Howard Summers was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has lived in Utah since 1991. He holds a Bacchelor's in Music Education and a Master's in Trumpet Performance from the University of Utah. He is the Director of Bands at Skyridge High School, Lehi Junior High and Viewpoint Middle School. Howard has served in UMEA as VP of Band and VP of Jazz. He is the lead Brass designer at Cannonball Musical Instruments. He has been nominated as teacher of the year at every school he has taught and was the UHSAA Heart of the Arts recipient for the state of Utah in 2019. His groups consistently rank among the best in the state in Band, Jazz and Marching. Besides music, he maintains a large list of interests: plants/gardening, real estate, car restoration, mountain biking, hi-fi speaker building, wood working, cooking, and languages. He and his wife are raising their 6 children in Lehi.
Lea Nelson recently joined the band team at Lehi Jr High and Viewpoint Middle School after teaching at Willowcreek Middle school as the assistant director for four years. Before teaching at Willowcreek, Lea was the Band Director at Timberline Middle School and Mountain Ridge Jr. High in Alpine School District before taking a 10 year "break" to be a stay-at-home mom to her four boys. She is thrilled to be part of the band program in the Skyridge cluster!
Mrs. Nelson graduated from Brigham Young University in Music Education and is currently pursuing a Master's degree at BYU. She grew up in a musical home and always dreamed of being a band director just like her dad. While at BYU, she traveled with the Wind Symphony to destinations such as Taiwan, Philippines, China, Finland, Baltic States, and Russia as well as State-side destinations. She continues to teach clarinet lessons privately and especially loves working with young students.
In her free time (who are we kidding, there is no free time), Mrs. Nelson is busy with her four boys or you can find her on a bike (mtn or road), reading a book, baking (sweets and sourdough bread), or traveling.
Leslie Sampson was born and raised in Provo, Utah, where she fell in love with Band. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Brigham Young University, where she played principal clarinet in the Wind Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestra. She also served as a drum major for the BYU Marching Band for three years. In April 2020, Mrs. Sampson graduated with a Master’s Degree in Conducting from the University of Utah, under the direction of Scott Hagen. She is beyond grateful to now be teaching Band at Viewpoint Middle School and Skyridge High School. Before working at Skyridge, Mrs. Sampson taught at Willowcreek Middle School and Bonneville Junior High where she helped her groups earn superior ratings at various festivals.
Mrs. Sampson loves teaching Band with her husband, Bradley. They are thrilled to be raising their darling daughter, Penelope, who is destined to become a band nerd. Mrs. Sampson also loves baking, solving Rubik’s cubes blindfolded, and the color green.
Bradley Sampson is a marching arts designer based in Utah Valley. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in music education from Brigham Young University in 2017 and a Master's Degree in horn performance from the University of Utah in 2021. His compositions, arrangements, and drill designs have helped numerous bands win state championships and place in BOA regional finals. In addition to composing music and writing drill for marching bands, he maintains an active schedule of performances, clinics, and adjudication. Bradley has assisted with designing for and instructing the Skyridge marching band since the school opened in 2016. He especially loves teaching alongside Mrs. Sampson.
