Heather Becker
Director of Bands
Email Mrs. Becker
Heather Becker is in her 12th year as the Director of Bands at Hudson Middle School. Mrs. Becker has consistently led the Wind Symphony to sweepstakes ratings at the UIL Concert & Sightreading Evaluation and has seen the entire program grow by 150%. In 2019, she led the Symphonic Band to their first ever sweepstakes rating at the UIL Concert & Sightreading Evaluation. They are the first Sub Non-Varsity band to earn this award in Garland ISD band history. Her bands at Hudson have received superior ratings and best in class awards at festivals in the DFW area. She is proud to have performed with the Wind Symphony Percussion Ensemble at the Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis in 2025 and to have led the Wind Ensemble to their first appearance at the area level of the TMEA Honor Band competition in 2025.
Mrs. Becker has served as the lead teacher for the middle school band department in GISD, serves as the Secretary of Region 3 for the Texas Music Educators Association, and has been the Fine Arts department chair for Hudson Middle School. Mrs. Becker is active as a clinician in the DFW area and around the state. She enjoys mentoring young teachers and is excited to help inspire the next generation of band directors.
Prior to her appointment at Hudson, Mrs. Becker taught for seven years at North Mesquite High School. At North Mesquite, she taught the Symphonic Band and assisted with the Wind Ensemble. Under her direction, the Symphonic Band attended the UIL Concert and Sight Reading Contest for the first time in 15 years and earned multiple Sweepstakes awards at UIL. The Symphonic Band also earned exclusively Superior Ratings at the Peak Music Festival Contest. In addition to her band directing duties at North Mesquite, Mrs. Becker taught beginning woodwind classes at McDonald and Vanston Middle Schools.
She is a 2007 graduate of Baylor University in Waco, TX and holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education. At Baylor, Mrs. Becker served as Drum Major and Student Staff Assistant of the Golden Wave Marching Band. Mrs. Becker performed with almost every instrumental ensemble at Baylor, including the Wind Ensemble under Dr. Eric Wilson and the Symphony Orchestra under Mr. Stephen Heyde. Mrs. Becker studied clarinet with Dr. Richard Shanley. From 2006-2007 Mrs. Becker also served as the Vice President of the College Student Section of the Texas Music Educators Association.
Mrs. Becker has two sons, Benjamin (13), and Andrew (9). They are the light of her life and her favorite job is being their mom. Her husband, David Becker, is a band director in the Richardson ISD. In her spare time Mrs. Becker enjoys traveling, reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her family.
Professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Texas Music Adjudicators Association.
Mrs. Becker has served as the lead teacher for the middle school band department in GISD, serves as the Secretary of Region 3 for the Texas Music Educators Association, and has been the Fine Arts department chair for Hudson Middle School. Mrs. Becker is active as a clinician in the DFW area and around the state. She enjoys mentoring young teachers and is excited to help inspire the next generation of band directors.
Prior to her appointment at Hudson, Mrs. Becker taught for seven years at North Mesquite High School. At North Mesquite, she taught the Symphonic Band and assisted with the Wind Ensemble. Under her direction, the Symphonic Band attended the UIL Concert and Sight Reading Contest for the first time in 15 years and earned multiple Sweepstakes awards at UIL. The Symphonic Band also earned exclusively Superior Ratings at the Peak Music Festival Contest. In addition to her band directing duties at North Mesquite, Mrs. Becker taught beginning woodwind classes at McDonald and Vanston Middle Schools.
She is a 2007 graduate of Baylor University in Waco, TX and holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education. At Baylor, Mrs. Becker served as Drum Major and Student Staff Assistant of the Golden Wave Marching Band. Mrs. Becker performed with almost every instrumental ensemble at Baylor, including the Wind Ensemble under Dr. Eric Wilson and the Symphony Orchestra under Mr. Stephen Heyde. Mrs. Becker studied clarinet with Dr. Richard Shanley. From 2006-2007 Mrs. Becker also served as the Vice President of the College Student Section of the Texas Music Educators Association.
Mrs. Becker has two sons, Benjamin (13), and Andrew (9). They are the light of her life and her favorite job is being their mom. Her husband, David Becker, is a band director in the Richardson ISD. In her spare time Mrs. Becker enjoys traveling, reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her family.
Professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Texas Music Adjudicators Association.
Chris Clark is beginning his first year as the assitant band director at Hudson. Mr. Clark brings 16 years of band director experience. Most recently, he taught at Rockwall High School where he taught 2 jazz ensembles, concert band, and assisted with the marching band. Mr. Clark has also taught middle school band as both an assistant and head director in Plano ISD and Mesquite ISD.
