Summit Jaguar Band Directors
Chris Kanicki -
Director of Bands
Christopher Kanicki is in his third year as Director of Bands and seventh year overall at Summit High School. Prior to his tenure at Summit, Mr. Kanicki was an Assistant Director at Alice High School and William Adams Middle School in Alice ISD. He received his Bachelor of Music Education at the University of Miami where he studied saxophone with Dale Underwood.
Mr. Kanicki’s concert ensembles have earned consecutive ‘Sweepstakes’ awards, the highest honor possible, for the past 10 years at Texas’ University Interscholastic League Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluations.
In 2017, the Summit Wind Symphony was one of six high school bands from around the world to receive an invitation to perform at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The Summit Wind Symphony has also earned distinction as ‘Best in Class’ at festivals across the state; most recently in 2017 at the Ovation Music Festival in Argyle, Texas, and in 2016 at the South Coast Music Festival in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Summit Wind Symphony was also selected as a ‘Commended Winner’ for the National Wind Band Mark of Excellence Award in 2016.
Marching bands under the direction of Mr. Kanicki have also earned distinction at both local and statewide marching contests. The Alice High School Marching Band competed at the State Marching Contest in 2007 and 2009, while the Summit High School Marching Band has earned ‘Best in Class,’ ‘Best in Contest,’ and numerous caption awards at competitions throughout the North Texas area.
Mr. Kanicki’s professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Texas Music Adjudicators Association. He currently resides in Mansfield, TX where he enjoys scenic drives in his car and traveling with friends and family. Email Mr. Kanicki.
Mr. Kanicki’s concert ensembles have earned consecutive ‘Sweepstakes’ awards, the highest honor possible, for the past 10 years at Texas’ University Interscholastic League Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluations.
In 2017, the Summit Wind Symphony was one of six high school bands from around the world to receive an invitation to perform at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago. The Summit Wind Symphony has also earned distinction as ‘Best in Class’ at festivals across the state; most recently in 2017 at the Ovation Music Festival in Argyle, Texas, and in 2016 at the South Coast Music Festival in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Summit Wind Symphony was also selected as a ‘Commended Winner’ for the National Wind Band Mark of Excellence Award in 2016.
Marching bands under the direction of Mr. Kanicki have also earned distinction at both local and statewide marching contests. The Alice High School Marching Band competed at the State Marching Contest in 2007 and 2009, while the Summit High School Marching Band has earned ‘Best in Class,’ ‘Best in Contest,’ and numerous caption awards at competitions throughout the North Texas area.
Mr. Kanicki’s professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Texas Music Adjudicators Association. He currently resides in Mansfield, TX where he enjoys scenic drives in his car and traveling with friends and family. Email Mr. Kanicki.
Cris Garcia - Associate Director of Bands
Cris Garcia is the Associate Director of Bands for Mansfield Summit High School in Arlington, Texas. Mr. Garcia is a south Texas native where he graduated from Alice High School. He received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. While at UNT, Mr. Garcia studied French horn under William Scharnberg and participated in the UNT Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Brass Band, Horn Choir, and the Green Brigade under the direction of Dennis Fisher, Nicholas Williams, Brian Bowman, and Eugene Corporon. He was also a member of the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps from Toledo, Ohio.
Mr. Garcia began his teaching career as an assistant band director for Alice Independent School District where his bands were consistent sweepstakes award winners. While in Alice, he was also the marching director when the high school band became a Texas State Marching Band Qualifier. His horn students also earned All-District, All-Region, All-Area, and All-State distinctions. After leaving Alice, Mr. Garcia began working for Mineral Wells Independent School District as an assistant band director for several years before becoming the Director of Bands in Mineral Wells. He left Mineral Wells to become the Associate Director of Bands at Summit High School. Email Mr. Garcia.
Mr. Garcia began his teaching career as an assistant band director for Alice Independent School District where his bands were consistent sweepstakes award winners. While in Alice, he was also the marching director when the high school band became a Texas State Marching Band Qualifier. His horn students also earned All-District, All-Region, All-Area, and All-State distinctions. After leaving Alice, Mr. Garcia began working for Mineral Wells Independent School District as an assistant band director for several years before becoming the Director of Bands in Mineral Wells. He left Mineral Wells to become the Associate Director of Bands at Summit High School. Email Mr. Garcia.
Dr. Shawn Hart - Associate Director of Bands
Shawn Hart is Associate Director of Bands/Percussion Co-Coordinator for Mansfield Summit High School in Arlington, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and his Master of Music in Percussion Performance from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.
Along with UNT professors Mark Ford and Christopher Deane, Dr. Hart helped in the world premier of Ford’s “Afta Stuba!” at the Percussive Arts Society’s 2000 Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. While at UNT, Dr. Hart performed with the Grammy-nominated North Texas Wind Symphony on several of its Klavier label CDs, including “Deja View”, “Soundscapes”, “Sojoums”, “Convergence” and “WASBE Live!”. He was a featured percussion soloist for two percussion concertos on these disks, namely Michael Colgrass’ Deja Vu and David Gillingham’s Concerto for Four Percussion. He can also be heard on several volumes of the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series recorded by the UNT Wind Symphony, under the baton of Eugene Corporon. Dr. Hart has also performed with the UNT Symphony Orchestra and the Las Colinas and Garland Symphonies. Email Dr. Hart.
