Meet the Team
BUE Band Director/Assistant Band DirectorWarren Bristol
Warren Bristol is in his eleventh year with Biloxi Public Schools and currently teaches 5th grade music and 6th grade band at Biloxi Upper Elementary. He also assists with the Biloxi High School marching band. Bristol holds both a Bachelor and Master of Music Education from the University of Mississippi and is currently pursuing an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership. Born and raised in Biloxi and a graduate of Biloxi High School, he is known for building a relationship‑centered classroom culture grounded in humor, belonging, and student trust. Warren and his wife, Kayla, have been married for eleven years and have two children, Blaise and Liam, along with their Goldendoodle, Millie. He plays trumpet in the Coast Big Band, is active in his local church community, and enjoys fishing along the Gulf Coast.
BUE Band Director/Assistant Band DirectorJennifer Lyon-Smith
Mrs. Smith has been an educator in Mississippi for the past twenty-nine years. She has taught in the Laurel School District and was Director of bands there as well as Stringer High School. She currently teaches at Biloxi Upper where she heads up our beginner program and serves as the elementary music coordinator. Throughout her career her Band programs have received superior ratings at state and regional competitions. Her ensembles have performed across the country, at venues such as performances in the Lincoln Center in New York City, and representing the state of Mississippi in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C. In addition, Mrs. Smith’s marching bands have also won many awards including the Brett White Memorial Spirit Award, as well as winning the Mississippi State Marching Championships in 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2012.
Mrs. Smith has served as a guest conductor/clinician and worked with students at numerous clinics, colleges, and Universities across the region. She is a member of the Mississippi Bandmasters Association where she has served on the championship committee, music selection committee, and on several appointed boards. She has also been a member of the South Eastern Mississippi Band Directors Association where she served on the executive board and as the President of the Association in 2012. Mrs. Smith is also a member of the National Band Association from which she received Certificates of Merit for her accomplishments in marching band in 2008, 2009, and again in 2011. She is currently a member of the Gulf Coast Band Directors Association, and is on the Executive Board of the Mississippi Women’s Band director Association. In 2009, Mrs. Smith was chosen as Star Teacher for the West Jasper School District, and received the Indian Nation Spirit Award from Biloxi School District in 2016. She was awarded the Music Department Alumni Award by William Carey University in 2018. More recently Mrs Smith was chosen as teacher of the Year for her school in 2019-2020.
In her personal life, Mrs Smith is married to her fellow Band director and amazingly supportive husband Scott Smith. She has four wonderful children and 5 grandchildren. Other than enjoying spending time with her family, during her free time she is an active volunteer in her community and church. Mrs. Smith is a member of First Baptist Church Biloxi where she plays in the church orchestra, and assists with the Celebrate Recovery program there. She also plays in the Mississippi Baptist Symphony Orchestra. She is a Relay for Life team member and has served as a relay team captain. In 2012, Mrs. Smith was awarded the Relay for Life Volunteer of the year award.
BJHS Band Director/Assistant Band DirectorLauren picard
Mrs. Picard is a band director at Biloxi Junior High where she teaches beginning, intermediate, and advanced bands as well as assisting with strings. She is a graduate of Biloxi High and was part of the band, color guard, and orchestra programs during her time there. She loves learning new instruments and can play every instrument in the band and orchestra along with some others. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi, graduating from the Honors College Summa Cum Laude. She is currently studying to earn her Master's of Music Education from William Carey University. She is proud to be giving back to the Biloxi Band family she grew up in. Mrs. Picard and her husband are excited to welcome their first baby this November!
BJH Director of Bands/Assistant Band DirectorAutumn davila
Ms. Davila is a Band Director
Director of the Performing Arts Center/Assistant Band DirectorParis foreman
R. Paris Foreman is an Assistant Band Director & the Director of the Performing Arts Center at Biloxi high School in Biloxi, MS. Paris has a BA in Music Industry with a Minor in Theatre and a Masters in Business Management from Troy University. He received his Teaching Certification from The University of Mississippi. He joined the RWS Music Company as the Marketing Director in 2015.
As Captain Foreman in the United States Army, serving in the National Guard, Paris has served as an Infantry officer, a Company Commander in the Corps of Engineers, and multiple Brigade Staff positions including Battle Captain, Maneuver Liaison, and Assistant Plans Officer. He served multiple overseas assignments, anti-narcotics missions on the Southwest Border, and security missions in Washington DC following the January 6 insurrection.
Paris is an expert in brass pedagogy with teaching experience spanning three decades. He has served on DCI brass staffs including Brass Caption Head at Music City, Southwind, and The Memphis Blues where he also serves as Music Director and Ensemble Coordinator.
Strings Director/Assistant Band Directorscott smith
Mr. Belmonte serves as Assistant Director of Bands for the Biloxi Public School District, where he teaches and mentors students across all levels of the district's comprehensive band program. Working with students from elementary beginners to high school seniors, he directs and assists multiple ensembles spanning concert, marching, and jazz while fostering excellence in classroom instruction, ensemble performance, and student leadership development. Through this work, he helps cultivate the next generation of musicians in one of Mississippi's most respected music education programs.
