Meet the Band
Rick Baker
Conductor/Music Director
Arlington Community Band
Rick Baker is in his second year as Conductor and Music Director of the Arlington Community
Band. Prior to his appointment as its Conductor, he played first trumpet in the band for 28 years.
He is finishing his thirty third year as a music educator. Rick retired in 2007 after twenty nine
years of teaching Band in the Arlington I.S.D. He was most recently Director of Bands at James
Bowie High School, where he also served as Head of the Fine Arts Department. Prior to his
tenure at Bowie High School, Mr. Baker taught Junior High School in Arlington for nineteen
years. He has also served as the President of Region 5 of the Texas Music Educators Association
and as the Region 5 U.I.L. Orchestra Chairman. He is an active clinician and adjudicator in the
area. He is a member of Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association,
Phi Beta Mu, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha.
He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, and also holds a Masters in Music from East Texas State University.
Bands under his direction have won numerous First Divisions at U.I.L. competitions, as well as many well-known Festivals throughout the United States. He has had many award winning groups in several different areas, including Concert Band, Marching Band, and Jazz Band.
Mr. Baker is also very active as a professional trumpet player. He played Principal Trumpet with the Wichita Falls Symphony for five seasons and played in the Texas Wind Symphony for fifteen seasons. In addition he has spent twenty-eight years in the Arlington Community Band, and six years in the Collection Jazz Orchestra. He also plays in the Metro Praise Orchestra and The Joshua Experience, two area Christian Big Bands. He also free-lances in local churches and musical theater productions.
He is very active in his retirement, doing many band clinics, judging contests, and playing his trumpet. Mr. Baker has a trumpet studio of 22 trumpet students he teaches each week. Mr. Baker is also an adjunct professor of music at Dallas Baptist University where he teaches classes in Music Education as well as instrumental private lessons.
Piccolo Alto Sax Trombone John Farrell Jeremy Crabtree Arlin Ehrlich
Marit Buesing J Fred Miller Bill Harvick
Adrienne Schuster Lisa Moak
Flute Grady Niblo
Velma Bogart Tenor Sax Sam Polk
Marit Buesing Larry Pardue David Savage
Hillary Bell Michael Weinberger
Paul Busby Baritone Sax
Maggie Clark Dana Rivard Euphonium
Lynn Davis Mario Morales
John Farrell Trumpet Steve Musser
Karen Leach Mike Buesing William Padgett
Laura Nation Mario Casanova Denise Torres
Amanda Perkins Jim Ecabert Larry Wren
Evan Smith Ken Hicks
Olivia Tucker Craig Horner Tuba
Barbara Ward Pedro Mald’nado Brian Fratto
Benny McKee Sawyer Davis
Oboe Mark Pease Ryan Williams
Samantha Abeln Emily Pivoda
June Thompson Rod Rooker Percussion
Chris Sample Mike Askins
Clarinet Lauren Tracey Jonathan Dodd
Bob Fortenbaugh Jacob Tucker Rick Evans
Becky Johnson Jake Harmon
Patricia Kosbab French Horn Justin Myers
Mikhail McDaniels Jessi Fazio Cody Sample
Jean Medley Leslie Garrett Judy Savage
Victoria Parker Robert Gergens
Dana Pilon Renee Goodwin
Regina Rooker Kate Nelson Librarian
Chrissy Sample Jeff Rowland Ed Gutierrez
Ethan Wilbourn
Bass Clarinet Director/Conductor Announcer
Ann Klas Rick Baker J Fred Miller