Along with UNT professors Mark Ford and Christopher Deane, Dr. Hart helped in the world premier of Ford’s “Afta Stuba!” at the Percussive Arts Society’s 2000 Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. While at UNT, Dr. Hart performed with the Grammy-nominated North Texas Wind Symphony on several of its Klavier label CDs, including “Deja View”, “Soundscapes”, “Sojoums”, “Convergence” and “WASBE Live!”. He was a featured percussion soloist for two percussion concertos on these disks, namely Michael Colgrass’ Deja Vu and David Gillingham’s Concerto for Four Percussion. He can also be heard on several volumes of the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series recorded by the UNT Wind Symphony, under the baton of Eugene Corporon. Dr. Hart has also performed with the UNT Symphony Orchestra and the Las Colinas and Garland Symphonies. Email Dr. Hart.
Nicole Neugent - Color Guard Instructor
Nicole Neugent is in her second consecutive year as the Summit High School Colorguard Director. She previously directed the SHS Colorguard from 2007-2012. In addition to working with the guard, Mrs. Neugent is in he fifth year as the Assistant Band Director at Cross Timbers Intermediate School in Mansfield ISD. Prior to this, she taught elementary music in Irving ISD and has served as a colorguard Instructor and flute private lesson instructor for the past 15 years.
Mrs. Neugent taught Colorguard and flute at Creekview High School in Carrollton, TX. As a guard instructor, her fall and winter guards placed consistently at the top of local and state level contests, were gold medalists at several North Texas Colorguard Associaton (NTCA) Championships and competed at Winter Guard International competitions in Dayton, Ohio.
Mrs. Neugent is a graduate of the University of North Texas with a degree in Flute Performance. While at UNT, she was a member of the prestigious UNT Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene Migilaro Corporon. As a member of the Wind Symphony, she recorded professionally under the Klavier label in the Wind Recording Project and performed at the College Band Directors National Association national convention in 1998. Mrs. Neugent was a student of renowned flute professor Dr. Mary Karen Clardy and also a member of the Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Anshel Bruselov.
Mrs. Neugent was a member of the award-winning L. D. Bell High School Band. Under the direction of her father, Joseph Grzybowski, Mrs. Neugent was a member of the Bell Colorguard and went on to become Drum Major and three-time Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State flute player. Mrs. Neugent is a native of Royal Oak, Michigan where her father was a band director and her mother was a private flute teacher. At the age of 8, she moved to Abilene, TX when Mr. Grzybowski was named Associate Director of the 450-member Abilene Cooper High School Band.
Mrs. Neugent’s husband Nathaniel is in his 10th year as the Director of Bands at T.A. Howard Middle School. Their son is a French Horn player in the Summit High School band. Mrs. Neugent is a member of TMEA, Texas Bandmasters Association and Sigma Alpha Iota (an international music fraternity). Outside of music, Mrs. Neugent's passions are all things Disney and watching Real Housewives to decompress.
Email Mrs. Neugent.
Mrs. Neugent taught Colorguard and flute at Creekview High School in Carrollton, TX. As a guard instructor, her fall and winter guards placed consistently at the top of local and state level contests, were gold medalists at several North Texas Colorguard Associaton (NTCA) Championships and competed at Winter Guard International competitions in Dayton, Ohio.
Mrs. Neugent is a graduate of the University of North Texas with a degree in Flute Performance. While at UNT, she was a member of the prestigious UNT Wind Symphony under the direction of Eugene Migilaro Corporon. As a member of the Wind Symphony, she recorded professionally under the Klavier label in the Wind Recording Project and performed at the College Band Directors National Association national convention in 1998. Mrs. Neugent was a student of renowned flute professor Dr. Mary Karen Clardy and also a member of the Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Anshel Bruselov.
Mrs. Neugent was a member of the award-winning L. D. Bell High School Band. Under the direction of her father, Joseph Grzybowski, Mrs. Neugent was a member of the Bell Colorguard and went on to become Drum Major and three-time Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) All-State flute player. Mrs. Neugent is a native of Royal Oak, Michigan where her father was a band director and her mother was a private flute teacher. At the age of 8, she moved to Abilene, TX when Mr. Grzybowski was named Associate Director of the 450-member Abilene Cooper High School Band.
Mrs. Neugent’s husband Nathaniel is in his 10th year as the Director of Bands at T.A. Howard Middle School. Their son is a French Horn player in the Summit High School band. Mrs. Neugent is a member of TMEA, Texas Bandmasters Association and Sigma Alpha Iota (an international music fraternity). Outside of music, Mrs. Neugent's passions are all things Disney and watching Real Housewives to decompress.
Email Mrs. Neugent.