FACULTY & STAFF

Todd Howard
Todd Howard, applied guitar, started playing guitar at the age of 9 years old and he won his first acoustic guitar competition at age 11. After learning how to play acoustic guitar, mandolin, and upright bass he traveled to Nashville and placed 3rd in the country for a National Bluegrass Competition. That launched his career and Todd started performing professionally in country bands at the age of 12. Since then, his musical interest grew to a wide assortment of music including, rock, blues, jazz, country. To this day Todd has recorded and/or performed all over the United States, Mexico, and Europe with national acts such as Key West the Band, Rick Trevino, Django Walker, Jimmy Kaiser Band, Todd Howard & Tightrope, and Tracy Byrd. He has also done session work for various projects including Country, Gospel, Blues, and Tropical bands. In 2008, he recorded his own DVD/CD with his band “Todd Howard & Tightrope, Live @ Antones.” He is sponsored by DR Strings, ZVex Pedals, and J&J Trailers.

Aaron Horne
Aaron, Coordinator of Performing Ensembles, teaches core commercial music and audio engineer courses, as well as directs our prestigious Touring Band. Aaron's education consists of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Composition and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Arkansas Tech. He also holds certificates for Audio Engineering and Post-Production, both from Mediatech Institute in Austin, Texas. Aaron has composed, written and directed numerous film projects which include music videos, documentaries, feature and short films, as well as an animated television series. Aaron has also worked on a variety of studio projects which include country star Jack Ingram, Robert Plant, Styx, Jazz Vocalist Toni Price, and Randy Newman. He has performed in touring Broadway productions such as The Music Man, Lion King, and Forever Plaid. Aaron also serves as Assistant Engineer for the Austin City Limits Music Festival; as audio engineer and recruiter for Mediatech Institute, located at Willie Nelson's Arlyn Studios in Austin, Texas; is the owner and lead engineer of Four Eyes Studios, originally based in Austin; and a member of NARAS, AES, TMEA, MEIEA and BMI.

John Freyermuth
John joins us from Boston, MA where he has been a freelance audio engineer since receiving his Master degree. He has worked professionally on projects as a composer, recording engineer, mixer, sound designer, and music editor. He also has a passion for -- and experience in -- Live Sound, sound design for film and television, post-production, sound for interactive media, audiovisual synthesis, and sound art; and has worked as part of a radio station production team. John has an MFA in Sound Design from Savannah College of Arts and Design (Savannah, GA); a BA in Audio/Radio from Emerson College (Boston, MA); and additional coursework in Music and Sound Recording from University of New Haven (New Haven, CT).

Kristel Pfeil Kemmerer
Dr. K is the Chair of Commercial Music. Her teaching and administrative experience includes stints with several colleges and public school districts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Most recently, she was Dean of Students at Alvernia University (PA); Acting Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Dean of Students at Albright College (PA); and prior to that was assistant professor of music (music business) at Albright. She is a board member of MEIEA and holds membership in AES, ACAD, ASCD, and NACADA; has published several articles and lectured on music industry curriculum; has been a reviewer for McGraw-Hill, ACPA, MEIEA, and Houghton Mifflin; and has presented at many professional conferences. Her undergraduate and Masters degrees are from Ithaca College (NY), teaching certification credits from Kutztown University (PA), audio forensics credit from University of Colorado at Denver, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Lehigh University (PA).

Billy McQueen
Billy is our drum instructor and has been teaching, performing, recording, and designing and building drum sets for many years. In addition to private drum instruction, Billy has served as a private school teacher and as clinician at state-level ensemble competitions. He currently performs with Jimmy Simmons Quartet, Mark Towns, Key West, Yvonne Washington, Encourage, and Todd Howard and Tightrope; he has recorded with Michael Davis (Buddy Rich Big Band), Marvin Stamm (Stan Kenton), and Shelly Berg (Rolling Stones), among others. His custom drum kits are being performed on by some of the most prestigious artists in the south. Billy attended the prestigious Skidmore Jazz Institute and Lamar University on scholarship.

Kay Miller
From an early age, Kay Miller knew her gift was music -- she has been performing since age 4! In her 20's, Kay began playing and singing with a blues band, which was her first experience with genres of music other than gospel, praise and worship. In her mid-30's, Kay embarked on the journey of Kay Miller Music. She began performing in local area restaurants and at special events, putting her jazzy spin to standards and popular music from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. At 40, Kay made the decision to return to LSCPA, in pursuit of the formalized musical knowledge she lacked. The pairing of talent and knowledge has proven to be an outstanding choice. Kay graduated in December 2010, with a 4.0 gpa and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Commercial Music as a Session Musician. In addition to teaching Applied Voice at LSCPA, Kay is now writing and arranging her own music, enjoying producing her CDs, working in a recording studio on a regular basis, and is expanding her playing area. Hilltop Entertainment has played a major role in the exposure of Kay Miller Music to the world.

Carl Richardson
Carl joined the Commercial Music Department in Fall 2011 as an instructor in the Performance program. He is a professional bassist and vocalist with thirteen years professional experience in commercial styles. Carl studied at Lamar University Beaumont and holds a Bachelors in Music Composition. He has performed with Barbara Lynn, Doug Kershaw and Wayne Toups. Carl has also performed with opening acts for Jerry Lee Lewis, The Neville Brothers, Geroge Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, James Brown, Los Lonely Boys, Kevin Fowler, Percy Sledge, Everclear, and Ricochet. He has taught privately on bass and guitar for over ten years, as well as filling the role of Performance Group Director at Tonalta School of Music in Port Neches, Tx.

Heath Vercher
Heath holds a Bachelor degree in Music Media and a Masters degree in Theory and Composition from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He teaches applied, Commercial, and class piano as well as other core courses. Heath is an active performer, composer, and recording artist, having played numerous engagements both public and private along the Gulf Coast. In 2011, his independent record label, Heartspark Music, turned five, and to date he has released seven commercial piano albums. Two albums, "Rise" and "Your Song," have both charted in the top 100 for radio airplay for contemporary instrumental music.

Jon-Michael Wallace
Jon-Michael teaches audio engineering courses and is Coordinator of Recording Studios. In addition to Commercial Music at Lamar Port Arthur, his teaching experience includes voice, guitar, and band leader at Tonalta School of Music, and worship leader and sound/video technician for numerous ministries in Texas. Jon-Michael's undergraduate studies have been from Texas State University, Lamar University, and Houston Community College. He has engineered and produced a number of albums, most recently Radix by Pug Johnson, released in 2010.