Whitney Yokum is thrilled to serve as the Director of Bands for Sapulpa Public Schools. Her responsibilities include overseeing the Sapulpa Instrumental Music Program at all levels, directing the High School Wind Ensemble, and teaching the beginning flutes and clarinets. She has a passion for music education and loves spending every day making music with her students.
Whitney graduated from Owasso High School in 2010, and received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Arkansas in 2015. During her time at the University of Arkansas, Whitney served as the principal bass clarinetist for numerous ensembles, including the Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, and New Music Ensemble. She also served as the principal bass clarinetist of the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra from 2010-2017.
Mrs. Yokum spent the first four years of her professional teaching career in Pryor, Oklahoma, where she was selected as the District Teacher of the Year for the 2018-19 school year. Whitney went on to receive the “Rising Star” award from the State Department of Education in the fall of 2018. The following year, she was recognized as the Phi Beta Mu “Young Bandmaster of the Year” for the state of Oklahoma.
Whitney’s Junior High and High School ensembles have consistently earned Superior ratings at both District and State Contests. Under her direction, the Pryor High School Concert Band made school history by receiving its very first Sweepstakes Award in 2019. She has maintained a strong private woodwind studio in both Oklahoma and Arkansas for over ten years, and her students have consistently held positions in their top Honor and All-State Bands.
Mrs. Yokum enjoys serving as a guest clinician, and has appeared as a guest artist and lecturer at the University of Arkansas Clarinet Day. She loves spending part of her summers as a counselor and teacher at the University of Arkansas Summer Music Camp, which she has attended for over five years.
Whitney Yokum is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the Oklahoma Music Education Association, the North Central Directors’ Association, and the Oklahoma Education Association. She was named Sapulpa Public Schools District Teacher of the Year for 2022-23.
Kevin Mozarko is an educator and performer from Sapulpa, OK. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Oklahoma State University. Kevin is the Percussion Coordinator and an Assistant Band Director at Sapulpa Public Schools. The Sapulpa Wind Ensemble previously performed at the Oklahoma Music Educators National Conference in 2017.
As a performer, Kevin has had the privilege of playing in several respected ensembles, including the Oklahoma State University Percussion Ensemble, Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. Kevin has performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the International Japan Band Clinic, and the OMEA Convention.
Kevin has served as a Marching Percussion Instructor for several high schools, including Sapulpa High School, Stillwater High School, and has assisted in Perkins-Tryon High School and Centennial High School. He has been a continuous clinician at the Saied’s Sounds of Summer Marching Percussion Camps. He has also served as the Drill Designer and Music Instructor for the Oklahoma State University Winter Drumline.
Kevin Mozarko is a Vic Firth Educator, and is a member of the Percussive Arts Society, Oklahoma Bandmasters Association, Oklahoma Music Educators Association, and the National Association for Music Education.