Kay Owens, Director 

Kay Owens is in her twenty ninth year of teaching secondary choral music.  Prior to joining the Arlington Independent School District,  in 1993, she taught elementary, junior high and high school choirs in Natchez Public Schools, Natchez, Mississippi and Tupelo Public Schools, Tupelo, Mississippi.   She received a Bachelor of  Music Education degree with emphasis in piano and voice from Mississippi State University in 1983, and a Masters of Music in choral conducting from Mississippi College in 2000.  She studied with Dr. Richard Joiner and Dr. James Meaders.

Presently Ms. Owens is in her twelth year at Martin High School.  During her tenure as the assistant director at Martin, Chamber Singers performed at the 1999 Fringe Festival in Aberdeen Scotland, TMEA and ACDA in 2005.  Owens was named the Head Choral Director 2006.  Chorale debuted at Carnegie Hall in the 2006 National Youth Festival sponsored by Carnegie Hall.  The Martin Varsity Women's Choir performed at the prestigious Texas Music Educators Association convention in 2008.  The Martin performing arts department was named the 2009 Grammy Foundation National winner which awarded the department a $10,000 grant and a GRAMMY! 

Ms. Owens is a member of  Texas Music Educators Association, America Choral Directors Association, Texas Choral Directors Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association.  Kay was voted by her peers as Teacher of the Year in 1996.  Owens was named the recipient of the 2000 Abbot-Ipco Scholarship presented by the Texas Choral Directors Asociation.  Kay has served Region 5 Vocal Division as secretary, chair-elect and chairman. Owens served on the TCDA Executive Board from 2009-2011 as secretary/treasurer.  In 2009, Owens was named the Distinguished Alumna of the College of Music for Mississippi College.  In May 2010, Owens was named the AWARE Foundation runner-up winner.  Kay resides in Arlington.

Betsy Clark, Assistant Director  

Betsy Clark, a Martin High School alumnus, is excited to be back at Martin as a choral director. While at Martin, she was honored to sing with the Chamber Singers at both the Texas Music Educators Association and the American Choral Directors Association Conventions in 2005.  Ms. Clark graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education with Honors from Texas Tech University. While at Tech, she studied voice under Kathy McNeil and choral methods under Professor Carolyn Cruse, as well as performed with the University Choir under the direction of Dr. John Dickson at TMEA in 2008. Ms. Clark is a member of TMEA, TCDA, and Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society.