Head Director – Forney High School
Cody Newman attended high school in Red Oak, Texas, graduating in 2001 as a band student under the direction of Keith Call. Mr. Newman then left the Dallas area for west Texas where he attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock. While at Texas Tech, Mr. Newman performed with the nationally recognized, Sudler Trophy winning Goin’ Band from Raiderland and the University Concert Band under the direction of Keith Bearden and Christopher Anderson. He also was a member of the Court Jesters basketball band and traveled around the country with the basketball teams of Texas Tech. He studied trumpet with Mr. Will Strieder and conducting with Mr. Gary Lewis.
Mr. Newman started at Poteet High School as a student teacher then taught band in the Plano Independent School District at Renner Middle School before returning home to Poteet High School as an associate director in the Fall of 2006. Under his direction, the Poteet Concert Band was a consistent winner of the UIL Sweepstakes award. During the years of Mr. Newman’s associate directorship, the marching band had also seen great success winning “Best in Class” at numerous competitions, three “Grand Champion” awards from area contests, a UIL Bronze Medal at the 2009 AAAA State Marching Contest, and being crowned the 2007 AAAA State Marching Champions.
In the Fall of 2011, Mr. Newman became the director of bands at Poteet High School and since has earned the UIL Sweepstakes award each year and been a consistent qualifier to the UIL Texas State Marching Contest. Recent accomplishments include another top 20 in the state finish at the State Marching Championships in 2019, a 5th place finish in the state in the 2017 State Championships, being named the Grand Champions of the Plano East Marching Invitational in 2019 and the USBands REMO Series Finale in the fall of 2018. The Poteet Honors Band was a Texas Music Educators Association Honor Band competition state finalist in both 2017 and 2019, Mark of Excellence National Winner multiple times and was named by the National Band Association as the 2018 Southwestern Division Program of Excellence.
Mr. Newman’s professional affiliations include membership in the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity.
Mr. Newman lives in Forney with his beautiful wife, Candice and his three sons, Jace (2008) Jackson (2009) and Jensen (2017), and his blonde-headed daughter, Jolee (2015).
Mr. Newman would like to extend his deepest gratitude to the Forney ISD administration and school board in this appointment, and is humbled by the great responsibility he has been entrusted with. The future is bright!