Angleton High School

Richard Thomas

Director of Bands / Director of Fine Arts

rbthomas@angletonisd.net

Since 2019, Mr. Richard Thomas has served as the Angleton HS Director of Bands, and as the Director/Coordinator of Fine Arts for Angleton ISD.  Under his leadership, the Angleton Band has restarted it's Jazz program, placed their first All-State Band students in several years (Dillon Fisk and Zen Smith), made the Finals of the Area Marching Contest for the first time in almost 20 years, and started an AP Music Theory program.  Mr. Thomas was also instrumental in bringing back Musical Theatre to Angleton after an absence of 10 years.   Before coming to Angleton, Mr. Thomas served for 4 years as the Coordinator/Director of Fine Arts for the Belton Independent School District where the programs experienced strong UIL and TMEA results, including significant growth in the number of students earning positions in the All-Region organizations. Prior to his time in Belton, Mr. Thomas taught for 18 years as a band director in the Red Oak, Keller, Arlington, Birdville, and Klein ISD's, with his last band directing tenure of 8 years as the Director of Bands for Red Oak High School. He also served as the Minister of Music for the First Baptist Church of Ft. Worth for 3 years where he directed the adult choir, praise team/band, and orchestra. Mr. Thomas earned his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Baylor University, and his Master's Degree in Educational Administration (with Principal's Certification) from Lamar University. During Mr. Thomas' years as a band director, his high school and middle school bands received consistent Sweepstakes and Superior ratings at all UIL contests, and were also recognized at numerous band festivals as “Best in Class” and “Overall Grand Champion.” He has served as an adjudicator at UIL Concert/Sightreading contests in several Regions around the state of Texas, at a number of music festivals in Texas and Colorado, and at marching contests in Texas, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He has also been a camp clinician/conductor for summer band camps at Baylor University and Sam Houston State University. As a performer, Mr. Thomas performed on Horn with the Texas Wind Symphony, the Wichita Falls Symphony, Symphony North of Houston, and the Houston Symphonic Band, and he also served for two seasons as the Music Director/Conductor of The Northeast Orchestra. Mr. Thomas’s Musical Theatre experience includes serving as the music director/conductor for some 20+ high school and church productions in his career, including Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, Fiddler on the Roof, The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, and Beauty and the Beast, The Drowsy Chaperone, and South Pacific. He also was the lead director for a Red Oak HS production of Little Shop of Horrors, where his lighting design was nominated for a "Best Lighting Design" with the Dallas Summer Musicals High School Musical Theatre Awards. Mr. Thomas is married to Sarah, the elementary music teacher in the Danbury ISD, and he is the proud father of adult twin daughters, Rachel & Rebekah.