NAME:
Mrs. Melissa Smith
SCHOOL:
Friendswood Junior High School
CLASS:
Choir
SCHOOL PHONE:
281-996-6251
Mrs. Melissa Smith is in her ninth year as the choral director at Friendswood Junior High School.
During her tenure, she has also taught guitar and directed numerous musicals. Prior to joining the
faculty at FJH, she taught voice and children’s chorus privately for four years.
Her choirs at FJH have been consistent Sweepstakes and superior ratings recipients at University
Interscholastic League contests, and each year over half of her choir students are placed in the TMEA
Junior High Region XVII Choir.
In her second year of teaching at Friendswood Junior High, Mrs. Smith was honored with the Making a
Difference Award, which recognizes teachers for going above and beyond the daily classroom routine
to be a positive figure in the lives of students. She participated in Capturing Kids’ Hearts and was
honored to be selected a CKH Process Champion in 2008. In 2010, Mrs. Smith was voted FJH Teacher
of the Year, and went on to become the FISD Secondary Teacher of the Year.
This year Mrs. Smith serves her second year as Region XVII Vocal Chair in the Junior High Division.
Previously, she served as the Region XVII JH/MS Vocal Vice Chair, Region XVII JH Mixed Choir
Coordinator, and Mixed Choir Section Leader for several years.
Under Mrs. Smith's direction, the Friendswood Junior High Varsity Treble Choir performed by
invitation at the Texas Music Educators' Association Convention in San Antonio in February 2010.
The Varsity Treble, consisting of thirty-six 7th & 8th grade girls, was selected from over 120 choirs at
the middle school, high school, and collegiate level. Mrs. Smith considers it a tremendous honor to
have been able to conduct a TMEA Convention Invited Performing Choir.
A native of Friendswood and a product of Texas choral education, Mrs. Smith was a member of the
Honors College at the University of Houston, where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of
Music Education with Choral/Vocal Focus degree from the Moores School of Music in 2003. The
previous year, Mrs. Smith was honored to be the recipient of the Texas Choral Directors’ Association
Bill Gorham Scholarship.
Her husband, Brian, is a former choral director of church and public school, and today works as the
Computer and Network Specialist for Technology Services in Friendswood ISD. They have two
daughters, Aubrey, 5, and Zoey, 3 months.
To become skilled sightreaders, to increase our musicality by
singing a wide variety of choral repertoire, to blend and bond as a team,
and to celebrate the joys of music and singing.