Meet our Williams Middle School Orchestra Directors

Ms. Shari Allison

Head Director 

Shari Allison, Orchestra Director
Ms. Allison is currently the Orchestra Director at Williams Middle School. She received her Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley where she taught in the University String Project under Don Hammond and Robert Frost. Upon graduation, she taught in Midland, TX for 17 years. During her tenure in the Midland Independent School District, her orchestras were consistent UIL Sweepstakes Award winners, they were chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York as the 2008 National Youth Concert Feature Performers, and were named “National Festival Champions” at the Capitol Music Festival in Washington D. C. and “Grand Champions” at the Lone Star Showcase of Music in Dallas, Texas.

Since moving to Rockwall, she has taught at Williams Middle School. Her orchestras have been Sweepstakes Award winning performers for 13 years straight. They were also chosen as a TMEA State Full Orchestra Finalist three times. In addition to teaching at Williams Middle School, she also teaches Orchestra at Hamm Elementary School and Nebbie Elementary School.
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She grew up in Colorado, Springs, Colorado and has 2 adult children, Alicia and Benjamin and a sweet Catahula Hound Dog named Ari. She enjoys ALL kinds of cooking shows and loves to cross-stitch.
​Shari Allison, Orchestra Director
Ms. Allison is currentlyt the Orchestra Director at Williams Middle School. She received her Bachelor of Music Education Degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley where she taught in the University String Project under Don Hammond and Robert Frost. Upon graduation, she taught in Midland, TX for 17 years. During her tenure in the Midland Independent School District, her orchestras were consistent UIL Sweepstakes Award winners, they were chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York as the 2008 National Youth Concert Feature Performers, and were named “National Festival Champions” at the Capitol Music Festival in Washington D. C. and “Grand Champions” at the Lone Star Showcase of Music in Dallas, Texas.

Since moving to Rockwall, she has taught at Williams Middle School. Her orchestras have been Sweepstakes Award winning performers for 13 years straight. They were also chosen as a TMEA State Full Orchestra Finalist three times. In addition to teaching at Williams Middle School, she also teaches Orchestra at Hamm Elementary School and Nebbie Elementary School.
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She grew up in Colorado, Springs, Colorado and has 2 adult children, Alicia and Benjamin and a sweet Catahula Hound Dog named Ari. She enjoys ALL kinds of cooking shows and loves to cross-stitch.

Ms. Angela Pendleton

Assistant Director

Ms. Pendleton has been teaching in Rockwall since 2011.  Previously she was the director in the Lakewood area of Dallas at Woodrow Wilson High School and J.L. Long Middle School.

Ms. Pendleton started teaching in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2000.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from The University of Central Oklahoma, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with a Minor in German from Oklahoma City University.

Ms. Pendleton is originally from Oklahoma City.  Both of her parents are retired music educators in OKC. She has two older siblings:  Jeff and his family live in Ventura, CA and Mitch her step-brother lives in OKC.
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Ms. Pendleton has a young piebald dachshund named Bailey.  She is active in Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity for Women, attends First United Methodist Church, enjoys orchestra performances and documentaries about American History and popular culture​

Meet our Rockwall High School Orchestra Directors

Ms. Hannah Smith

Head Director

Mrs. Smith has been the Head Orchestra Director for Rockwall High School since 2020.  Prior to her appointment at Rockwall High School, Mrs. Smith spent one year as the Assistant Orchestra Director at Rockwall-Heath High School.  Before moving to Texas in 2019, Mrs. Smith was the Head Director of Orchestras and AP Music Theory at Overland High School in Colorado.  The OHS orchestra program was on the verge of extinction when Mrs. Smith first began her tenure, but during her five years at OHS, the program more than quadrupled in size.  The orchestras received consistent superior ratings at festivals, and her students became a fixture of Colorado All State Orchestra.  Mrs. Smith is passionate about string music education and feels incredibly fortunate to get to share her love of music with students every single day.

​Mrs. Smith holds a Master of Music degree with an emphasis in conducting from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Music Education degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Colorado at Boulder.  Mrs. Smith's primary instrument is violin, and she has been teaching private lessons since 2007.  She is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association (TODA), and she was previously on the board of directors for Colorado's chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). 

In her spare time, Mrs. Smith enjoys hiking, running, cooking, and being outside.  She also enjoys spending time with her husband Cody and dog Denali.

Mr. Jackson Hocott

Assistant Director

Mr. Hocott is currently the Assistant Orchestra Director at Rockwall High School, as well as, the orchestra teacher at Dobbs and Jones Elementary Schools in Rockwall ISD.  Before coming to Rockwall, he served as the Orchestra Director at Martin Middle School in Austin ISD.

This past fall Mr. Hocott graduated with a Masters of Music at the Center for Music and Human Learning from the University of Texas at Austin, and also has worked as a freelance bass player and private lesson instructor in the Austin/Round Rock area. He has previously worked with organizations like the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, Austin Youth Symphony, and the University of Texas String Project, as well as, playing in the bass section of the Victoria Symphony and Round Rock Symphony. Mr. Hocott holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Arts and Philosophy from Vanderbilt University and has performed in various bluegrass and jazz ensembles all around Nashville and South Texas.

In his free time, he likes to spend time traveling, hiking, fishing, or staying home with his wife and two cats.
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