Mr. Clark is an active composer/clinician/performer/educator in the DFW metroplex. He can be found performing as a Bell Trumpet Artist in the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Crosswinds Jazz Band, Celebration Jazz Orchestra, Dallas Latin Jazz Orchestra as well as various Top-40 groups. He also leads his own bands, the C3 Big Band and C3 Jazztet, which both feature new music written by Mr. Clark and other members in the group.
Chris Clark has composed a library of works ranging from grade 1 to grade 5, jazz band repertoire to concert band/orchestra compositions and brass ensembles. Mr. Clark's compositions have been performed by numerous colleges, high schools, and middle schools around the country and are also being currently performed by several professional bands in the Dallas area. He is a sought-after clinician in the Dallas area at the college, high school, and middle school levels both with his big band and as a solo clinician. Mr. Clark has also had several articles published by SmartMusic on jazz and brass pedagogy.
Mr. Clark holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University and a Master of Jazz Studies degree from DePaul University.
Mr. Clark is an active composer/clinician/performer/educator in the DFW metroplex. He can be found performing as a Bell Trumpet Artist in the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Crosswinds Jazz Band, Celebration Jazz Orchestra, Dallas Latin Jazz Orchestra as well as various Top-40 groups. He also leads his own bands, the C3 Big Band and C3 Jazztet, which both feature new music written by Mr. Clark and other members in the group.
Chris Clark has composed a library of works ranging from grade 1 to grade 5, jazz band repertoire to concert band/orchestra compositions and brass ensembles. Mr. Clark's compositions have been performed by numerous colleges, high schools, and middle schools around the country and are also being currently performed by several professional bands in the Dallas area. He is a sought-after clinician in the Dallas area at the college, high school, and middle school levels both with his big band and as a solo clinician. Mr. Clark has also had several articles published by SmartMusic on jazz and brass pedagogy.
Mr. Clark holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baylor University and a Master of Jazz Studies degree from DePaul University.
Rachel Ball
Assistant Band Director
Email Ms. Ball (EMAIL COMING SOON)
Rachel Ball is beginning her first year of teaching. Last spring, Ms. Ball completed her student teaching at Hudson Middle School and Sachse High School under the mentorship of Heather Becker and Holly Taylor. She is very excited to continue to be a part of the Hudson Hawks team.
In May of 2025, Ms. Ball graduated magna cum laude from Stephen F. Austin State University with her Bachelors Degree in Music Education and minor in Jazz Studies. Ms. Ball studied under wonderful music educators, including Dr. Deb Scott, Dr. Tamey Anglley, Dr. Dan Haddad, and Dr. Chris Kaatz. While at SFA, Ms. Ball played the Bass Trombone in the Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Symphony Orchestra, Trombone Choir, and Trombone Octet. She was also a four-year member of the Lumberjack Marching Band; one year as trombone section leader and two years on staff as Operations Manager. In 2024, Ms. Ball received the Dean’s Award in Music for her academic accomplishments, artistic achievement, and leadership qualities.
Ms. Ball currently lives in her hometown of Plano, where she attended Plano West Senior High School. Her fiancé, Caleb Miller, is currently getting his masters in Music Education and Trombone Performance at the University of Texas at Arlington. In her spare time, Ms. Ball loves to watch movies, swim, and play the guitar.
In May of 2025, Ms. Ball graduated magna cum laude from Stephen F. Austin State University with her Bachelors Degree in Music Education and minor in Jazz Studies. Ms. Ball studied under wonderful music educators, including Dr. Deb Scott, Dr. Tamey Anglley, Dr. Dan Haddad, and Dr. Chris Kaatz. While at SFA, Ms. Ball played the Bass Trombone in the Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Symphony Orchestra, Trombone Choir, and Trombone Octet. She was also a four-year member of the Lumberjack Marching Band; one year as trombone section leader and two years on staff as Operations Manager. In 2024, Ms. Ball received the Dean’s Award in Music for her academic accomplishments, artistic achievement, and leadership qualities.
Ms. Ball currently lives in her hometown of Plano, where she attended Plano West Senior High School. Her fiancé, Caleb Miller, is currently getting his masters in Music Education and Trombone Performance at the University of Texas at Arlington. In her spare time, Ms. Ball loves to watch movies, swim, and play the guitar.
