Meet the Director

Director of Orchestras, Rachel Richardson                  

Ms. Rachel Richardson has been Director of Orchestras at Strickland since the 2022-23 school year. Prior to her time at Strickland, she taught at Harpool Middle School, as well as in Fort Worth ISD. In addition to her work as an orchestra director, she maintains a small studio of private cello students, provides sectionals and coaching for local groups, and works as a freelance musician. 

A Denton native, Ms. Richardson is a proud graduate of Ginnings Elementary, Strickland Middle School, and Ryan High School, where she participated in All-State and All-Region Orchestras, as well as the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Brigham Young University, where she studied with Julie Bevan, and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas, under the direction of the late Eugene Osadchy. 

Ms. Richardson is an expressive musician and a dedicated music educator, and has performed and taught in the United States and internationally. One of her greatest joys as a teacher is to see her students fall in love with new pieces or styles of music. 

In her free time, Ms. Richardson enjoys baking (especially brownies and bread!), hiking, reading and writing, being outdoors, and spending time with her spouse, Andy, and their two children, Miles and Benjamin. They have two cats, named Annie and Dudley, and two dogs, named Brooklyn and Bruno.