Joe Heiberger —Director of Bands
Mr. Heiberger is beginning his fifth year as the Director of Bands at Lovinggood Middle School. Before being appointed to the Lovinggood Middle School staff, he was the Director of Bands at Hurst Junior High in Hurst, Texas where he was a proud feeder of the L.D. Bell Band. During his tenure at Hurst, the L.D. Bell Band won two Texas State Marching Championships, several BOA Regional Championships and three top five finishes at BOA Grand Nationals. Under Mr. Heiberger’s direction, the Hurst Junior High Symphonic Winds received consistent Superior ratings and several Sweepstakes awards, as well as straight Superior ratings at the Spring-Fest Music Festival at the Murchison Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton (2004, 2005). Also, the Beginner Band received 6 consecutive years of Superior ratings at the Sandy Lake Music Festival, even winning Most Outstanding Beginner Band in 2002, 2005 and 2006.
Before coming to Hurst Junior High, Mr. Heiberger was on the private lesson faculty of the 1999 TMEA BBB Honor Band, Bedford Junior High under the direction of Mr. Steve Madsen. Before working in HEB, Mr. Heiberger served one year as associate director at Briarhill Middle School in the Lewisville ISD where he taught beginner woodwinds, jazz band and Concert Band. The Briarhill Concert Band was awarded Sweepstakes at UIL for the first time in the schools history. Before moving to Texas, Mr. Heiberger lived on the Mississippi Coast where he served as Director of Bands at Gulfport Central Middle School and Associate Director with the Gulfport High School Band under the direction of Mr. Glen Buckalew. While in Mississippi, Mr. Heiberger was nominated for Mississippi’s Outstanding Young Band Director Award (A.E. McClain) in 1995 & 1998, named Gulfport School District’s Teacher of the Quarter (1998) and awarded the Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association (1996). Mr. Heiberger earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi (1994) where he studied under Mr. Steven Moser and Dr. Thomas Fraschillo. As a saxophonist, Mr. Heiberger studied in the studio of Dr. Lawrence Gwozdz and was a member of the Finale Saxophone Quartet which was named National Champions of the Music Teacher’s National Association Chamber Music Competition (1993), as well as national finalist in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition (1993).
While living in the Ft. Worth area, Mr. Heiberger performed in the Bethesda Community Church Orchestra under the direction of arranger/producer and Minister of Music J. Daniel Smith. As a free lance saxophonist on the Mississippi coast and DFW area, Mr. Heiberger has been fortunate enough to play with artists such as The Temptations, Martha Reeves and The Vandelas, Joan Rivers and Don Rickles.
Michelle Koenig - Associate Director of Bands
Michelle Koenig is the Associate Director of Bands at Lovinggood Middle School in Powder Springs, Georgia in the Cobb County School District. Before the school opening of Lovinggood Middle School in 2006, Michelle was the elementary general music teacher grades K-5 in Cherokee County at Buffington and Free Home Elementary Schools. Michelle graduated from The University of Akron, Ohio in May 2005 with a Bachelor of Music degree. She is a member of Tara Winds Community Band, Cobb Wind Symphony and Atlanta Horns. Michelle is adjunct faculty French Horn professor at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Georgia as well as serving on the Music Education Advisement Committee. She is also a wind technician for the Hillgrove Marching and Symphonic Bands at Hillgrove High School. Michelle has studied with many professional musicians such as Mryon Bloom, Indiana University Horn Professor, Alan DeMattia, Cleveland Orchestra, and William Hoyt, Professor of French Horn at the University of Akron. Her professional affiliations include the Music Education National Conference, Georgia Music Education Association, and Phi Kappa Lamda Honor Fraternity. Currently living in Canton, Georgia Michelle is working on her masters of music education degree from Auburn University, Alabama.
