Lisa Butts
Band Director
Lisa Butts retired after 19 years as Director of Bands at Hanford West High School, and 33 years of teaching overall. Mrs. Butts attended the College of Sequoias in Visalia earning her Associate of Arts Degree in 1981. She finished her Bachelor of Arts in Music at California State University, Fresno in 1983. In 1998 she completed her Master's Degree in Music from Southern Oregon University. While completing her Master's Degree she played under such notable conductors as Frederick Fennell, John Bourgeois, and Alfred Reed.
Mrs. Butts has also continued to study conducting under the tutelage of Robert Halseth, Stan DeRusha, Mallory Thompson, Jerry Junkin, Craig Kirchoff, John Whitwell, and H. Robert Reynolds. She is currently a free-lance trumpet player and plays with several groups including the Sequoia Winds and The Hal Magnie Big Band. She is also the Symphonic Band conductor for La Sierra Creative Arts Camp.
She is active as an adjudicator throughout the Central Valley and was the guest conductor for the Fresno Madera County Music Educator’s Jr. High Honor Jazz Band in 1998, 2006 and 2016. She has also conducted the Tulare Kings Music Educators Association Honor Jazz Band in 2001, 2006, 2009 and 2015 and the Stanislaus Music Educators Association High School Honor Jazz Band in 2019.
She also conducted the Tulare Kings Music Educators Jr. High Honor Concert Band in 2002 and 2018, the Bakersfield City Schools Jr. High Honor Band in 2011 and the Madera City Schools Jr. High Honor Band in 2019.
Awards Received:
1997 American Band College, Band World Select Project
2004 California Music Educators Association Central Section Byron Hoyt Band Award
2005 California Music Educators Association Central Section Music Educator of the Year
2005 Wal-Mart Teacher of the Year for Kings County
2006 California Band Directors Association’s Distinguished Service Award
2008 Tulare/Kings Music Educators Association Hall of Fame Award
2008 California Music Educators Association Central Section Jazz Educator of the Year
2008 California Music Educators Association Jazz Educator for the state
2011 Tulare/Kings Music Educators Association Outstanding Music Educator Award
2012 Inducted into the John Philip Sousa Legion of Honor
2014 Hanford Joint Union High School District Teacher of the Year
2015 Kings County Teacher of the Year
2016 Grammy Quarterfinalist
2017 California Band Directors Lifetime Achievement Award
2020 California Alliance for Jazz Hall of Fame Award
Professional Affiliations:
Tulare/Kings Music Educators Association-Past President
California Music Educators Association, Central Section-Past President
California Band Directors Association-Past President
California Alliance for Jazz-Past President
Mrs. Butts is an adjunct professor of music at West Hills College. She has a cool husband Bill, and two cats: Sweets-Pouncer and Molly