Mike Tyer joined the choral department at Friendswood High School as the Assistant Choir Director in Fall of 2013, and continued his work as the Head Choir Director starting in Fall of 2017. Mr. Tyer directs Kantorei, Schola Cantorum, and the Chamber Singers and teaches the AP Music Theory and Applied Music Classes.
During the 2017-2018 school year, Mr. Tyer was a member of the fine arts team that won the NFHS National Performing Arts School of Excellence award. Later that year he brought home the Tommy Tune award for "Best Musical Direction" for his work with the cast of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
During his four years as assistant director, Mr. Tyer was privileged to lead the Concert Men’s Choir and Bel Canto. Together with his friend and mentor, Janwin Overstreet-Goode, (Past-President of TMEA and former Head Choir Director at FHS), Mr. Tyer’s ensembles received the highest ratings and sweepstakes each year in annual UIL competitions.
Prior to his tenure at Friendswood, Mr. Tyer taught at Lufkin High School in Lufkin, Texas for 10 years as Head Choir Director. His choirs were consistent sweepstakes winners, and performed and competed in many cities including San Antonio, Dallas, Orlando, and New York. Many of his singers were successful in the local and state Solo & Ensemble competitions, and annually represented the school as members of the Texas All-State Choir. Several former students have become successful choir directors, teachers, performers, and composers.
In addition to his duties as Choir Director at both Lufkin and Friendswood High Schools, Mr. Tyer has also assisted with the campus-wide Musical productions each year. Some of his favorite shows have been, “Annie Get Your Gun” and “The King And I” in Lufkin, and “Beauty And The Beast” and “Les Miserables” at Friendswood.
Mr. Tyer is passionate about music education and is proud to be able to serve as the Head Choir Director.
Melissa Smith is in her twenty-fourth year of education, and her twentieth year of teaching Choir in Friendswood ISD. Since Fall 2017, she has been the Assistant Director of Choirs at Friendswood High School. Her choirs have been consistent Sweepstakes and Superior ratings recipients at University Interscholastic League contests, and each year an impressive number of her students represent Friendswood well in the All-State process. In 2018, Mrs. Smith, along with her colleague Mike Tyer, won the Tommy Tune Award for Best Musical Direction for Friendswood High School’s production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
In her second year of teaching, Mrs. Smith was honored with the FISD Making a Difference Award, which recognizes teachers for going above and beyond to be a positive figure in the lives of students. In 2010, Mrs. Smith was voted Friendswood JH's Teacher of the Year and the 2010 Friendswood ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year. Under Mrs. Smith's direction, the FJH Chamber Choir performed by invitation at the TMEA Convention in San Antonio in February 2010. In 2025-2026, Mrs. Smith was honored with the Mustang Mile, an award at Friendswood High School where educators recognize those that “go the extra mile” make a significant difference in the lives of students. In 2026, Mrs. Smith created and directed "Rooted in Resilience", a musical presentation about Friendswood ISD's history, for FISD School Board President Tony Hopkins' term as President of the Texas Association of School Boards.
Mrs. Smith is a highly sought-after UIL judge, Region clinician, and presenter for district inservices and state convention clinics. Her husband, Brian, is a former choir director, and today works as the Network Administrator for Technology Services in Friendswood ISD. They have three children: Aubrey (20), Elaine (15; a sophomore at FHS in Schola Cantorum & AcaBellas), and Bennett (9).