The L.D. Bell Band Directors
Suzanne Dell
Suzanne Dell has been Director of Bands at L.D. Bell High School since 2021, where her responsibilities include conducting the Wind Symphony, directing the marching band, and overseeing the band program at L.D. Bell. Previously, she was an Associate Director at Bell from 2014-2021 and at Bedford Junior High from 2009-2014.
During her tenure with the L.D. Bell Blue Raider Band, the band has been a UIL State Marching Contest participant, Bands of America DFW Regional Finalist, Atlanta Super Regional Class Champion, San Antonio & Atlanta Super Regional Finalist, and 2016 UIL 6A State Marching Contest finalist.
Concert groups under the direction of Mrs. Dell have been awarded numerous Texas UIL Sweepstakes Awards and have received top honors at participating festivals and competitions. In 2023, the L.D. Bell Wind Symphony was invited as a Featured Performing Group to the Music for All National Concert Band Festival.
Since 2016, Mrs. Dell has served on the brass staff for the 19-time world champion Blue Devils Drum & Bugle Corps from Concord, CA.
Originally from Illinois, Mrs. Dell received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas, where her primary teachers were Bill Scharnberg Nicholas Williams, Brad Genevro, Brian Bowman, and Dennis Fisher. She has a Master’s Degree from Messiah College, where she studied with Dr. Brad Genevro.
Mrs. Dell lives in Bedford with her husband, Nick. They are the proud parents of two sons, Jacob (21) and Jonathan (14).
Chris Harmon
Chris Harmon joined the staff of L.D. Bell High School as Associate Director of Bands in the summer of 2016. Prior to moving to Texas, Mr. Harmon was the Director of Bands at Lake Central High School in St. John, Indiana from 1998-2016, and was the Director of Bands at Lowell High School in Lowell, Indiana from 1994-1997. Bands under his direction have consistently earned superior ratings at all contests and festivals. The Lake Central Marching Band has been a consistent ISSMA Class A State Finalist, Bands of America (BOA) Regional Finalist, BOA Semi-Finalist, and was named the 2013 BOA Toledo Regional Champion. The Lake Central “Tribe of Pride” has also been nominated four times for the prestigious Sudler Shield.
Mr. Harmon received a Bachelor of Music Education from Wichita State University, a Master of Science in Music Education from the University of Illinois, and a Master of Music in Wind Conducting from Northwestern University.
As a strong advocate for the importance of student leadership, Mr. Harmon co-presented a leadership session at the Indiana Music Educators Association (IMEA) State Convention in January of 2016. In addition to teaching leadership sessions at schools and camps during his “free” time, Mr. Harmon was fortunate to have the student leaders from Lake Central used as the demonstration group for the book/DVD Classic Leadership by Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, published by GIA Publications.
Mr. Harmon has been extensively involved in Drum Corps International as a performing member with the Sky Ryders (1980-1985), and the Madison Scouts (1986-1988). He was also a staff member for the Madison Scouts from 1989-2002, returning in 2016 as a visual consultant.
Mr. Harmon’s professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, National Association for Music Education, Indiana Music Educators Association, Indiana Bandmasters Association, International Association for Jazz Education, College Band Directors National Association (associate membership), and the International Trumpet Guild. He also served several terms on the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) State Board, as well as the ISSMA Marching Band Committee. Mr. Harmon was recently inducted into the Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Mu (international school bandmaster fraternity). He lives in Arlington, Texas with his wife Anne, daughter Chloe, and dog Miles.
Ben Maughmer
Molly Neal
Molly Neal is a graduate from Texas Christian University where she received her Bachelor of Music Education and studied horn with Heather Test. At TCU, Ms. Neal was a member of the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, and the TCU Horn Ensemble, performing at venues such as TMEA and ABA. During her last two years at TCU, Ms. Neal served as the Drum Major for the TCU Horned Frog Marching Band.
Prior to LD Bell, Ms. Neal taught at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, TX from 2019-2021. Her responsibilities included teaching beginner brass classes, working with the marching band, and leading the High School Symphonic Band. During her time at Pearce, the bands received Sweepstakes at UIL and was a Bands of America (BOA) Regional Finalist.
Outside of TCU, Ms. Neal spent three summers performing in Drum Corps International. In 2016 she marched with Carolina Crown, winning both the Jim Ott, Best Brass Performance, and the John Brazale, Best Visual Performance, awards. In both 2017 and 2018, Ms. Neal was a featured soloist for The Blue Devils and won the DCI World Championships in 2017. Ms. Neal’s professional affiliations include Texas Music Educators Association and Kappa Kappa Psi.
Matt Kossick
Matt Kossick became Associate Band Director and Director of Percussion at L.D. Bell High School in 2023. Mr. Kossick directs percussion activities for the entire L.D. Bell cluster, which includes Bedford Junior High, Hurst Junior High, and Central Junior High.
Previously, from 2019-2021, Mr. Kossick was the Assistant Percussion Director at Trinity High School. During that time, he also directed the Harwood Junior High Percussion Ensemble that won both the Midwest and Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble competitions during the 2019-2020 school year. These same students won the high school division of the Percussive Arts Society competition during the 2021-2022 school year.
Mr. Kossick earned his Master’s of Music degree in Percussion Performance under the tutelage of Svet Stoyanov and Joe Petrasek at the University of Miami. During his graduate studies, he served as a teaching assistant for the University of Miami Athletic Bands. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas studying with Paul Rennick, Christopher Deane, Poovalur Sriji, and Mark Ford.
During his time at UNT Mr. Kossick was a member of the UNT Wind Symphony under Eugene Corporon and was a member of the UNT 2016 Percussive Arts Society showcase performance. Mr. Kossick was also awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate in Percussion award for the 2017-2018 school year.
Outside of school, Mr. Kossick spent three summers participating in Drum Corps International. In 2015 Mr. Kossick was a member of the front ensemble of the Troopers Drum Corps. During the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Mr. Kossick performed with the Santa Clara Vanguard front ensemble. The SCV percussion section won the Fred Sanford high percussion achievement award for both of these seasons.
Jacob Javier
Jacob Javier is in his 5th year as the Colorguard Director at L.D. Bell High School. Originally from Los Angeles, California, Mr. Javier began his colorguard career at Schurr High School. He performed with Diamanté World Winterguard from 2012-2015, serving as Captain for 3 years. During this time, Mr. Javier became a DCI World Campion with Carolina Crown (2013), instructed and choreographed at Gold Drum & Bugle Corps (2014), and received a DCI silver medal in his age-out year (2015).
Mr. Javier moved to Atlanta, GA, in the fall of 2015 where he worked numerous programs in the area, including WGI Open Class Finalist Mill Creek High School. While living in Atlanta, he performed with Paramount World Winterguard (2016), and shortly after received title as WGI World Class Champion with The Pride of Cincinnati (2017).
Mr. Javier moved to Dallas, Texas in 2017, after spending the summer with Phantom Regiment as an instructor and choreographer. Since being in Texas, Mr. Javier has instructed the Colorguard programs at Prosper High School (2017), Lamar High School (2018-present), and Burleson High School (2020-present). Mr. Javier also commutes monthly to Southern California as a winterguard designer, choreographer, and consultant. In 2021, Mr. Javier created the first Winterguard program at LD. Bell in over 10 years, where they received 1st Place in Scholastic A and straight superior ratings.
Jacob Javier currently resides in Bedford, Texas, with his partner and 2 dogs.