Associate Director of Bands

Broken Arrow Public Schools

Contact: kjpence@baschools.org

Dr. Kelli Pence has been a director in Broken Arrow since 2008 and currently serves as Associate Director of Bands for the district. Before coming to Broken Arrow, she taught at Marshall University, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Wright State University. Dr. Pence is the conductor of the Broken Arrow HS Symphonic Band 1 & Symphonic Band 2, Assistant Director of the Pride of Broken Arrow Marching Band, and instructor of AP Music Theory.

Dr. Pence’s ensembles have received consistent OSSAA Sweepstakes Awards for excellence on the concert stage and marching field. Her Symphonic Band has been selected to perform as an Honor Ensemble at the Oklahoma Music Educators Association Annual Conference in January 2016.

Dr. Pence earned Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Music Performance degrees from Bowling Green State University, a Master of Music Performance degree from Northwestern University and a Doctorate of Music Performance with an emphasis in wind conducting from Northwestern University. Her principal teachers have included Dr. Frederick L. Hemke, Dr. John Sampen, Dr. Mallory Thompson, and Dr. Ryan T. Nelson.

As a saxophonist, Dr. Pence has performed with the Grant Park Symphony, Elmhurst Symphony, Miami Valley Symphony, was a soloist and chamber performer throughout Italy as part of the Studio Arts Center Internationale and Faenza Festival del Sassofono, and was a soloist and chamber performer in Trondheim, Norway and at Domaine Forget in Canada.

Dr. Pence has served on the brass staff for the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, been a member of the faculty of the National High School Music Institute and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, served as vice-president for the Northeast Oklahoma Band Directors Association, served on several strategic planning committees for the Broken Arrow School District and continues to work around the United States as an adjudicator and clinician.