Jager Loyde is a systems-level arts and educational leader who supports organizations and communities in designing sustainable programs that endure through leadership transitions, adapt to changing needs, and scale without compromising educator well-being, access, or the quality of the experience.

He currently serves as Director of Fine Arts at Round Rock ISD in Texas, where he leads district-wide fine arts programs spanning music, visual arts, theatre, and dance. His work includes strategic planning, program development, professional learning, facilities and resource management, community partnerships, and the design of experiences that connect students, educators, and communities through the arts. Under his leadership, Round Rock ISD has continued to be recognized as one of the nation's Best Communities for Music Education, while its programs have achieved distinction at state and national levels.

Jager began his career as a band director at Westfield High School in Spring ISD and has since extended his work nationally as a clinician, conductor, adjudicator, and professional learning facilitator. His engagements with organizations including the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Music for All, Drum Corps International, and state and national music organizations reflect a broader interest in translating expertise into sustainable systems, developing leadership capacity, and creating meaningful opportunities for participation.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of North Texas, a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University, and is pursuing a PhD in Educational and Community Leadership from Texas State University.

Jager is particularly effective in environments where complexity, scale, and competing priorities collide. He brings together people, ideas, and resources to move organizations from fragmented efforts toward aligned, sustainable systems—while maintaining a commitment to creativity, inclusion, access, and the people those systems are intended to serve.

  • 2021 - Present Director of Fine Arts, Music, Round Rock ISD

    2019 - 2024 Artistic Director & Conductor, Central Texas Philharmonic Youth Orchestra

    2018 - 2021 Assistant Director of Fine Arts, Instrumental Music, Round Rock ISD

    2015 - 2018 Director of Bands, Cedar Ridge High School, Round Rock ISD

    2009 - 2015 Assistant Band Director, Westfield High School, Spring ISD

  • Principal EC - 12 (TX), Texas Education Agency

    Music EC - 12 (TX), Texas Education Agency

    Master of Education, Educational Leadership, Stephen F. Austin University, Nacogdoches, Tx.

    Bachelor of Music Education, University of North Texas, Denton, Tx., - Cum Laude

    Honor Graduate, Westfield High School, Houston, Tx.

  • 2023 Harvard GSE School Leaders of Color Organizational Development Collaborative

    2022 Bands of America Honor Band in the Rose Parade, Faculty

    2019 Guest Conductor, Round Rock Symphony Orchestra, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic

    2019 Grammy Music Educator Award Quarter-finalist

    2018 Sudler Shield Nominee, Cedar Ridge High School, Round Rock ISD

    2017 - 2020 TMEA All State Adjudicator and Instructor

    2010 Spring Education Foundation Grant Recipient, Spring ISD

    2009 Rookie Teacher of the Year, Westfield High School, Spring ISD

  • Texas Music Educators Association

    Texas Bandmasters Association

    Texas Future Music Educators

    Texas Fine Arts Administrators

    Council of the Arts, Round Rock ISD

    Conn Selmer Institute Faculty

    Music For All Clinician & Adjudicator

    Drum Corps International (DCI)

    Golden Key International Honour Society

    National Society of Collegiate Scholars

    Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society

  • Texas School Safety Center K12 Model Safety and Security Audit Toolkit Working Group

    Music For All Educational Advisory Team

    Drum Corps International - Judge Administration Team

    Round Rock Creates - Arts and Culture Steering Committee

    Equity of Resources, Fine Arts Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force, Round Rock ISD

    Safety and Facilities Planning Committee - COVID 19 Response, Round Rock ISD

    Facility Use Sustainability Energy Committee, Round Rock ISD

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council, Bocal Majority Double Reed Camp

    Liaison, Band Concessions Operating Board of Round Rock Area Schools

    Texas Music Friendly City Advisory Board, Round Rock - Texas Music Office

    UIL/TMEA Region 26 Steering Committee

    UIL Music Technical Advisory Committee

  • Bands of America

    State Championships and Invitationals

    • Arizona, Mississippi, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin

    Drum Corps International

  • 2026 Arts Education Partnerships - National Town Hall for Local Arts Education Supervisors

    2026 East Tennessee School Band & Orchestra Association - Professional Development Specialist

    2025 Examining a Culture of Excellence, Tennessee Arts Academy

    2024 Playing Through the Changes, Music For All Symposium

    2024 Examining the Culture of Excellence, Music For All Symposium

    2024 Developing Ensemble Musicality Through Fundamentals, Music For All Symposium

    2023 Midwest Clinic and Convention - Leadership in the Age of Change

    2023 Texas Fine Arts Administrators Convention - Building Sustainable Instrumental Music Programs

    2022 Indiana Public Schools - Grand Nationals Student Leadership Summit

    2022 St. Louis Public Schools Fine Arts - Where Do We Grow From Here?

    2021 Advocacy Now! Open Door, Find Kiddos, Repeat, Texas Bandmasters Association Conference

    2021 What Directors Need From Their Administrators, Art of Teaching Music, Sam Houston State University

    2021 A Tale of Two Bands - Developing Discovery Mindset Beyond COVID, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic

    2021 Navigating Burnout, BAND App Webinar

    2020 Where Do We Go From Here, Round Rock ISD Bands

    2020 Student Day Keynote, Texas Bandmasters Association Conference

    2020 Inclusion, Awareness, and Social Justice in Music Education, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic & TBA

    2020 Let’s Do This, Conn Selmer Institute Connect

    2020 Leadership and Sustainability, Missouri Music Educators Conference

    2019 Responsive Education, McNeil High School

    2019 Micromessaging: What are you really teaching students?, Music For All Symposium

    2019 Avoiding Burnout and Improving Your Work Environment, Music For All Symposium

    2019 Student Leadership: Leadership Opportunities That Improve Student Engagement, Music For All Symposium

    2018 Interviewing: What Interviewers and Potential Co-Workers Want to Hear, Music For All Symposium

    2018 Teaching Students How to Practice, Music For All Symposium

    2018 Program Sustainability, Music For All Symposium

    2018 What I Wish I'd Known (Head Director Edition), Music For All Symposium

    2017 Music in the Mundane: Building Musicality Through Basic Fundamentals, Music For All Symposium

    2017 Room to Grow: Fostering Leadership Capacity Within Your Staff, Music For All Symposium

    2017 Electronics and Marching Band: Methods for Integrating 21st Century Technology, Music For All Symposium

    2012 What I Wish I’d Known, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic

  • 2026 Reflecting on Effective Educational Leadership— Chapter 12, Transformative Praxis through Doctoral Educational Leadership Programs: A Blueprint for Fostering Resilient, Future-Ready Leaders.

    2025 Culture Before Content Ep. 55

    2024 Clearing the Path: Leadership in the Age of Change, MakeMusic Blog

    2021 Profiles in Teaching with Technology, MusicFirst S4 E5

    2020 The Understanding Leader, Not Your Forte Podcast (University of Kansas)

    2020 The Power of Inclusion, Texas Bandmasters Review, Educational Journal

    2019 Ignite a Passion for Practice, Yamaha SupportED Magazine

    2019 Reignite Your Spark, Yamaha SupportED Magazine