Ken Ringel is currently in his 2nd year as Director of Bands at McKinney High School.  Prior to his appointment at McKinney High, he served as the Director of Bands at Frisco High school, as well as Clark High School in the Plano Independent School District.  He has also held assistant band director positions at Clark High School and Jasper High School in Plano, as well as Midlothian High School.

His responsibilities at McKinney High include conducting the Honors Band, Symphonic II  Band, and team-teaching the Symphonic I Band, and the Marching Band.  He is also responsible for the overall focus and management of the band program.  Bands under his direction have consistently been awarded the “Sweepstakes Award” for Superior Ratings in University Interscholastic League Marching, Concert, and Sight Reading contests, and have been named “Best in Class” and “Best in Festival” at various music festivals around the country.

Mr. Ringel has enjoyed a wide-range of experiences in the music field.  He held positions around the Dallas, Fort-Worth area as a freelance horn player and most notably served as a substitute horn player for the Fort-Worth Symphony Orchestra for nine years.  He took part in Drum Corps International as a member of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps in 1989 and 1990.  He is also active as a marching drill designer and writes for several High Schools and Universities around the country, including The University of North Texas Green Brigade.

Mr. Ringel holds the Bachelor of Music Degree from Florida State University and a Master of Music Degree from Southern Methodist University.  He earned his teaching credentials from Texas A&M Commerce.  He is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association.

A native of Killeen, Texas, Marcus Hunley is a 2000 graduate of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, where he received a bachelor’s in music education.  Currently, Mr. Hunley is in his second year as Associate Director of Bands at McKinney High School.  Prior to his assignment at McKinney High School, Mr. Hunley has taught in the Frisco, Plano, and Richardson school districts.  Mr. Hunley's teaching responsibilities at McKinney High School include directing the Symphonic I Band, Jazz Ensemble, beginner classes, as well as team-teaching the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic II Band, and Marching Band.  

While at Michigan State University, Mr. Hunley studied Saxophone with Joseph Lulloff and James Forger, and studied jazz saxophone with Andrew Speight.  As an undergraduate student, Mr. Hunley was involved in a graduate level saxophone quartet which competed in The Fischoff and Mt.Carmel competitions.  He has recorded with Joseph Lulloff on the CD Joseph Lulloff Plays the Saxophone Music of Colgrass, Dahl and Ruggiero.  Mr. Hunley was involved in the MSU jazz ensemble as well as several jazz combos where he had the opportunity to study with Branford Marsalis, who was in sabbatical at Michigan State University from 1997-1999.  Mr. Hunley occasionally subs with the Dallas Wind Symphony, plays in the DFW Saxophone Quartet, and plays in the jazz combo ClassicJazz Quartet, which plays around the Plano area.  Mr. Hunley’s professional associations include the Texas Music Educators Association and The North American Saxophone Alliance.

Austin Chappell is a native of Mesquite, TX, where he graduated from Poteet High School in 2003.  After high school, Mr. Chappell attended The University of North Texas on an academic scholarship where he participated in numerous performing ensembles such as marching band, symphonic band, classical percussion ensemble, steel drum band, and the South Indian percussion ensemble. Mr. Chappell worked as a cymbal instructor for two years with the UNT marching band, and he served as treasurer for the UNT Percussion Club for four semesters.  From 2004 to 2006, Austin Chappell toured with DCI Drum Corps, Southwind, where he performed on cymbals and bass drum. He recently graduated magna cum laude from UNT with his bachelor's degree in music education.

Amanda Jacobs is from Plano, TX and graduated from Plano East Senior High in 1997.  She continued her education at The University of North Texas where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 2002.  Throughout her college career, she performed with winter guards such as Alliance Of Miami Independent World.  She also worked for Marching Auxiliaries where she traveled around the country teaching summer camps.  She worked five years for the PISD teaching color guards for Clark High School, Vines High School, and Williams High School.  She later taught color guard for The University of North Texas for the 2004 and 2005 season. 

She recently returned from the Pacific Northwest to begin her first year teaching the Royal Pride Color Guard at MHS.