Meet the Band Directors

Mrs. Steber is in her 29th year of teaching band in Katy ISD. A charter member of the Beckendorff faculty, she opened the Bear Band Program in 2004. Under her leadership the Beckendorff Band has been a consistent recipient of the Sweepstakes Award at UIL Concert and Sight Reading Evaluation, was named a National Winner of the National Wind Band Honors Competition in 2013,  and has advanced to the Area level of the TMEA Honor Band, most recently in 2025.

Mrs. Steber received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from West Texas A&M University where she studied with Dr. Gary Garner. Her professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and the Texas Music Adjudicators Association.  

This year she will be the lead director for the Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Beginner Clarinet, and Beginner French Horn classes. She will assist with the Honor and Symphonic Band. 

Mrs. Steber resides in Katy with her musical family. Her husband, Brenden Steber, is a band director at Beck JH in Katy ISD and her son is a trombone performance major at Baylor University. In her spare time she enjoys crochet, reading, and playing the french horn in church and community orchestras.

Mr. Churak Simpson (Mr. CS) is in his 7th year of teaching at Beckendorff Junior High, where he has served teaching beginning brass and percussion, as well as the Jazz Band and the Symphonic Band since 2019. This year, he is excited to add the Beginning Euphonium/Tuba class, as well as the Honor Band!

He is a native of north Texas, and graduated from Summit High School in the Mansfield/Arlington area. Afterwards, he obtained his Bachelor of Music Education magna cum laude from the University of Houston Moore’s School of Music where he was a member of the Wind Ensemble, Opera Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, Cougar Brass basketball band, and Spirit of Houston Marching Band. Mr. Churak Simpson has taught private lessons and worked as a marching band clinician around the Houston area in Tomball, Crosby, Pearland, and Katy. He is an active member of the Texas Music Educators Association and Texas Bandmasters Association.

He currently resides in Katy with his wife Marissa and their cat Toast. Mr. CS is very excited for another year of teaching and making music! 

Go Bears!

Mrs. Kemp is in her sixth year of teaching at Beckendorff Junior High. After attending elementary school overseas and beginning band in Saudi Arabia, she moved to Katy and attended junior high and high school here in the district. She received her Bachelor of the Arts in Music from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, where she graduated summa cum laude.

Mrs. Kemp taught private flute lessons for many years. At school this year she will be teaching the Symphonic Band and Beginner Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, and Saxophone, as well as assisting the other performing bands. She is also the Fine Arts Department Chair.

Mrs. Kemp lives in Katy with her husband, three children, and their dog. Both a band director and a band mom, she has children in band and orchestra programs at other schools in Katy ISD. When not teaching band classes, she enjoys playing flute with a local community band.