Choir Director - Jed Hyun Ragsdale
Jed Hyun Ragsdale will begin his twenty-fifth year of teaching and will be starting year seven as the Head Choir Director of the Tomball Memorial High School Wildcat Choir Program. Prior to teaching at TMHS, Jed was the Head Director at Cy-Fair HS from 2005-16, Assistant Director at Jersey Village HS in 2004-05, and Langham Creek HS from 1998-2004. While at Langham Creek, his Varsity Men’s Choir performed at the 2004 Texas Music Educators’ Association Convention. Choirs under Jed’s direction have consistently earned Sweepstakes at UIL, earned Best-in-Class honors at state and national competitions, performed at various invitationals and in 2012 the Cy-Fair HS Chorale was the featured choir to perform at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.
Jed is a frequent choir clinician and adjudicator and has conducted over 40 high school and middle school All-Region and Festival Choirs throughout Texas. He is currently the Texas Music Educators’ Association Vice- President in many capacities such as All-State Mixed Choir Organizer, Vocal Division Clinic Coordinator, Area E Chair, Area F Chair, Region 27 Vocal Division Chair, All-State Choir Section Leader, TMEA Facilities Chair, TCDA Hospitality Chair and TCDA Ways and Means Committee.
Vocal performance credits include Houston Symphony Chorus, The Texas Master Chorale, Choir of St. John the Divine, the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Metropolitan Consort. He is currently the Director of Music at Rosehill Methodist Church.
Jed received a Bachelor of Music from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, studying with Dr. Kenny Sheppard, and a Master of Education in Administration from Lamar University. His life revolves around his two incredible children, Avery, Choir member at Waller High School, and Aidan, Saxophonist in the Waller HS Band.
Jed’s goal for the TMHS Wildcat Choir Program is to not only be recognized at the state level, but the national level, for performance and student leadership.
Associate Choir Director - Jordyn White
Jordyn White is a proud Houstonian and Baylor University graduate entering her third year of teaching, and second at TMHS. Originally from Katy, Jordyn returned to the Houston area as assistant director at South Houston High School, and is excited to return to TMHS where she student taught. In her first year teaching, Jordyn was named New Teacher of the Year for South Houston High School, and District-Wide New High School Teacher of the Year for Pasadena ISD.
While attending Baylor University, Jordyn sang with the Baylor A Cappella Choir and Chamber Singers, and studied under Dr. Stephen Gusukuma and Dr. Lynne Gackle. She participated in many School of Music organizations including the Baylor University Music Educators Association, and ACDA student chapter.
Upon Graduation, Jordyn was named Outstanding Senior Woman in the Baylor School of Music, and was awarded the Choral Music Education Award, TMEA Collegiate Music Educator’s Award, and the Future Educator Scholarship for the Alpha Delta Kappa South Central Region.
Jordyn is very excited to return to the TMHS family as an official Wildcat and begin this school year. Sic ‘em and Go Wildcats!
Private Voice Faculty
Neena Taylor
Neena Taylor is a graduate of the University of Texas at Pan American with a Bachelor of Arts in Voice. She has done post graduate work in voice and conducting at the University of Houston. She has taught in the Cy-Fair Independent School District for 25 years, 24 of those years at Jersey Village High School. Her choirs received consistent sweepstakes awards at UIL Concert and Sightreading and best in class at state festivals. She has presented three workshops at the Texas Choral Directors Convention and conducted numerous region clinics and workshops in the state of Texas.
The Jersey Village Varsity Women, under her direction, performed as an honor choir at the 2003 Texas Music Educators Association Convention. She has been active in the community as a director of church choirs, singing in church choirs, and singing with the Houston Symphony, the former professional Concert Chorale of Houston, and the Houston Chamber Choir. Her professional affiliations include TCDA, ACDA, TMAA, and TMEA.
Currently , Neena Taylor teaches voice at Tomball Memorial High School and several schools in Cy-Fair ISD. She is the accompanist at Heritage Presbyterian Church. She is one of the artistic directors of the semi-professional Casulana Women’s Choir of Houston, established in 2020.
Ms. Taylor has two wonderful daughters and one terrific stepson. She has eight grandchildren, who are a lot of fun, and is also certified to teach yoga.
David Ferguson
David Ferguson, tenor, from Conroe, Texas, is a current resident of Houston, Texas, where he received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Houston Moores School of Music where he studied with Professor Hector Vasquez. While at UH, David performed as “Orpheus” in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, The Mayor in Britten’s Albert Herring, Dandy in Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe, and Trip in the premiere of School for Scandal by Robert Nelson. During his time at UH, he also was given the opportunity to study at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in Leipzig Germany. While there, he sang recitals at the school as well as a part of a summer music series at the Hubertusburg Castle. David is also an active member of the Houston Grand Opera Chorus. You can see him next fall in the Professional American premiere of The Wreckers by Dame Ethyl Smith.
Outside of opera, David also enjoys singing sacred and choral music. Starting in 2016, he began singing for churches all over the Houston area for church services and Evensongs. Most notably, he has performed scenes from Handel’s Messiah and arias from Mendelssohn’s Elijah at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, and he was a part of the professional ensemble Chorus Angelorum for three years. Most recently, David joined the St. Paul’s Choir in their journey to England where they were the choir-in-residence at the Truro Cathedral as well as sang Evensong for St. Paul’s London. He continues to explore new ways to express his love for oratorio and the Sacred repertoire.
Aside from performing himself, David also has become an up-and-coming voice teacher in the Houston area. During his first year, he guided two students to the coveted Texas All-state Choir as well as coached students through musicals, music school auditions, and many other forms of classical and pop music. David’s students have also consistently made superior ratings at Solo and Ensemble contests, advanced to State Solo and Ensemble, and most importantly, learned to become more invested and passionate about music.
Outside of music, David enjoys cooking for friends, continuing to learn the German language, going to the gym, and running. He has a cat named Wallace, and he lives in Uptown Houston.
