McMillen Band Directors
Travis Harris, Director of Bands
Mr. Travis is excited to be joining the McMillen High School Band as the Director of Band for the 2025-2026 school year. He's ready to jump in and continue the proud tradition of excellence at MHS, and reinforce the core values of the band - class, manners, kindness, respect, pride, and a positive attitude, with the goal of elevating the musicianship of every student and the success of the band program.
Mr. Travis E. Harris is originally from the Texas Gulf coast area where he attended Lamar University and received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Trombone Performance. From there he attended The University of North Texas in pursuit of a Master of Music Degree in Jazz Studies where he was a member of the award winning and nationally acclaimed Two O’clock Lab Band. In the interim, Mr. Harris earned his Texas Teaching Certification in Music EC-12 and became a full-time teacher. He has resided in the Denton area since 1993 and enjoys spending time with his wife, Maria, and their four children Michael, Jonathan, Abby and Travy.
Mr. Harris was a full time professional musician for nearly 20 years. During this time, he became very well known nationally as a trombonist, musical director and writer/arranger for live performances and concerts as well as studio appearances. Mr. Harris has toured nationally and internationally with the Bill Tillman Band, based in Dallas, and performed with groups such as The Temptations, The Fifth Dimension, Percy Sledge and The Platters, The O’Jays and many more. He has many national awards including Two Downbeat Magazine DB awards, Two Dove Award Nomination and Two Grammy Award Nominations.
Travis still performs publicly on average three nights per week and has been voted the 5-time winner of the Top Cover Trombonist in Dallas by Music Snippets Forum. In addition to being a free-lance musician he continues to make public school and university concert appearances as a guest soloist, clinician and guest conductor.
In addition to his hectic public performance schedule, Travis is a highly sought after clinician for Middle and High School Wind and Jazz bands.
Lindsay Barnhill, Assistant Director
Ms. Barnhill is a graduate of Plano East Senior High School and went on to study Music Education at the University of Arkansas. During her time at the U of A, she studied horn with Dr. Timothy Thompson and was a member of several ensembles. She was a member of the University of Arkansas Wind Ensemble under Dr. Chris Knighten, as well as a member of the University of Arkansas Wind Symphony under Mr. W Dale Warren.
In addition to Ms. Barnhill’s concert band experience, she was also a member of several other university ensembles including the Razorback Marching Band under Dr. Ben Lorenzo and Dr. Jamal Duncan, the Schola Cantorum and Women’s Chorus under the direction of Dr. Stephen Caldwell, and the University Symphony Orchestra under Dr. Robert Mueller. Ms. Barnhill also spent time as a performer with the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps in 2016.
Ms. Barnhill student taught at Fayetteville High School and Ramay Junior High School in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In addition to student teaching, she served as a visual instructor for the Bentonville High School Marching Band. She also worked for the Faulkner Performing Arts Center as an Assistant Stage Manager for various performers and ensembles.
Ms. Barnhill's professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association and Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority.
KRISTINE LEPOW - Color Guard Instructor
Kristine Lepow started Color Guard in 8th grade at Carmel Middle School in Carmel, IN. She went on to march with the Carmel Color guard for all four years of high school, during which they won ISSMA (Indiana State School Music Association) State Championships, BOA Grand National Championships, Winter Guard International World Finals, and several other competitions. She then went on to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University, where she marched with the Purdue All American Band.
Kristine moved to Plano, TX with her husband following college in the summer of 2018. After completing her Texas Teachers Alternative Certification program in Family and Consumer Sciences (6-12), she began teaching at Bryan Adams High School and Leadership Academy in 2019, moving to Plano East Senior High School to teach Introductions to Culinary Arts and Lifetime Nutrition and Wellness from 2021-2023. She helped teach their color guard in 2021 and winter of 2022.. In fall of 2022, she began her time instructing our Color Guard program here, then in 2023, she started her teaching career here at McMillen serving as the primary Family and Consumer Science teacher in addition to instructing our color guard program.
Elizabeth Capeto - Drumline Director & Percussion specialist
Mrs. Capeto is a born-and-raised Plano native, graduating from Plano East Senior High School in 2014. She studied for her Bachelors in Music Education with a Percussion Emphasis at West Texas A&M and Brigham Young University.
She was a member of the decorated Symphonic Band, under the direction of Don LeFevre, Brass Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and the Buffalo Marching Band as section leader of the tenor drums. Performances included honors performances at TMEA and CBDNA, premiering works by John Mackey and BJ Brooks. She was a member of the BYU Wind Ensemble, serving as principle percussionist, under the direction of Don Peterson and Shawn Smith, Cougar Marching Band in the tenor section, Percussion Ensemble, and Chamber Orchestra, serving as principle percussionist on their European Tour. She joined the BYU Drumline staff in 2023.
Before returning home to Texas in 2024, Mrs. Capeto has been teaching percussion with Timpanogos High, Orem High, Mountain View High, and their feeder middle schools, in Orem, UT since 2020. The Timpanogos HS Wind Ensemble made an honors performance at UMEA in 2023, and the Orem City Marching Band won the State Championships and Music Caption in 2022. She was also the co-director of the Provo HS Indoor Drumline in 2021, taking 2nd place at the IMPA State Championships. Mrs. Capeto enjoys keeping ties with her previous schools by writing marching band drill for the Orem City Marching Band.
