Gary Barnard is currently the Director of Fine Arts and UIL Academics for Waxahachie ISD.
Prior to joining WISD he was an Assistant Principal at Colleyville Heritage High School. Among other duties, he primarily supported and supervised the Fine Arts and Special Education departments.
Before moving into educational administration, Gary was a band director in Texas for 18 years, most recently serving as Director of Bands at Colleyville Heritage High School.
He has also taught and directed bands in McKinney ISD, Carroll ISD, Denton ISD, and Birdville ISD.
His ensembles have consistently experienced competitive success on stages and in stadiums, including UIL State Marching Band Finalists, UIL Honor Band Area Finalist, Bands of America Regional and Super Regional Finalists, the Mark of Excellence National and Commended Winners, the Medal of Distinction “Maestro Award” National Winner, and more. His ensembles typically produced state leading numbers of Texas All State musicians.
His 2022-2023 Wind Ensemble was also selected to perform as a featured performer at the 2024 Music for All National Festival in Indianapolis.
He has served as the TMEA Jazz Chair for both Regions 5 and 31.
Gary is a graduate of Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he received his Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas at Arlington and his Master of Educational Administration from the University of North Texas.
As a tuba player, Gary has been involved with Drum Corps International and performed with the Colts and Phantom Regiment. He has served as a brass instructor for Phantom Regiment and the Troopers. He was a consultant for Dust Storm Indoor Winds, a performance ensemble at Tarrant County College.
He is currently part of the instructional teams for both the Crossmen and Genesis.
He is the owner and operator of Front Hash Marching, LLC., a clothing company offering apparel geared towards the marching arts.
He is an active clinician and adjudicator.
Gary is married to Daphne Barnard, a Biology teacher in Carroll ISD. They currently live in Fort Worth, Texas, with their sons Daniel and Brentwood.
Email Gary Barnard
The Waxahachie ISD Department of Fine Arts offers an array of visual and performing arts programs including art, band, choir, and theatre arts as part of the required Enrichment Curriculum by the Texas Education Agency. These programs ensure that our students receive rigorous and high-quality arts training while simultaneously developing critical social, emotional, and collaborative skill sets through leadership, performance, competition, and extra/co-curricular participation. Specific inquiries and information may be directed to the district's administrative Fine Arts office at (972) 923-4631.
