LHS Choir Director's

Director: Terri Jarvis

Associate Director: Valerie Hornsby

Terri Jarvis

Terri Jarvis is a veteran teacher of 24 years. Before coming to Lewisville High School in the fall of 2004, Mrs. Jarvis taught in Quinlan, Texas serving as Choir Director as well as Assistant Band Director and Color Guard Instructor. She was responsible for founding the Secondary Choir program at Marion ISD. She has also directed the choirs at Mendez Middle School in Austin; taught middle school choirs and elementary music in Seguin; was an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville; taught elementary music in Conroe, and began her teaching career at Midland Christian School in Midland.

Mrs. Jarvis began singing in the elementary choir in Bitburg, Germany. Returning to the United States, she continued in choir and band until high school. Since there was no choir at Livingston High School, where she graduated, she played flute and oboe in band and was the rhythm guitarist in the stage band.

Mrs. Jarvis studied music and education at Sam Houston State, Abilene Christian University, Texas A& I University and received her Bachelors degree in All Level Music Education with an emphasis in choral music from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. She continued her education at Southwestern Oklahoma University studying Show Choir techniques, choreography and music under the direction of John Jacobson and Gregg Gilpin for one summer. Mrs. J received her Master of Music Education from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. While there she was a part of the Opera performance class and was a soloist in the summer performance of “Porgy and Bess”. Mrs. Jarvis was accepted to the University of Arizona in Tucson to work on her PhD in Music Education and Conducting. This past summer Mrs. Jarvis auditioned and became a member of The Living Opera chorus as well as costume mistress. She performed in the operas “Marriage of Figaro” and “Don Pasquale”.

The choirs under Mrs. Jarvis’ direction have won Sweepstakes and first divisions awards from the University Interscholastic League. They have gained national and international acclaim, being awarded the title of “Best in Class” in San Antonio, Texas. In Chicago, Illinois they received another “Best in Class” and were given the nickname “The Little Choir That Could”. Mrs. Jarvis’ choir performed in the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah as well as in Vancouver, Canada. Since coming to Lewisville High School, the choirs have performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in the New Orleans Choral- Fest and were chosen as the Featured Choir in a “Salute to Heroes”. The Lewisville choirs have been invited to sing in Florida at the Mozart Music Festival as well as with the National Orchestra and Choir in Prague. They are supporting the National Anthem Project and will be a part of the culminating exercises in Washing DC in June and will be performing the National Anthem with other students from across America. They will also be performing an individual concert at one of our country’s National Monuments. Just this year the LHS Choirs have been invited to be a part of a musical salute at the Olympics in Beijing China in 2008. They have also received and invitation to travel and perform with Eric Whitacre in Italy.

Mrs. Jarvis currently holds membership in the Texas Music Educators Association and has previously served as the Secretary of Region 4 Vocal Division. She is also a member of the Texas Choral Directors Association, American Choral Directors Association and National Association for Music Education (MENC)

Mrs. Jarvis has been married to Harvey Jarvis for 29 years and is the mother of Becky Jarvis (a nurse in the United States Air Force), Katie Tucker (a corpsman-Surgical technician-in the United States Navy), Son-in-law Patrick Tucker (ex Navy & hopefully soon to be a police officer in Lewisville) and Clara Jarvis. She is also the very proud grandmother of Miss Daisy Jarvis (age 3) and Miss Abigail Tucker (new born). In her spare time Mrs. Jarvis likes to sew and design costumes, gardening, and playing and singing with her grandchildren.

Valerie Hornsby Biography

This is Ms. Hornsby’s first year as the assistant choir director at Lewisville High School. She formerly served on the faculties of Hedrick Middle School in LISD as the Assistant Director of Choral Activities at Iowa Park High School. She’s also taught at both the middle and elementary school levels in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD and in the Wichita Falls ISD.

A graduate of Rider High School in Wichita Falls, she was a 4-year member of the choir program at Rider serving as the Soprano Section Leader her senior year in the infamous ‘A Cappella Choir’ under the leadership of Mr. Donald B. Cowan.

Ms. Hornsby attended Midwestern State University where she studied with Dr. Don Maxwell. While there, she was selected as a soloist with the Midwestern Singers and sang numerous times with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Hornsby received her degree in Choral Music Education from the University of North Texas where she studied with Mr. Henry Gibbons, Mr. Mel Ivy and Mrs. Juanita Peters. While at UNT, she was selected to perform with the select group ‘Canticum Novum’ and was also a soloist with the internationally famous A Cappella Choir. She is currently in her 10th year of teaching.

Ms. Hornsby is the founder and former artistic director of Look Out Broadway and Kids on Stage – both highly successful summer music theatre camps held in Wichita Falls, TX. While performing at the Backdoor Theatre in Wichita Falls in 2000, she decided to pitch the idea to the board members that the community needed a summer music theatre camp for young children. The idea became Look Out Broadway and their first musical was “Annie Jr.”. The following year, Ms. Hornsby took this idea to another theatre down the street – the Historic Wichita Theatre and Opera House where they sponsored Kids On Stage. This camp has performed “The Music Man, Jr.”, “Honk Jr.”, “Seussical” and “The Wizard of Oz”.
Ms. Hornsby’s choirs have consistently received sweepstakes and division one awards from the University Interscholastic League as well as several “Best In Class” recognition throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.
Ms. Hornsby currently holds membership in the Texas Music Educators Association and has previously served as the Secretary of Region 24 Middle School Vocal Division. She is also a member of the Texas Choral Directors Association, American Choral Directors Association and the Texas Music Adjudicators Association.
She is the proud mother of Julia – 21 (student at UNT), Zachary – 17 (senior at Creekview High School), and Clayton – 13 (student at Hedrick Middle School). When not busy with the fabulous LHS choir department, Ms. Hornsby loves quilting, reading, reality TV and attending as many marching band contests as she can squeeze into football season.