A native of Pascagoula, Mississippi, Mr. Belmonte is a graduate of Pascagoula High School, where his participation in the Pascagoula High School Band Program sparked a lifelong passion for music, performance, and leadership. After high school, he began his formal musical studies at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before earning a Bachelor of Music Education degree from The University of Southern Mississippi. Throughout his collegiate career, he was actively involved in a diverse range of performing ensembles, including concert bands, wind ensembles, chamber groups, athletic bands, choirs, show choir bands, and jazz ensembles. These experiences helped shape his versatility as both a musician and educator.
Before coming to Biloxi Public Schools, Mr. Belmonte spent five years with the Harrison County School District, serving as the Band Director for D'Iberville Middle School and assisting the D'Iberville High School Band program. During his tenure, he contributed to the growth and development of the band programs through a commitment to musical excellence, student leadership, innovative fundraising, and meaningful community engagement. Those experiences continue to shape his student-centered approach to music education.
Outside the classroom, Mr. Belmonte has been an active musician in the Mississippi Gulf Coast music community since the early 2000s. Throughout his performing career, he has collaborated with a wide variety of local and regional artists and is frequently called upon as a freelance trombonist for live performances and special events, including performances with members of the renowned Preservation Hall Jazz Band. His most recent musical endeavors include founding and leading Blackwater Brass, a contemporary New Orleans-style brass band, and the Gulf Coast Second Line, two projects dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich traditions of brass band music while bringing energetic performances to audiences across the region.
Mr. Smith has been teaching since July of 2004. He has been playing musical instruments for 41 years. He started his career at George County Middle School & High School as the Assistant Band Director & Piano Instructor. He then became the Director of Bands at Pearl River Central High School. During his time at PRC High School the band made Superior Ratings in Marching Evaluation and competed in MHSAA Marching Championships every year he was the Director of Bands. Mr. Smith then came to Biloxi Schools in 2018 as the Director of Orchestras and Assistant Band Director. Mr. Smith has also been the Strings Coordinator for the Biloxi High School Musicals for the last 4 years. He helps securing string players, teaching string parts, and will also play any string instrument to fill out sound and parts as needed. Over the years Mr. Smith’s students have made numerous Honor Band Clinics & Honor Orchestra Clinics including the Lion’s All-State Band and the Mississippi All-State Orchestra.
In his personal life Mr. Smith is married to Mrs. Jennifer Smith, the Biloxi Upper Elementary Beginner Band Director. They are grandparents to 2 grandchildren. Mr. Smith is a member of the First Baptist Church of Biloxi where he plays with the church orchestra. He also a member of the Mississippi Baptist Symphony Orchestra. They love to travel across the country visiting National Parks, Disney, Universal Studios, Hershey Park, etc.
Jazz Band Director/Assistant Band DirectorElmer Belmonte
Director of Percussion/Assistant Band Directorjesse stevens
Mr. Stevens currently serves as the Director of Percussion for Biloxi Public Schools, a position held since 2020, and conducts the Biloxi High School Symphonic Band. Under Stevens’ direction, the Biloxi Percussion program earned the Gold Medal in Percussion Regional A in 2025 through the Louisiana Mississippi Color Guard and Percussion Circuit (now the Magnolia Performing Arts Association). Prior to joining Biloxi Public Schools, Stevens served as the Director of Athletic Bands at Marshall University in Huntington, WV.
An active composer, arranger and educator for marching programs across the Southeast, Stevens holds both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Music Education from Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. Performance credits include the renowned JSU Marching Southerners, the JSU Chamber Winds, and the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps (2010-2012).
Professionally, Stevens serves as the Secretary and Webmaster for the Gulf Coast Band Directors Association (GCBDA) and sits on the Website AdHoc Committee for the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA). Professional affiliations also include the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) and the Mississippi Bandmasters Association.
Director of Bands/Director of Fine ArtsChad Robbins
Mr. Robbins is a music educator from Pensacola, Florida, with over 27 years of experience specializing in tuba and percussion. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of West Florida and has performed in multiple collegiate ensembles throughout his career. He currently serves as the Director of Bands and Director of Fine Arts at Biloxi High School, in Biloxi, MS.
Mr. Robbins pervisouly served as Director of Bands at Oakleaf High School in Orange Park, Florida, where he leads one of the state’s most successful and comprehensive music programs. Under his direction, the Oakleaf Golden Regiment has earned consistent Superior Ratings, made finals at Bands of America Regionals, and achieved State Runner-Up honors at the Florida Marching Band Championships in 2022 (Class 4A), 2024 (Class 5A) and FFCC OUTDOOR State Runner-Up in 2025 (Class 5A). The program includes three concert ensembles, two jazz ensembles, a competitive winterguard and indoor percussion.
Beyond performance success, Mr. Robbins has established Oakleaf as a model for student leadership and fine arts advocacy. He has led district-wide professional development for music educators, including sessions on Recruitment and Retention and Advocating for the Arts, and regularly serves as a clinician, consultant, and adjudicator across Florida and Alabama.
In recognition of his impact, Mr. Robbins was named the 2024–2025 Clay County Fine Arts Teacher of the Year.
staff
Guard Director
Lisa Smith
Assistant Guard Director
Kinley Smith
Front Ensemble Instructor
Tripp Dumont
Front Ensemble Instructor
Nathan Picard
Visual Caption Head
David Kersey
Visual tech
Kendrick Davis