Robert Floyd began his 25 year career in music education in Richardson, Texas after completing his music education degree at Southern Methodist University in 1967. He also holds a B.S. in mathematics from SMU and a MA from West Texas A&M University.
After five years teaching junior high, Floyd was named the Director of Bands at Richardson’s L.V. Berkner High School. He took over a band of 60 young musicians and won Honor Band that first year in what was then Class AAA. It was the first of three honor band titles for the Berkner program under Floyd’s direction.
During the late eighties and early nineties Floyd served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Dallas Wind Symphony and during the months immediately following the passing of founder Howard Dunn, he served as resident conductor and was influential in keeping that organization going during those unstable times.
Throughout his career as a band director, Floyd served in many state and national professional organizations, including the Texas Music Educators Association, the National Band Association, the Texas Bandmaster’s Association, and the American Bandmasters Association.
In September of 1992 Floyd was selected as the Executive Director of the Texas Music Educators Association. That following summer he left Richardson for Austin to assume that position, which he has held for the past twenty-three years.
In this position Floyd is responsible for management of the association, production of its annual clinic/convention (the largest of its kind in the world), and editing the monthly journal, “The Southwestern Musician”. Through the years, Floyd has testified before the State Board of Education and the Legislature on such issues as graduation requirements, fine arts instructional materials, extracurricular activity rules, inclusion of fine arts in the Required Curriculum, protection of instructional time for fine arts classes during the school day, and allowance of a physical education credit for marching band participation.
Floyd currently resides in Austin with his wife, Melinda, and two children, Michael and Lauren.