About Us

About the Ensemble, School and Klein Community

Klein is a farming community developed 35 miles northwest of Houston, Texas after a group of German immigrants settled on the banks of Cypress Creek in 1845. The settlement was later named for Adam Klein, who left Germany in 1849 and joined the California gold rush before settling here with his wife, Friederika (nee) Klein in 1854. 

Farmers in the vicinity raised cotton, potatoes, and corn and marketed their produce in Houston, a two-day trip by wagon. The center of community life was Trinity Lutheran Church, organized in 1874 by the Bernshausen, Benfer, Brill, Kaiser, Klein, Lemm, Theiss, and Wunderlich families. The Klenk and Strack families joined soon after the charter was signed. Many of Klein’s schools today bear the names of these area pioneer families.

The settlement was called Big Cypress until the Klein Post Office was established in 1884. Although never platted or incorporated, the Klein Community formed the nucleus of a school district. In 1928, five districts were consolidated to create Rural High School District Number One. In 1938, the district became the Klein Independent School District. 

The community’s rural character began to change in the mid-1960’s when residential developers began transforming the countryside into a Houston suburb. Today, the district covers 87.5 square miles, is served by five high schools, ten intermediate schools, and thirty-three elementary schools, and has a total over 53,000 students.

Hofius Intermediate opened in 2018 as the tenth intermediate campus. The campus serves 1,287 sixth, seventh and eighth grade students coming from five elementary campuses. Hofius students currently move on to attend either Klein Oak High School or Klein Cain High School. The musical foundations of the elementary schools allow Beginner Band students to be placed in homogenous instrument classes for their first full year of band instruction. Starting with the second year the students are placed in a more traditional ensemble setting. 

Jennifer Wren and Paige Liccioni have served as the band directors since the opening of Hofius. In the short time Hofius has been open, the students have already created a Tradition of Excellence in the program. The Beginner Band has placed as the Runner-Up Best in Class at the Klein Music Festival and students participate in a Solo Contest each year. Advanced Bands have received consistent Sweepstakes awards at the UIL Concert and Sightreading Evaluation. Students have also earned spots in the Klein ISD District Band and Region IX Bands, as well as earning top ratings at Solo and Ensemble Contests. The Non-Varsity Band has earned Superior Ratings at local festivals as well as Runner-Up Best in Class distinctions. The Symphonic Band was named Grand Champion of the Gator Music Festival as well as earning Superior ratings. The Symphonic Band was named a Commended Winner by the National Wind Band Honors Project in 2021 and a National Winner in 2022.