Holly Taylor
Mrs. Holly Taylor serves as the head band director for the Wylie East High School Band.
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Taylor brings a wealth of experience and success to Wylie East. Since 2014, she has served as Director of Bands at Sachse High School in Garland ISD, where her ensembles consistently earned top honors, including Mark of Excellence Commended recognitions in 2021, 2022, and 2024, and a National Winner title in 2023. Under her leadership, the Sachse marching band advanced to the UIL State Marching Band Contest in both 2021 and 2024.
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Taylor holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to her time at Sachse, Taylor served as the Assistant Band Director and Color Guard Director at Lakeview Centennial High School for seven years. She also taught band at Naaman Forest High School, and Webb Middle School and instructed color guards at Waxahachie, Midlothian, and Pampa High Schools. In addition to her campus leadership, Taylor serves as the TMEA Region 3 Band Chair, overseeing regional band events, managing budgets, and organizing high school auditions.
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Mrs. Taylor and her family proudly call Wylie home, where their children attend Wylie ISD schools. Her husband, Daniel, is also a dedicated band director in the district.
Molly Leonard
Ms. Molly Leonard serves as an Associate Band Director for the Wylie East High School Band. Her responsibilities include directing the concert bands and Jazz Collective, team-teaching the Pride of the East Marching Band, and assisting with all other aspects of the band program.
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​Ms. Leonard is a graduate of Prosper High School and holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education Degree from Texas Christian University. At TCU, Ms. Leonard studied saxophone with Mr. Joseph Eckert and Mr. Allen Cordingley and performed in the Wind Symphony and Jazz Ensembles. Ms. Leonard also served as a drum major for the Horned Frog Marching Band and as President of Kappa Kappa Psi. Before joining the Wylie East Band staff, Ms. Leonard was a student teacher at Timber Creek High School and Timberview Middle School in Keller, Texas.
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Ms. Leonard is also a staff member at the Young Saxophonist’s Institute, a Texas-based saxophone camp. Her professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Kappa Kappa Psi.
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In her free time, Ms. Leonard likes to cook and spend time with friends, family, and her cat Spooky.
Hayden Nicholson
Mr. Hayden Nicholson serves as an Assistant Band Director for the Wylie East High School Band. His responsibilities include conducting the concert bands, team-teaching the Pride of the East Marching Band, and assisting with all other aspects of the band program.
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Prior to his appointment at Wylie East, Mr. Nicholson served as an Assistant Band Director at Wylie High School during the spring of 2025, where he conducted the Symphonic Band and contributed to all aspects of the band program.
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Originally from Lindale, Texas, Mr. Nicholson is a graduate of Lindale High School and Texas Christian University (TCU), where he earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree, graduating Cum Laude. He completed his student teaching at Marcus High School in Lewisville ISD.
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While at TCU, Mr. Nicholson studied trumpet with Dr. Jon Burgess and was an active member of the Horned Frog Marching Band, serving as brass section leader. He also performed with the TCU Wind Symphony under the direction of Mr. Bobby Francis and was a member of the TCU Trumpet Ensemble, which competed in the National Trumpet Competition and participated in the International Trumpet Guild Conference.
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Mr. Nicholson’s musical journey also includes his time at Tyler Junior College (TJC), where he studied trumpet with Mr. Micah Bell and served as drum major of the Apache Marching Band. During his time at TJC, he was an active member of Jazz Ensemble I, the TJC Trumpet Ensemble, and the TJC Wind Ensemble.
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In his free time, Mr. Nicholson enjoys traveling and spending time with his friends and family.
He is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and the Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA).
Mr. Nick Guiliano is an Assistant Band Director and Director of Percussion for the Wylie East High School Band cluster.
Mr. Tyler Stewart serves as the Assistant Director of Percussion for the Wylie East High School Band cluster.
He is an experienced percussion educator, arranger, and audio engineer originally from Huntington, WV. He has taught and mentored percussion students across various school districts in Texas, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Ohio, including Kennedale ISD, Mesquite ISD, and Venus ISD, and has directed front ensembles at schools such as Ravenwood High School (TN), Hurricane High School (WV), and Avon Lake High School (OH). He has also worked with Cap City Indoor Percussion and Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps.
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Mr. Stewart holds a Bachelor's in Music Performance from Marshall University, where he was involved in a variety of musical ensembles. He also studied Brazilian percussion and culture at the Universidade Federal de Goiás in Brazil. He briefly pursued a Master's in Audio Engineering at Belmont University in Nashville, where he expanded his knowledge of sound design and worked on projects such as The Wood Brothers' album One Drop of Truth.
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As a professional musician, Mr. Stewart has performed with the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, in multiple musical theater productions, and with Music City Drum Corps and Gateway Indoor as a vibraphone, marimba, and drum set player.
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Outside of music, Mr. Stewart enjoys walking, exploring the Dallas-Fort Worth area, sipping coffee, and spending time with his two cats, Sombra and Cleo. He is also a fan of IndyCar, Formula 1, and hockey. Mr. Stewart is passionate about contributing to the success of Wylie ISD and its music programs.
Damien Waites
Mr. Damien Waites is the Color Guard Director for the Wylie East High School Band cluster.
Damien Waites was born and raised in Dallas, TX. He studied Music Education at Tyler Junior College, General Studies at Collin College, and is currently attending Dallas College.
Mr. Waites' guard career began as a technician for Sachse High School a year after graduation. He then went on to direct and work as a technician at schools such as Plano East High School, Rockwall High School, Mansfield High School, Midlothian High School, and Anna High School.
As for his performance career, he marched with Insignia Performing Arts Concepts in 2018, Black Gold Open in 2019, and Black Gold World in 2020.
Outside of Color Guard, Mr. Waites enjoys movies, music, art, traveling with family and friends, and anything outdoors!
Mr. Waites is so excited to begin his journey with the POTE and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Kathy McAlister
Mrs. Kathy McAlister serves as the Fine Arts Administrative Assistant for Wylie East High School Fine Arts.
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