Students heading back to Allen ISD classrooms on Thursday, Aug. 13, will find some new faces at the front of the room, including a new leader for the district's nationally recognized band program.

Allen ISD held its annual New Teacher Breakfast across two days at the Lowery Freshman Center, gathering incoming educators from all grade levels for campus tours, introductions to district leadership, and an overview of the district's history and traditions, according to the district.

Among those new hires is James Rees, who takes over as Director of Bands at Allen High School. The position puts him at the helm of what the district calls "the nation's largest marching band."

Rees comes to Allen from Grapevine High School, where he served as band director since 2019. Before that, he was associate band director at Lake Highlands High School and at Evans Middle School in McKinney.

He holds a master's degree in music education from SMU and two bachelor's degrees from Texas Tech University in music performance and music education.

His resume includes Mark of Excellence National Winner awards and unanimous first division ratings in UIL concert, sight-reading, and marching evaluations.

Allen ISD announced the hire on May 20. Allen High School Principal Carrie Jackson praised the selection at the time.

"His organizational skills and ability to build a student-centered culture with high expectations are what convinced us that he's the right person to lead the Biggest Band in the Land," Jackson said in the May announcement.

Rees joins a band staff that includes Alex Baczewski as associate director of bands and marching band director, Joshua Blankenship as director of bands at the Lowery Freshman Center, and Miles Locke as percussion director.

The district enrolled about 20,140 students as of October 2025, according to Community Impact, and is projected to dip below 20,000 this fall. Classes begin Thursday, Aug. 13, across all Allen ISD campuses.