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.
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Emily McCollister is the head Color Guard Instructor. She is a Summit High School Alum who graduated in 2011. While a member of the Jaguar Color Guard, she performed for four years and served as Captain for two years.
After she graduated from Summit, Mrs. McCollister attended college at the University of North Texas and earned a teacher certification in History. During college, she was the Head Color Guard Director of the Argyle High School Color Guard for three years. Under her direction, the Argyle color guard won numerous best auxiliary (guard) awards at contests and the winter guard placed first in their championship division for the first time in the history of the program. Mrs. McCollister returned to Summit High School to teach Social studies. She currently teaches AP United States History and Post-1877 United States History. Mrs. McCollister was honored as a distinguished educator of MISD for the 2019-2020 school year. She has worked as an assistant Color Guard/Winter Guard instructor for the Summit High School Guard for the past three years. The 2020-21 season is her first year as Director of the Summit High School Guard. Email Mrs. McCollister. |
Emily McCollister -
Color Guard Instructor
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