Guest Conductors

Jennifer Adams has taught 5th and 6th Grade Band at Vernon Middle School in Marion since 2017. She previously taught 6-8th Grade Band at Roosevelt Middle School in Cedar Rapids, and has also taught 5-12th Grade Band in Springville, Iowa; and Custer, South Dakota. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education and Saxophone Performance from Augustana University (SD), and her Master of Music degree in Music Education from the University of South Dakota. She also holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Morningside University, and is a National Board Certified Teacher of Music - Band. 

When Mrs. Adams was a young musician, she was excited to begin her musical journey by taking piano lessons, starting at age six. She was thrilled to join band in the fifth grade, where she played the tenor saxophone. When she first started playing, her instrument was just about as big as she was! She learned the flute and clarinet in high school so she could "double" in jazz band, and then learned how to play the rest of the band instruments in college. She was a busy student, musician, and athlete in her high school days in North Dakota. She was an honor student, and active in band, choir, cross country, track, and robotics. In college, she was a member of the Augustana Band and Northlanders Jazz Band, where she had the privilege of performing in Minneapolis, New York City, Washington, D.C., Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. She is thankful for the many travel opportunities and lifelong friendships that have been developed due to her participation in band throughout the years.

As a music educator, Mrs. Adams maintains professional memberships in the Iowa Bandmasters Association, Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association, Jazz Educators of Iowa, Iowa Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education. She serves as the NEIBA Elementary Affairs Chair, was the 2023 recipient of the NEIBA Phillip Sehmann Excellence in Teaching Award, and is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor. Bands under her direction receive consistent superior ratings and regional honors, have marched in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, and have performed at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference. She enjoys playing saxophone in area jazz and concert bands, and loves to run, read, and travel in her spare time. She lives in Marion with her husband, Tony, a software engineer; children, Archer (8); Everett (6); Harrison (3); and shih-tzu, Leo.

Tyler Winkey is a middle school band director at Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School, where he teaches and directs 7th grade band, 8th grade band, and 8th grade jazz band. Mr. Winkey and the 5th/6th grade band director, Mr. Amsberry, co-teach 5th-8th grade bands.

Mr. Winkey graduated from Aplington-Parkersburg High School in 2008. After graduation, he attended Wartburg College and received a Bachelor of Music Education (B.M.E.) degree in K-12 Music with a Leadership minor in 2012. In 2020, he received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Morningside College.

Upon graduating from Wartburg College, Mr. Winkey accepted a shared teaching position between Aplington-Parkersburg and AGWSR Schools from 2012-2017. At A-P, Tyler taught 5th grade band, 6th grade band, and a 6th grade music history class; and  was the high school band director at AGWSR. While there, he doubled the student enrollment of the high school band program at AGWSR, re-introduced marching and jazz programs, and established a strong presence at solo/ensemble contest; with over half the events receiving Division I ratings. His high school bands also received nothing but Division I ratings each year at Large Group Contest. Mr. Winkey accepted the 5th & 6th grade band director position at Waverly-Shell Rock in 2017. He then transitioned to 7th and 8th grade bands in 2023.

He is an active music adjudicator and enjoys judging local, district, and state events. Mr. Winkey is a proud, third generation graduate of Wartburg College, studying trombone under Dr. Craig Hancock. 

Mr. Winkey grew up with the band room being a very familiar place. His dad, Randy Winkey, was the middle school band director at Aplington-Parkersburg for many years; and still directs the 5th grade band and 7th/8th grade jazz band on a part-time basis. 

Outside of teaching, Mr. Winkey loves to travel, volunteer at local organizations, and spend quality time with friends and family. He is a proud twin dad to boys, Corbin and Slater. When he’s not chasing the twins around, he enjoys staying active and competes in triathlons of all distances. Each spring, he dusts off his tennis racket and serves as a volunteer boys high school tennis coach at W-SR. 

Tyler and his wife, Kelsey, live in Cedar Falls, with Corbin and Slater and a Cavapoo pup named Herky.