for the CD release of Spainphonic by the internationally known Spanish euphonium artist Juan Jose Munera.  Recently he was honored as the Texas Music Teachers Association Commissioned Composer for 2015.

Dr. Allen Teel joined the Abilene Christian University music faculty in 1985 and currently serves as professor of percussion and world music. He is an active performer, serving as principal timpanist with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra and playing in numerous venues as a percussionist in orchestral, chamber music, musical theater, jazz, and world music settings. Teel performed as co-soloist with Robert Van Sice on the world premiere of Martin Bresnick's Grace: Concerto for Two Marimbas and Orchestra with the Abilene Philharmonic, and was a featured soloist with the Taegu (South Korea) Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed and presented clinics at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), the Texas Music Educators Association Convention (TMEA), and the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention. Additionally, Dr. Teel has presented papers, lecture performances, and panel discussions at PASIC, the College Music Society southwest regional conference, and the Texas Tech University Symposium on World Music. 

 As a member of the ACU music faculty, Teel teaches applied percussion lessons for majors and non-majors, directs the ACU Percussion Ensemble and Steeldrum Band, teaches percussion methods courses, and works with percussionists in the marching band, wind ensemble, and concert band. Under his direction, the ACU Percussion Ensemble and Steelband has performed at the annual TMEA convention and PASIC. The ACU Steelband’s performance at TMEA in February, 2020 featured the world premiere of C.J. Menge’s On the Horizon, which was commissioned by the group. 

Dr. Teel also teaches courses in world music and serves as the director of the instrumental division. He is a graduate of West Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, and the University of Georgia. In 2020, he received the Career Achievement Award for the ACU College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Juan (Johnny) Mendoza is currently Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. As a member of Sympatico Percussion Group, Johnny regularly tours the United States, including performances at the University of South Carolina’s Southern Exposure New Music Series, the Logan Chamber Music Series in Utah, and PASIC 2021. A champion of contemporary percussion and chamber music repertoire, Johnny has worked with such composers as John Fitz Rogers, David Lang, Russell Hartenberger, and Mark Duggan. Some of his recent concert engagements include performing with MAD, his trumpet and percussion duo with Dr. David Amlung, for the McMurry New Music Project and the Heavenly Rest Chamber Music Series. Johnny has appeared as a soloist with the McMurry University Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in 2018, and has performed on series concerts when needed with the Abilene Philharmonic, Newark-Granville Symphony, Mid-Texas Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, and others.

A highly in demand clinician, Johnny has presented at universities and high schools on a variety of topics, including commissioning new music, implementing musicianship, multi-disciplinary collaborations, effective practice techniques, and community engagement through music. Johnny has presented clinics at the Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, and in 2018 selected the Texas All-State Percussion contest repertoire. He frequently adjudicates Solo/Ensemble contests and marching festivals in Texas, and often works with various high school groups in preparation for their contest seasons. Johnny’s research interests include muscle memory consolidation for percussionists, as well as the music of composer Daniel Levitan, the subject of his DMA document, “Daniel Levitan: An Examination of Select Unpitched Percussion Chamber Works.”

Johnny received his Bachelor of Music Degree in percussion performance from the University of Texas – San Antonio, a Master of Music Degree from Belmont University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from The Ohio State University. His primary teachers include Susan Powell, Joseph Krygier, Christopher Norton, and Sherry Rubins. Prior to his appointment at McMurry University, Johnny served on the faculties of Ohio Wesleyan University and Ohio Christian University, respectively. Additionally, he is also currently on faculty at both Hardin-Simmons University and Howard Payne University. Johnny is a proud endorser of Malletech mallets and instruments.

Dr. Kendall Prinz is Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at McMurry University. Dr. Prinz received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Lutheran University (Music Education, 1996), a Master of Music degree from University of North Texas (Composition, 1999), and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin (Tuba Performance, 2010). His tuba teachers have included Donald C. Little, Everette Gilmore, and Steven Bryant. His compositions teachers have included Sigurd Christiansen, Martin Mailman, Cindy McTee, and Joseph Klein.

At McMurry University Dr. Prinz conducts The McMurry Wind Ensemble and Marching War Hawks, and teaches courses in applied low brass, conducting, and music education. Dr. Prinz is also founder and artistic director of the newly formed Abilene Brass Ensemble, an all-volunteer community brass ensemble open by audition to select high school and college students as well as adult community musicians.

Before arriving at McMurry, Dr. Prinz was Assistant Director of Bands and Tuba-Euphonium Professor at Blinn College. Previous university positions include Assistant Professor of Low Brass and Instrumental Music Education at Northwest Missouri State University and Instructor of Music at Texas Lutheran University.

Dr. Prinz has conducted several university ensembles including the Blinn College Symphonic Band, Brass Ensemble and Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble; the Northwest Missouri State University Symphonic Band and Brass Ensemble, and the Texas Lutheran University Symphony Orchestra, Brass Ensemble, and Tuba Euphonium Ensemble. In addition to his regular conducting duties, Dr. Prinz was an invited participant in the 2022 Conductor’s Collegium at the University of North Texas and frequently served as guest conductor with top ensembles at Blinn College, and at Northwest Missouri State University including a performance at the Nebraska Music Educator’s State Convention.

In addition to his experience in higher education, Dr. Prinz enjoyed a successful career as a band director in Texas Public Schools. As Director of Bands at Taylor Middle School, his students received numerous individual honors in All-Region Band and solo & ensemble competitions. Furthermore, his bands consistently gave outstanding performances, earning awards at several competitions and festivals. Dr. Prinz is frequently asked to clinic high school and middle school bands across the state. He has served as guest conductor for Region Honor Bands including the TMEA Region 8 All-Region Band, and the Kansas City International Middle School Conference Band

In addition to conducting, Dr. Prinz also enjoys opportunities to perform as a tuba player in many settings. He has performed as a tubist in recitals and concerts across the United States. Solo recitals include performances at the Great Plains Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, The South-Central Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, and many college and university campuses. Dr. Prinz’s article entitled, Paul Hindemith’s Use of Rhythm, Meter, and Tonality to create Large- Scale Structural Unity is published in the Hindemith-Jahrbuch (Mainz, Germany), and his version of Vagn Holmboe’s Intermezzo Concertante for tuba and piano is available through Wilhelm Hansen. Other performance credits include the Brazos Valley Symphony, The Houston Camata, Bell-Tower Brass Quintet, St. Joseph Symphony, Mid-Texas Symphony, the University of Texas Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra, the Hill Country Brass, and Alamo Brassworks.

As a composer, his music has also been performed throughout the US and placed high in numerous competitions including the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Competition, Voices of Change Young Composers Competition, and the Association of Texas Small School Bands Composition Competition.

Dr. Prinz finds the most joy when working with younger musicians. Dr. Prinz is continually inspired by our next generation of outstanding music makers. It is truly an honor and privilege to share the gift of music with those around us and there is no greater gift for a music educator than helping students grow musically.