Lisa Kinworthy - Director of Bands - Assistant Marching Band Director

I grew up in central Missouri--Tipton and California MO--to be exact. Attending California High School, I started marching band in the 8th grade as one of only five 8th graders allowed to march. I marched snare drum for 5 years at California. I also was in choir, drama, played volleyball, ran track and played basketball. I was a member of the Missouri All-State Choir in 1990 and 1991 and went to Europe with the Sound of American Honor Choir in Band as one of 2 students from Missouri. We spent 3 weeks in France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium giving performances and touring the countries. My favorite spot was the Medieval Torture Museum in Rothenberg Germany. It gave me many ideas for effective discipline :)

After high school I attended Southwest Missouri State University (now known as Missouri State) and took a leisurely 6 years to complete an undergraduate degree of a Bachelor of Science in Music Education, Instrumental and Vocal Certification. While you may be thinking that took too long, I knew I had my entire life to work and I got to go to Disney World EVERY YEAR, perform and attend the Percussive Arts Society's International Convention, The 76th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade. I've traded 4's with Louis Bellson and played with John Pizarelli, Clark Terry and sang back up for Barry Manilow and was on the Kenny Rogers Christmas Special. I got to attend the International Thespian Festival playing percussion for an original musical: The Red House and performed with the Flute Ensemble at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Convention in Chicago (NOT as a flute player).

After graduation in the fall of 1997, I substitute taught for a semester and got my 1st band director job at Washington Junior High in the Mehlville School District. After one year I was asked to move to Oakville High School as the Assistant Band Director. Not a good fit--that brought me to Parkway where I have been since the fall of 2000. During my time here, I have adopted the percussion class and turned it into a program, earned a Master's Degree in Music Education from UMSL (while pregnant), had a baby (who is now 20) and completed 30 more hours of continuing education to get as far as I can go educationally that will still do me any good. With any luck, I will be here for a minimum of 11 more years--its up to you to decide whether that would be good luck or bad luck.

Favorites:  My primary instrument is percussion and to specialize further, I LOVE timpani. If I wasn't teaching music, I would be doing something with college basketball, I can't seem to give this up. I am a "never say die" Mizzou fan and and unreasonably loyal Duke fan. I avoid movies if I can, I'd rather read a book. I love trips because I can read forever.

My favorite part about teaching is the wide variety of people you meet whether it be students or their parents. I get to share music with them and the comraderie from the different backgrounds that comes together at a festival just warms my little heart.

Eric Menderski - Marching Band Director - Assistant Band Director

I grew up in Washington, Missouri after having lived in Eureka and Valley Park in my early childhood. My band experience began in 6th grade after very effective recruitment efforts from my first band director, Tricia Holm. She told us we could drink coffee with her in the morning before school, and I was sold. (I’m not even a coffee drinker, so clearly 6th grade Eric was a little confused). I played baritone and euphonium through my time at Washington High School in Washington Missouri. My senior year I was section leader of the baritones and earned a gold medal on my solo at the state level. In addition to participating in band, I played football, baseball, golf, track, and was a gym class hero. (My pickleball doubles team was the only team to ever beat the gym coaches).

I first attended college at East Central Community College in Union, Missouri. For two years I worked toward my Associate’s Degree of Fine Arts. It was at ECC where Aaron Bounds, director of bands, handed me a trombone and told me to learn it so I could play in the jazz band. It was here where I discovered my love of jazz and the trombone, which I’m asked to play far more than the euphonium, my preferred instrument! For the following three and a half years I went on to pursue my Bachelor’s of Music Education at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Here I played in a Wind Ensemble conducted by the great Gary Brandes, the Jazz Orchestra run by the famous Jim Widner (who played bass with Stan Kenton)((If you’ve ever seen the movie Whiplash, it was JIM’S BAND who recorded Caravan)), the Orchestra conducted by Darwin Aquino who also conducts the St. Louis Philharmonic, and took lessons with Matthew Banks, former Broadway performer and current Kirkwood band director. Jim Widner took the Jazz Orchestra to Europe in the summer of 2018 where we toured the Italian and French countryside and performed at 3 jazz festivals. I finished my degree student teaching at St. Charles West High School with Ben Meyer, Jeff Collier, and Curtis Vahle in December 2021.

In January 2022 I got my first paid job as a substitute teacher at Pattonville. Later that semester I covered a maternity leave at Elsberry Middle and High School for a band director and got my first band teaching experience where I was the lone teacher. This prepared me for my first full-time position in Hermann, Missouri where I taught middle and high school band by myself in July 2022 - June 2024. I ran marching, jazz, pep, and concert bands.

If there were anything in life that could challenge music for being my first love, it would be food. I’m not a picky eater, but I’m very particular about the way a dish is prepared. I love authentic ramen, teppanyaki (commonly known as hibachi), sushi, Korean and American BBQ, wings, fried chicken, fajitas, tacos, and ice cream. I’ve had great successes in the kitchen and epic failures. My greatest victory in the kitchen was when I made the perfect spicy teriyaki beef ramen. My greatest failure in the kitchen was when I was a senior in high school, I tried making macaroni and cheese. Apparently you have to boil the noodles before adding them to the pot…

Rebekah Schaffer - Color Guard Director

I was born in St. Charles, MO, but Wright City, MO is where I was raised. I was very blessed to be able to start band in 6th grade and knew even beforehand that I was going to be a flute player. I loved band from the minute I could play my first note and was one of the few beginning flute players to make an immediate sound on their instrument. I loved band in all its forms and was blessed to be in the EMO All-Conference Band all four years of my high school career. Still, my most notable memories were playing at Grand Nationals during my freshman year at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, and being able to play the solo from Encanto by Robert W. Smith during my junior year on the Powell Hall stage. I owe much of my success to my band directors, Bill and Emily Schaffer, who would later become my in-laws.

I married my husband, Doug Schaffer, in June of 2015, and little did I know he would help me jumpstart my career as a color guard director that same year. He had a very hard time finding a color guard coach to come and teach his group of first years, especially with the town having very limited resources as well as being in the middle of nowhere. Eventually, he asked me if I would be willing to learn so that I could help the guard. I obliged and started learning by going to various camps to help me get my bearings. Little did I know, it was then that I would discover a passion for a sport that I have dedicated the past nine years of my life to.

Over the past nine years, I have been blessed with numerous opportunities at schools such as Waynesville HS, Mark Twain Jr./Sr. HS, Bowling Green HS, Wright City HS, and Hillsboro HS, which has allowed me to share experiences with my teams at BOA Grand Nationals, MCCGA State Championships, WGI Indianapolis, and WGI Kansas City. During the 2021 WGI season, I was blessed to have a group named a 2021 WGI Virtual Finalist, which is by far one of my proudest moments as a coach. The show that year was in memory of a student who lost her life to cancer. That show will always hold a special place for me and that team as it was a way we helped the community heal in a time of such great sadness.

If I could share one thing with my team, it is to always try your hardest, never give up, and use your talents to inspire and lift others. Color guard is a sport of the arts after all.

I am blessed to have been afforded this opportunity to take the reins of the Parkway South Color Guard program and look forward to reaching new heights and creating lasting memories.