Meet the Directors
Jamie Romo, Director of Orchestras
romoj@friscoisd.org
469-633-5276
Jamie Romo is in her tenth year as the head Orchestra Director at Maus Middle School in Frisco, Texas. Under her direction, the Advanced Symphony Orchestra at Maus Middle School received a sweepstakes award at UIL in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Prior to teaching at Maus, she was head Orchestra Director in Richardson, Texas for 9 successful years. Under her direction the WWJH Orchestra in Richardson received the honorable UIL Sweepstakes Award for six consecutive years as well as many Best in Class Orchestra Awards. Prior to teaching in Texas, Mrs. Romo taught both high school and middle school orchestra in Oklahoma. Her former orchestra students performed in such exciting places as the Oklahoma State Capitol, the Winter Park Music Festival in Colorado, the Galveston Isle Orchestra Festival, and the Disney World Music Festival in Orlando, Florida. Mrs. Romo has had several students selectedto perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This summer, two of Mrs. Romo's students performed at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Many of Mrs. Romo’s former students have earned college scholarships and have pursued careers in music education. Mrs. Romo earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, where she received a violin scholarship to perform with the UCO Orchestra for four full years. She was fortunate enough to study violin privately with Dr. Roger Strong. Mrs. Romo holds a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from East Central University. While completing her thesis, Mrs. Romo completed a yearlong research study which evaluated the Effects of Violin Instruction on the Spatial Temporal Reasoning Skills of kindergarten students. Mrs. Romo has performed with community orchestras, in musicals and operas, and as a violinist in a professional quartet. Additionally, Mrs. Romo owned and operated Romo's Music Studio where she taught Suzuki String Classes, Kindermusik Classes, and vocal performing ensembles. Mrs. Romo is a member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association (TMAA), Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA), Texas Orchestra Directors Association (TODA), and the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). Mrs. Romo enjoys judging music festivals and UIL Contests all over the state as well as serving as a clinician for groups in the area. After work, Mrs. Romo spends time with her husband Carlos, and their three children: Christian, Ava, and Abigail.
Brynne Taft, Assistant Director of Orchestras
(469) 633 - 5275
Brynne Taft is an accomplished cellist of fourteen years, transitioning her musical passion into an orchestra teaching career after earning both a Cello Performance degree and a Music Education degree from the University of North Texas in 2023, studying with Eugene Osadchy. Guided by her belief in the transformative power of music, she cultivated a teaching approach that went beyond technical skills, fostering a profound love for orchestral music in her students. Ms. Taft has performed with many distinguished groups such as the Abilene Opera Association as co-principal, the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, and the Baroque Orchestra serving as principal cellist. She has also participated in Summer Institutions such as the Texas Cello Institute, and taught in multiple string camps such as the UNT String Camp and the Lake Murray String Camp. Ms. Taft currently holds a position at Maus Middle School as the Assistant Orchestra Director and teaches her own private studio. She enjoys reading and cooking in her spare time as well as thrifting for vintage clothing.