Wendy Benford is in her eighth year of teaching and is currently the band director for Bartlesville Mid-High School and Assistant Director at Central Middle School in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Tulsa and a Master of Arts degree in Clarinet Performance from the University of Iowa.  During her studies, Ms. Benford was a student of Dr. Shannon Scott, Dr. Maurita Murphy Mead and Dr. Larry Maxey.  While in her graduate studies, she served as bass clarinetist with the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, the Southeast Iowa Symphony and currently serves as clarinetist for the Northeast Oklahoma Woodwind Quintet.  Bands under Ms. Benford’s direction consistently receive Superior and Excellent ratings at State and National level competitions. In the spring of 2009, Ms. Benford was elected President of the Northeast Band Director’s Association.  Ms. Benford’s professional affiliations include Oklahoma Bandmasters Association, Music  Educator’s National Conference, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, Northeast Band Director’s Association, Phi Beta Mu, Sigma Alpha Iota and Pi Kappa Lambda.

Mr. Carr and his wife Rhonda are the string staff for Bartlesville schools.  Mr. Carr is currently responsible for the Mid High Orchestra and the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade orchestras at Madison.  He also helps with the 6^th grade orchestra at Central.  Mr. Carr has been teaching since 1986.  13 years were spent in Kansas where he taught Band, Choir and Orchestra.  He started teaching band in Bartlesville in the fall of 1999 and then replaced retired string teacher Myrna Hershberger and later Mary Snider.  Mr. Carr has two children, Gabriel age 13 and Avery age 10 in the Bartlesville school system.  Mr. Carr and his wife both play in the Bartlesville Symphony.  Mr. Carr is also the Band director at Oklahoma Wesleyan College.

Tamara Walker is the Vocal Music Director at the Mid-High, and assists the High School and Madison Middle School choirs.  She is an Oklahoma native, and a graduate of Sallisaw High School.  Tamara received her Bachelor of Music Education degree, with an emphasis in vocal pedagogy and choral conducting, from Northeastern State University, Tahlequah.  Graduate work in choral conducting was done at Oklahoma State University with Dr. Jerry McCoy. She is currently working towards completion of her master’s degree in Education Administration at Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow. She served as the head choir director for a year and a half at Eufaula High School and Jr. High, and five years at Skiatook High School and Middle School.  This is Tamara’s forteenth  year to be teaching and her eighth  year in the Bartlesville Public School District.  She has two daughters Sydney, and Sophie.

Mrs. Williams  graduated with the first class of Bartlesville High School.  She has taught in Bartlesville at Central Middle School and at a couple of other school districts.  She is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in Art Education.  Mrs. Williams is married to Paul and has a daughter attending UCO.  She takes pride in being a Bruin and is excited to be back in Bartlesville.