Dr. Norman E. Smith District V Band Director of the Year

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2024-2025  Dr. Norman E. Smith District V Band Director of the Year Award
 

Jordan Moore is the Director of Bands at Kinder High School in Kinder, Louisiana. Currently in his ninth year of teaching, he began his career serving five years at LeBlanc and Vinton Middle Schools before revitalizing the band program in Kinder. A native of Houma, Louisiana, Mr. Moore earned his Bachelor of Music Education from McNeese State University, where he studied trumpet under Dave Scott.

Under Mr. Moore’s leadership, the Kinder High School band program has experienced tremendous growth and success. Many of his students have been selected for local and state honor ensembles, as well as honor groups in Mississippi. Both the middle and high school bands consistently achieve high marks in solo and ensemble assessments. The high school concert band has received superior ratings for two consecutive years at large ensemble assessments. Additionally, he successfully reintroduced the color guard program, which had been disbanded for ten years. Most notably, the Kinder High School Band of Gold was named the 2024 LMEA 1C State Marching Band Champions.

Mr. Moore’s awards and recognitions include the 2019 LMEA Outstanding Young Music Educator Award, Vinton Middle School Teacher of the Year (2021), guest clinician for the Beauregard Parish Honor Band Middle School (2022), and the 2024-2025 District V Band and Orchestra Directors Association’s Dr. Norman E. Smith Band Director of the Year Award.

Beyond the classroom, Mr. Moore has been actively involved in music and the arts. He has performed with the Calcasieu British Brass Band and was a member of the band “Flamethrowers” through 2023. He served as a visual instructor for the Louisiana Stars Drum and Bugle Corps from 2018 to 2022 and is the choir director at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Kinder.

Mr. Moore is a proud husband of eight years and father to three daughters, with another child on the way.

His professional affiliations include the Louisiana Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, the Louisiana Bandmasters Association, the District V Band and Orchestra Association, the National Society of Leadership and Success, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and the Professional Disc Golf Association.

This Award is given in memory of Dr. Norman E. Smith by a resolution adopted by unanimous consent on December 1, 1998. Dr. Smith was Professor Emeritus of Music at McNeese. He was not only a teacher, but also a friend to all educators and musicians. A great deal of Dr. Smith’s teaching career was spent as a band director at various levels. It is indeed a great honor to be selected as the recipient of this award.

Our association selects one member each year for special recognition of his work. The following guidelines have been established for selecting this individual.

• Contribution to the Association through performance of duties as assigned through elections, mandatory appointment, and voluntary appointments
• Level of excellence obtained in competition with his/her musical organizations
• Level of excellence obtained in instruction proficiency as a professional educator
• Accumulation of achievements in the professional and competitive realms during his/her entire period of servitude in the district.

2023-2024 Leslie Gunter

2022-2023 Aaron Theall

2021-2022 Mathew McMillen

2020-2021 Daphne Richardson

2019-2020 Betsy Stoupy 

2018-2019 Kyle Cook  

2017-2018 Amanda Riggs

2016-2017 Eva Brown

2015-2016 Reggie Rogers

2014-2015 Roland Smith

2013-2014 Huber “Mickey” Smith

2012-2013 David Landry

2011-2012 Tim McMillen

2010-2011 Kevin Coker 

2009-2010 Fred Roeder

2008-2009 Matthew Jones

2007-2008 Jay Ecker

2004-2005 Tim McMillen

2000-2001 James Hearne

1999-2000 Steve Hand