Jerriald Dillard currently serves as the Director of Bands/Percussion Specialist at Oak Ridge High School in the Conroe Independent School District. In addition to his percussion duties, Mr. Dillard instructs the Oak Ridge High School Wind Ensemble.
After graduating from Clements High School under the direction of Larry Matysiak, Mr. Dillard continued his education at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). There, he studied conducting with Matthew McInturf and percussion pedagogy with Doug Rosener and Alec Warren, and was a member of both the symphony orchestra and wind ensemble. He is a 1999 graduate of SHSU with a Bachelor of Music and completed his Masters of Arts in Band Studies at SHSU in 2021.
Under his direction, the Oak Ridge High School Bands have been consistent Sweepstakes Award winners at the UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contest. His percussion ensembles at both Oak Ridge High School and York Junior High have consistently earned first division ratings at regional and state competitions. The Oak Ridge Percussion Ensemble has been selected to perform at several nationally recognized events, including the Bands of America National Percussion Festival in 2005 and the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2007 and 2014. In 2008 and 2015, the percussion ensemble was one of three high school percussion groups in the nation that won the Percussive Arts Society "Call for Tapes" International Percussion Ensemble contest. In addition, the Oak Ridge Percussion Ensemble was the 2013 winner of the Mark of Excellence National Percussion Ensemble contest. In 2019 the Oak Ridge Percussion Ensemble was selected to play at the Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, Washington. Mr. Dillard credits the success of his percussion ensembles to the ability to create consistency between the junior high and high school programs.
Mr. Dillard's professional affiliations include the Percussive Arts Society, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and the honorary music fraternity Phi Beta Mu. He previously served as the Region 9 Representative for the Texas Bandmasters Association, has served as the Chairman of the UIL PML Committee for Class I Percussion Ensembles, and currently serves on the Percussive Arts Society Percussion Ensemble Committee. Mr. Dillard is also an educational endorser for Yamaha Corporation of America, Evans drum heads, Innovative Percussion, and Sabian cymbals. He is a 2007 inductee into Who's Who Among American Teachers.
Dillard resides in the Oak Ridge community with his wife Jennifer, who is also a band director, and their daughters Elizabeth Lee and Jessica Lee.