Mrs. Manaois has been teaching percussion in various capacities at Hudson Middle School for the past 4 years. After working as the assistant percussion director at Sachse HS for the past 3 years, Mrs. Manaois is excited to currently be working exclusively at Hudson Middle School. She also previously taught at Hudson MS as a student teacher while earning her Texas teaching certificate in 2020.
Prior to becoming a teacher Mrs. Manaois worked for many years as a freelance percussionist. She has performed all over Texas and the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as travelling to New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Taiwan (R.O.C.) and Vancouver, Canada playing Caribbean steel drum music. Mrs. Manaois continues to be an active performer playing Caribbean and orchestral percussion jobs in the DFW area.
Mrs. Manaois received a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from the University of Delaware and a Master of Music in music history from Northern Illinois University. She also earned a Master of Arts in Library Science from Northern Illinois University. While living in the Chicago area Mrs. Manaois worked as a college librarian at Wheaton College, Columbia College Chicago and The College of DuPage and taught classes in world music and music appreciation at both Northern Illinois University and Waubonsee Community College. She also worked as a freelance musician playing Caribbean steel pan and orchestral percussion jobs in the Chicagoland area.
Mrs. Manaois grew up in New Jersey in the Philadelphia area. She and her family currently live in Plano with their dog Theo. She loves to travel and has travelled extensively both internationally and within the US. Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, and attending live music performances and she loves spending time at the beach with friends and family
Prior to becoming a teacher Mrs. Manaois worked for many years as a freelance percussionist. She has performed all over Texas and the Chicago metropolitan area, as well as travelling to New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Taiwan (R.O.C.) and Vancouver, Canada playing Caribbean steel drum music. Mrs. Manaois continues to be an active performer playing Caribbean and orchestral percussion jobs in the DFW area.
Mrs. Manaois received a Bachelor of Music in percussion performance from the University of Delaware and a Master of Music in music history from Northern Illinois University. She also earned a Master of Arts in Library Science from Northern Illinois University. While living in the Chicago area Mrs. Manaois worked as a college librarian at Wheaton College, Columbia College Chicago and The College of DuPage and taught classes in world music and music appreciation at both Northern Illinois University and Waubonsee Community College. She also worked as a freelance musician playing Caribbean steel pan and orchestral percussion jobs in the Chicagoland area.
Mrs. Manaois grew up in New Jersey in the Philadelphia area. She and her family currently live in Plano with their dog Theo. She loves to travel and has travelled extensively both internationally and within the US. Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, and attending live music performances and she loves spending time at the beach with friends and family
Garrett Tucker
Percussion Instructor - Sachse HS Percussion Director & Assistant Band Director
Email Mr. Tucker
Percussion Instructor - Sachse HS Percussion Director & Assistant Band Director
Email Mr. Tucker
Mr. Tucker is in his 4th year as the Director of Percussion Studies for the Sachse High School cluster. Prior to his appointment with GISD, Mr. Tucker has taught at Terrell ISD and was also the percussion paraprofessional for the Centennial High School cluster in Frisco, TX. Mr. Tucker has also taught at Richardson ISD, Crandall ISD, and Wylie ISD.
As a performer Mr. Tucker competed in the Drum Corps International World Championships with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2014. He is also associated with the Sherman Symphony, DAAYO, and has performed as an artist for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC).
Mr. Tucker received his Bachelor’s in Music Education from the University of North Texas where he was able to perform with the UNT Symphony Orchestra, Two O' Clock Steel Band, UNT Percussion Ensemble, Gamelan Ensemble, Afro-Cuban Ensemble, and served as principal percussionist for the UNT Wind Ensemble.
Mr. Tucker enjoys binge watching TV shows, eating Tex-Mex, and playing music in his spare time.
As a performer Mr. Tucker competed in the Drum Corps International World Championships with the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2014. He is also associated with the Sherman Symphony, DAAYO, and has performed as an artist for the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC).
Mr. Tucker received his Bachelor’s in Music Education from the University of North Texas where he was able to perform with the UNT Symphony Orchestra, Two O' Clock Steel Band, UNT Percussion Ensemble, Gamelan Ensemble, Afro-Cuban Ensemble, and served as principal percussionist for the UNT Wind Ensemble.
Mr. Tucker enjoys binge watching TV shows, eating Tex-Mex, and playing music in his spare time.
This website is maintained by the Hudson Middle School Booster Club and is not part of Hudson Middle School or the Garland Independent School District. Neither Hudson Middle School or Garland ISD are responsible for the content of this website or the content of links external to this website.