INSTRUMENTAL INSTRUCTORS
MR. TYLER SIMMS
MR. TYLER SIMMS
MR. TYLER SIMMS
Mr. Tyler Simms is a native of Madisonville, Ky, and is the Lead Band Director at HCHS. He also teaches guitar and piano. He is currently finishing a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he previously instructed undergraduate and graduate students in Applied Trombone and Trombone
Mr. Tyler Simms is a native of Madisonville, Ky, and is the Lead Band Director at HCHS. He also teaches guitar and piano. He is currently finishing a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he previously instructed undergraduate and graduate students in Applied Trombone and Trombone Choir. Simms obtained a Master’s Degree in Trombone Performance and Literature from the renowned Eastman School of Music in 2017 and was the first Master’s candidate to earn the Eastman Certificate in College Music Teaching since the Certificate’s inception. He earned a Bachelor’s in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Kentucky in 2015.
Simms has made guest and regular appearances with prolific ensembles including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (OH), Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (OH), The Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra (KY), the Boston Pops Symphony Orchestra (MA), and as a featured guest artist with the Eastman Wind Ensemble (NY).
In 2016 Simms co-founded Flower City Brass, an eclectic outlet for brass chamber music offering creative performances of highly diverse repertoire ranging from J.S. Bach to Berio. Most recently, Flower City Brass was invited as the sole American brass ensemble to compete at the Philip Jones International Brass Competition in Manchester, England. Previously, the quintet was invited to the third annual Stockholm Chamber Brass Academy in Leksand, Sweden, where they spent a week working and performing alongside the Stockholm Chamber Brass, one of the world’s leading brass ensembles. In February of 2018, Flower City Brass was featured with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, performing Jeff Tyzik’s New York Cityscape.
Simms co-released an album of art song transcriptions in 2015 entitled Songs Without Words, available on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon.
MR. JOHN WOODS
MR. TYLER SIMMS
MR. TYLER SIMMS
John Woods is a native of Madisonville, KY. He has a beautiful wife (Autumn) and 3 amazing children (Ainsley, Tripp, and Winter). Mr. Woods just finished his first year in Henderson County and is excited to make the move over to "County" to continue building the Henderson County Band Program.
Mr. Woods was previously the Director of Bands
John Woods is a native of Madisonville, KY. He has a beautiful wife (Autumn) and 3 amazing children (Ainsley, Tripp, and Winter). Mr. Woods just finished his first year in Henderson County and is excited to make the move over to "County" to continue building the Henderson County Band Program.
Mr. Woods was previously the Director of Bands for the Edmonson County School District (grades 6-12). Under his direction, the Wildcat Marching Band was selected as a KMEA State Semifinalist in 2018 and 2019. These were their first selections since 2010. He was able to create a recruiting program that helped numbers in the beginning band grow from 5 members (2016) to 25 members (2019).
Mr. Woods obtained his Bachelors of Arts in Music from Western Kentucky University (2015), and his Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of the Cumberlands (2020). While attending WKU, he participated in numerous ensembles including the Big Red Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Band. Mr. Woods also served on the Marching Band Leadership team for 3 years.