Sparky Koerner

Sparky Koerner ('76 M.M.Ed.), Texas City was re-appointed chair of the fine arts department at the College of the Mainland in Texas City, where he's worked for 31 years. He is still involved in teaching and directing the concert band, jazz combo and jazz ensemble. He also plays with the Galveston Symphony Orchestra and The Galvanized Brass and leads Sparky's Jazz Express. One of his favorite memories of his time at North Texas was working in the lab band office under the direction of Leon Breeden. “If I wasn’t in class or directing one of the lab bands, I had the opportunity to hear many of the fine musicians that performed in the bands.”