Directors

Michael Hejny is currently the Director of Bands at Arlington High School. Prior to coming to AHS, Mr. Hejny was the associate director of Bands at Lamar High School, Director of Bands and Fine Arts Coordinator in Fort Stockton ISD, as well as many other positions over the past twenty years. Mr. Hejny’s bands have earned numerous years of Division Is in marching, as well as advancing to area and state marching contest. His concert bands have earned numerous sweepstakes awards, as well as two Region Honor Band titles and one Area Honor Band title. His students have distinguished themselves at the city, region and state levels of competition. Mr. Hejny was a member of the NHS, PAC, JETS and graduated as third ranking student, at Ennis High School in 1980. He earned his BM ed. and his M.M. at East Texas State University and has studied under James Keane (University of Illinois) and conducting under Gary W. Hill (Kansas City Conservatory of Music).

Mr. Hejny is a member of TMEA, TBA and TMAA. Mr. Hejny and his wife Sandra have five children. Sandra, also a musician, studied Jazz at UNT and is certified to teach Math and English. She currently home schools the youngest four Hejnys. Thomas, the oldest, will be a senior this next year at the University of Southern California studying Computer Science and Engineering. Dorian continues to pursue her dreams of dancing and studies six days a week at the Fort Worth Academy of Ballet. Tristan also dances, and he and his younger brother and sister Tanyon and Doremi, study Gymnastics at Lone Star gymnastics center.

Mr. Morris-Brame is a veteran educator with 16 years of teaching experience at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels in the Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas Public Schools and Universities. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Southern Arkansas University and a Master of Music Degree from Northwestern State University. At Northwestern, Mr. Morris-Brame worked as a graduate assistant in the band department with Mr. Bill Brent, head Director of Bands and Head of the Department of Creative and Performing Arts. He also worked and studied trumpet in the studio of Mr. Galindo Rodriguez, Professor of Trumpet and Director of Jazz Studies.

While a graduate assistant, he taught undergraduate private trumpet lessons, methods of music education courses, assisted with the 300+ member Demon Marching Band, and served as an assistant conductor for both the wind symphony and wind ensemble.

Throughout his career as an educator, his concert bands have been very competitive in every area he has taught, receiving mostly first and second division ratings in competitions. His jazz bands have performed equally as well placing or winning most of the jazz festivals they have attended. Mr. Morris-Brame is in demand also as a clinician and adjudicator, being asked to clinic bands and judge auditions across the area. As a musician, Mr. Morris-Brame has performed with many wind bands, choirs, orchestras across the three-state area, and once performed in the famous Carnegie Hall. He has also performed extensively with various blues and jazz bands across the area as both a vocalist and trumpeter.

Nathan Burum is director of the Concert and Varsity Bands at AHS and is director at South Davis and Swift Elementary Schools. Prior to coming to AHS, Mr. Burum taught Band at Ferguson Junior High and Williams Elementary for two years. Mr. Burum is very familiar with the successful bands in the area as he is a product of the Arlington Independent School District having attended Butler Elementary, Shackelford Junior High, and graduating from Lamar High School.

He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Texas Tech University where he studied under Anthony Brittin and Christopher Smith. At Tech Mr. Burum performed under the direction of Keith Bearden with the Concert Band, Court Jesters, and the Goin’ Band from Raiderland where he was Section Leader for one year and Band Wagon Driver for two years. He was also a student assistant for four years working for the School of Music and Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. He was a member of Kappa Kappa Psi and held the positions of Rush Chairman and Marching Festival Chairman.

He currently performs with the Mansfield Wind Symphony and is a member of TMEA, TBA, and UEA. Mr. Burum comes from a long line of educators who teach or have taught in Arlington and the surrounding area. For fun Mr. Burum likes to golf and play racquetball, attend major sporting events, and serve in his church orchestra.

Matt Olmstead is the director of percussion for Arlington High School, including the drumline, percussion ensemble, steel band and African ensemble. He is a graduate of L. D. Bell, where he studied with Brian Youngblood and Joe Grzybowski. He earned a bachelor of Music Education degree at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he was active in many ensembles, being a featured soloist with the wind ensemble and percussion ensemble, principal timpanist with the orchestra and a marching tech for the UTA marching band.

Mr. Olmstead has previously served as director of percussion for Red Oak ISD and Desoto ISD, and drumline director for Aledo, Azle, and in 1998 and 1999, Arlington High School. He worked with Insignia Percussion (WGI) as quad tech, and with the UTA drumline as they competed at the PAS Championships, coming in second nationally. Currently, Mr. Olmstead performs with the Dallas Mavericks drumline, the Cutting Edge haunted house, and with the Jessie Frye Band. He lives in Arlington with his collection of antique drums and instruments from around the world.