Directors
Mr. Rene Lira
Director of Bands
A native of San Antonio, Mr. Lira attended The University of North Texas and received his bachelor's degree in music education. Rene Lira began his teaching career in 1994 in New Braunfels, TX. Before becoming a band director at RHS, Mr. Lira taught at Greenville MS, North Garland HS, and Coyle MS. Over the years, Mr. Lira's ensembles received superior ratings at UIL and invitational competitions.
Mr. Lira is happily married to his wife, Raeane Lira, the lead counselor at Sachse HS. Mr. Lira has two children, Raegan and Ryan, who are both products of Garland ISD. Raegan is entering her senior year at Texas A&M University and Ryan is a recent graduate from Rowlett HS.
When he is not teaching, Mr. Lira enjoys video game, playing golf, and is an avid fan of the five time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.
Elizabeth Gott
Associate Band Director
Elizabeth Gott is originally from Texarkana, TX where she was an All-Area french horn player as well as a gold medal soloist, making the All-Region band 3 of her high school years. She received her B.M.E. from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AR where her family all attended. While there, she worked with several marching bands and color guards in the area during the school year.
During her summers, Mrs. Gott also performed with the Crossmen as a colorguard member in 2012 followed by the Cadets in 2013 and 2014. She moved to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2017 where she has spent the past 4 years as the assistant band director at Farragut High School. Currently, Mrs. Gott is in the process of getting her MM in Conducting from UTEP and is eager to get back to Texas to teach the bright and talented students of Rowlett High School.
Jeff Carmona
Associate Band Director, Director of Percussion
Jeff Carmona is a performer and educator in the North Texas Area from San Antonio, TX. Mr. Carmona has taught all over the DFW metroplex with his most recent position as the Assistant Percussion Director for the Wakeland High School Band Cluster assisting with the marching band and helping with all areas of the percussion program for both Cobb and Griffin Middle School from 2017-2023.
Mr. Carmona attended the University of North Texas where he studied under Paul Rennick, Christopher Deane, Mark Ford, Ed Smith, and Jose Aponte. While at North Texas, he spent time in the Green Brigade marching band, the 8 o'clock and 2 o'clock steel bands, the Brazilian ensemble, the Gamelan ensemble, and the Advanced Afro-Cuban ensemble. Mr. Carmona has traveled overseas to perform with the North Texas A-line in Opole, Poland, at drum fest in 2014. He was also a member of the 2013 and 2015 North Texas Quad Ensemble earning first place at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention.
Mr. Carmona was actively involved with Drum Corps International. He completed two years of drum corp, one year with The Boston Crusaders (2012) and one with The Santa Clara Vanguard (2013). After aging out, Mr. Carmona spent the summer of 2014 as a battery technician for the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps and from 2019-2021, Mr. Carmona was on the battery staff with The Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps.
Mr. Carmona’s professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association and the Percussive Arts Society. Mr. Carmona is excited to begin his new role as the Director of Percussion for the Rowlett cluster.
Jennifer Clapper
Colorguard Director
New to Texas, Ms. Jenny is originally from Normal, Illinois. She started her color guard journey with the Normal West Marching Band, where she was a three-time state finalist. She then performed with the Clemson University Color Guard, taking part in three College Football Playoff National Championships and four bowl games. In 2018, she competed at the WGI World Championships with Clemson and finished her performance career as a featured dancer with Adventure Independent Winter Guard.
She started coaching in South Carolina in 2018 before returning to her hometown of Normal. There, she was the director of the University High School guard team for five years. Under her guidance, the team won several awards and started their first winter guard program, which went on to win their circuit championship in 2022. While also returning as the guard director for a Plano East Cluster school for 2025/2026, Ms. Jenny is thrilled to be back at Rowlett High School as the new director after serving as guard assistant for the 2024/2025 fall and winter season.