Kevin Rooney has been the band director at Morales Junior High in Uvalde, TX since the 2021-2022 school year and has fostered growth in the program and his students. 

Mr. Rooney took charge at MJH in August 2021, at the end of the hybrid learning and was tasked with re-building the program. At that time, the Varsity band was 37 students, with 13 trumpets and 6 percussionists. The JV Band was 13 students. The Beginner Band was about 20, spread around 5 classes of 2-5 students. The Varsity group hadn't attended a UIL event since 2019 and a non-varsity group hadn't attended since 2015. The most recent record for student involvement in Region Band at that time was nearly a decade old. Fundraisers and end-of-year-trips were a distant memory of students close to graduation. 

This past year, the band students at Morales Junior High continued to show growth in their musical and academic development. In March, 2024, the MJH Band brought two bands to contests for the first time since 2015. In 2023, three students made the Region 11 Symphonic Band. in 2024, over a dozen students auditioned and six made it in; five in the Concert Band and one in the Symphonic Band. Even involvement in fundraisers and trips have improved. Even though they were limited to one fundraiser a year, the MJH Band has profited over $9,000 in two years. Students look forward to the fun they have with their friends in band and on trips. The progress has been slow, but steadily, the program is being brought back and even surpassing expectations. This past year saw over 120 students enrolled in the band program at a school with only two grade levels and just over 500 students. 

By creating a welcoming and fun environment, Mr. Rooney was able to make the band hall the place students wanted to be. Once they were there, he centered each lesson on the individual student, adapting to their needs, praising every win, finding their true passion,  and using it to fuel their motivation.

The future of the Morales Junior High Band Program looks bright. We are expecting 150 students in total, raising the need for a refresh of instruments and storage. The band hall is practically bursting at the seems - which seems to be the problem every director wishes for.

The Uvalde Coyote Band is the competitive corps-style marching band at Uvalde High School. While employed at Uvalde CISD, Kevin Rooney has played several crucial roles in the ensemble. 

Since the Fall 2022 season, Mr. Rooney has been the band's lead designer, drill writer, and composer with Marcos Molina co-writing battery and pit music as well as guard choreography. During the summer portions of the season he has took an active role in the band hall and on the field as well, teaching students the music, visual fundamentals, drill, and during evening rehearsals, leading the ensemble from the tower. 

In 2022, Mr. Rooney wrote original music for the production, "Illumination" using a bright key and playing with various inversions of a simple motif to evoke an effect like a "shimmer."

In 2023, the production, "Through the Storm" included arrangements of Debussy's "La Mer," and "La Cathédrale Engloutie," Beethoven's "Piano Sonata No. 17 'Tempest'," and Styx's "Come Sail Away." Using these three works, the band told a story of a ship on a joyous voyage soon caught in a storm with its passengers taken into the sea.

For both productions, Mr. Rooney wrote original drill for the entire ensemble; upwards of 80-90 spots on the field. The music and drill stood out to those who saw it as intriguing and a welcome change in style from the other ensembles. The students were given an achievable challenge that offered numerous opportunities for learning through the music and the visual design of the show. 

Unfortunately, few recordings of the band's performances are available. Below are the drill videos the students used as visual aids.