B.S. Music Ed. Texas A&M University-Commerce

M.Ed. The University of Texas at Arlington 

Mrs. Whitehouse is in her eighteenth year of teaching and her fifth year as Director of Bands at Cross Timbers Middle School.  At Cross Timbers Middle School, Mrs. Whitehouse conducts the Honors Band, assists with the Symphonic Band, and teaches beginner trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba classes.

Prior to joining GCISD and Cross Timbers Middle School, Mrs. Whitehouse served as a band director in Irving ISD, Duncanville ISD, and spent the majority of her career teaching in Highland Park ISD at Highland Park Middle School and McCulloch Intermediate School. During her time in Highland Park, the HPMS bands earned consistent first divisions ratings at UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contests and were named a Commended Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Contest. The bands also received unanimous superior ratings at a variety of festivals and contests. In addition to teaching at MIS/HPMS, she also assisted with the Highland Park High School “Highlander” Marching Band. Mrs. Whitehouse was a recipient of the “Heart at Work Award” in HPISD for the 2019-2020 school year. Before joining the HPISD band staff, she served on the band staff at Richardson High School.

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Mrs. Whitehouse holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Mrs. Whitehouse has served on the Texas Music Educators Association State Board as the Region 20 Secretary and currently serves as the TMEA Region 31 Secretary. Her professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Texas Music Adjudicators Association.

B.M. Music Ed. University of North Texas

Ms. Nalbandian is in her third year of teaching at Cross Timbers Middle School. Her responsibilities include directing the Symphonic Band, assisting with the Honors Band, and teaching beginner woodwind classes.

Ms. Nalbandian is from Lewisville, Texas and graduated from Lewisville High School. In 2024, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's in Music Education from the University of North Texas. During her time at UNT, she had the opportunity to study clarinet under Professor Deborah Fabian and perform in several different ensembles, including the Green Brigade, where she served as drum major for two years. While in college, Ms. Nalbandian also taught clarinet private lessons and enjoyed being a marching technician for multiple high school bands.

Her professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Bandmasters Association.

In her free time, Ms. Nalbandian enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her pets, friends, and family.

Caleb Hinz is the percussion director for the Grapevine High School band cluster, including Cross Timbers and Grapevine Middle Schools.

Mr. Hinz was born and raised in Texas, where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of North Texas. During his time at UNT, Mr. Hinz was able to study with many great percussionists, such as Sandi Rennick, Mark Ford, Stephen Barnes, and the late Christopher Deane. Mr. Hinz has performed with a number of highly regarded collegiate and professional groups such as the UNT Wind Orchestra, the Dallas Metropolitan Winds, The Dallas Brass Band, and the UNT Percussion Ensemble.

As an educator, Mr. Hinz has worked with multiple school districts in the DFW area, including Mesquite ISD, Irving ISD, Keller ISD, and Frisco ISD. Prior to this position, Mr. Hinz served as the assistant percussion director for Walnut Grove High School in Prosper ISD.

Mr. Hinz and his wife, Kaylee, reside in Roanoke, Texas, with their two children, Hudson and Charlotte. 

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Paul Martini serves as the Assistant Director of Percussion at Grapevine High School. This is his first year teaching full time, though he has more than 10 years of experience as a part-time drumline instructor with a variety of high schools and independent percussion organizations.

Mr. Martini holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a concentration in percussion from the University of North Texas. While at UNT, he studied with Mark Ford, Paul Rennick, Sandi Rennick, Dave Hall, Stockton Helbing, Jose Aponte, and others. He performed with more than 13 ensembles during his time there, including the UNT Steel Band, UNT Symphony Orchestra, and UNT Percussion Ensemble.

He has also performed with and taught for numerous indoor and outdoor marching ensembles, including Impact Percussion from 2015 to 2022, the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps from 2015 to 2016, Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets in 2018, and Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in 2019. In 2021, he also served on staff with the Columbians. As an educator, Mr. Martini prioritizes musical excellence as a way to develop determination, passion, and teamwork in his students.

Mr. Martini and his wife, Brianna live in Denton and enjoy spending time outdoors, walking their dog, and rock climbing. ​