Kyle J. Cook has been the Director of the Outer Banks Chorus since 2015. A native of Bellaire, Ohio, he earned a B.A. in Music Education from West Liberty University in 2013 and a Master’s degree in Music Education from Ohio University in 2020. Kyle served as the Chorus Director for Moyock Middle School and Currituck County Middle School from August 2013 through June 2017. During his tenure in Currituck County, Kyle was named the New Teacher of the Year at both Moyock and Currituck County Middle Schools, the overall district New Teacher of the Year, and the 2015 Currituck County Middle School Teacher of the Year. Kyle now teaches at Western Branch Middle School in Chesapeake, VA where he has served as the Chairperson of the Equity Council, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Coach, a member of the Schools to Watch committee, a New Teacher Mentor, and the Virginia District IV Choral Representative. Kyle is also one of the Founding Directors of the Western Branch Middle School Musical Theater program. He was named the 2021 Western Branch Middle School Teacher of the Year and was a semifinalist for the 2022 GRAMMY Music Educator Award and is, again, a quarterfinalist for the 2024 award. His choirs have received Superior Ratings at local and state adjudications in both repertoire and sight reading; performed the tree-lighting ceremony at Busch Gardens Christmas Town; and received Superior Ratings and Grand Champion awards at the Kings Dominion Festival of Music. His students host annual benefit concerts and consistently earn placement in competitive ensembles such as the All-City, All-District, All-State, and national honor choirs. Among these accolades, Kyle’s choir was named the 2019 Virginia Music Educators Association’s Middle School Conference Performance Choir and a 2022 American Choral Directors Association’s Southern Region Performance Choir. As a clinician, Kyle has presented professional development seminars on local and state conferences. He has been featured as a guest conductor for honor choirs, benefit concerts, and community performances throughout North Carolina and Virginia. He has been inducted into the Bellaire High School Fine Arts Hall of Fame and was featured as an Albemarle Neighbor of the Week. |