On Sept. 8, HSU announced that Lester, the Executive Director of Fine Arts for the Abilene ISD and a 1994 HSU graduate, had been hired for his dream job. The former member of the World-Famous Cowboy Band announced his retirement from the AISD and began preparing to turn the role over to someone else at the end of January 2024.
The Cowboy Band has traveled the world, making its name famous with its antics, mostly along parade routes. The HSU Cowboy Band website describes the band’s style like this: While marching at a super-fast cadence of 200-210 beats per minute the band shuffles into view, whooping, hollering, and waving their hats in the air! Their leather chaps move in smooth unison as the band floats along. Suddenly two band members break rank and join arms to a “swing-your-partner” square dance style. Occasionally, a band member may stop to greet bystanders by moving through the crowd and shaking hands. Another may borrow a chair to sit for a second and fan her hot feet with her hat. Along the way, the band strives to make eye contact with everyone on the parade route.
As a student at HSU, Lester was part of that tradition and looks forward to leading the newest generation of Cowboy Band members in carrying on the practices that have made the group a favorite at any parade or performance.
“Working at HSU as the director of the Cowboy Band has been a long-time dream of mine,” Lester said. “I have big shoes to fill and recognize the challenges of teaching at a small, private university. The phrase ‘world-famous’ carries an expectation for us to travel around our region, state, country, and the world. I’m excited to take the Cowboy Band to events near and far.
“I love what I do as an arts administrator and had no intention of retiring this soon,” he said. “However, when the position at HSU opened up, I didn’t want to miss my opportunity to apply. I will miss the daily interaction with AISD teachers and students. However, I’ll still be involved in UIL as the region’s executive secretary and will continue to forge relationships with the next generation of music teachers.”
Before his work as a school district administrator, Lester worked as a band and orchestra director in Odessa, Abilene, and Allen. At HSU, Lester will teach courses in music education, conducting, and music business and will lead the University Concert Band as well as the World-Famous Cowboy Band. Last year, he performed with the band in Ireland at the 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
During his tenure as a fine arts director in Victoria and Abilene, Lester worked to develop a well-balanced fine arts curriculum, created opportunities for professional learning, facilitated innovative field trip experiences, aided in more than 25 construction and renovation projects, and encouraged students to excel in the arts. During the 2019-20 school year, Lester served as the President of the Texas Fine Arts Administrators, where he was instrumental in moving the organization to a non-profit corporation and hiring its first Executive Secretary.
A graduate of Cooper High School, Lester returned to his hometown in June 2012 to lead the fine arts programs. Since then, the AISD has been recognized throughout the state as one of the finest programs for the arts in Texas.
“Returning to work in your hometown is so rewarding,” Lester said. “Not only do I get to remember the successes of the past, I get to be a part of new traditions and accomplishments. And if you look at the track record of our programs, they measure well because of the dedication of teachers to achieve goals with their specific subject. AISD has a better UIL record than any of our peer districts. Most of our programs achieve Sweepstakes ratings each year. If not, we provide support for growth.”
A constant presence on campuses and at performances – from elementary through high school – Lester has made it his mission to encourage and support fine arts instructors and programs throughout the district.
“I’m proud of the work our teachers do every day,” he said. “I intend to encourage our teachers to love their subject area by practicing what they teach, whether as a musician, an actor, or an artist.
“I’ve always encouraged teachers to provide unique and valuable experiences for students,” Lester said. “In the last 12 years, we have had groups represented at state and national conferences, taken trips all over the United States, Europe, Canada, and China, and performed with world-class musicians. That doesn’t happen by accident.”
Now, Lester will leave the program he took over and helped lead to new heights of success in the hands of former Cooper High School band director and current Austin Elementary School principal Clay Johnson, who will work with Lester throughout January.
“Clay has worked hard throughout his career to be the best at whatever he was doing, whether as an assistant band director, head band director, assistant principal, head principal, and adjunct university instructor,” Lester said. “I’ve often said that whoever leads the fine arts program should be someone who recognizes excellence.”
