Ms. Taylor was born and raised in Atlanta, GA where she started playing the double bass in 6th grade Beginning Orchestra.  She recieved her bachelor's degree in Music Education from Stetson University in DeLand, FL.  From there, she moved to Las Vegas to begin her teaching career where she lived and taught orchestra for 14 years.  Four years ago, family and friends persuaded Ms. Taylor to move here to Plano, TX and she is so glad she did!  She loves this area and loves teaching at Renner Middle School.  She also loves being closer with my family, loves her dogs, and loves ice cream and tacos!

Emily De La Torre currently serves as the Orchestra Director at Rice Middle School in Plano, Texas. Under her direction, the Rice Middle School Orchestras have earned numerous UIL Sweepstakes Awards, and the Chamber Orchestra was recently selected as the 2025 TMEA Honor String Orchestra. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Texas Christian University and a Master of Music and Human Learning degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

Mrs. De La Torre’s journey in music began at the age of three when she started playing the violin under her mother's guidance. She is a proud graduate of Plano East Senior High, where she held the position of concertmaster for the 2005 TMEA String Honor Orchestra performance under the direction of Betsy Thomas and earned the impressive accolade of being a two-time member of the Texas All-State Orchestra.

Apart from her teaching responsibilities, Emily enjoys spending time with her family  and remains an active violinist, performing frequently with the Allen Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and local churches.

Michelle Kong is the Director of Orchestras at Creek Valley Middle School in Lewisville ISD, a position she has held since 2018. Under her leadership, the Creek Valley Middle School Orchestra program has experienced significant growth, doubling in size. Prior to this, Ms. Kong served as the Director of Orchestras at Dan F. Long Middle School and Ted Polk Middle School in Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD for 20 years, where her orchestras consistently earned Sweepstakes ratings at UIL competitions and local festivals.

Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Ms. Kong earned her Bachelor’s of Music Education from the University of Texas at Arlington. An active clinician, she has presented multiple clinics for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association (TODA) on topics such as ‘Recruitment and Retention’ and ‘Teaching Vibrato.’ She is also a member of the Texas Music Adjudicator Association and works as an adjudicator and clinician in addition to her teaching role.

Outside of her professional work, Ms. Kong enjoys cooking and spending time with her family and friends. She is the proud mother of her son, Ian, who is currently attending Texas A&M University.