Delton Brown is in his 25th year of being a high school band director. As a graduate of Westfield High School, Delton was influenced early by the educational and leadership strategies of Philip Geiger and Frank Troyka. As a student in Spring Independent School District, Delton has performed at the BOA Grand Nationals Marching Contest (finalist-2nd place finish); Texas Sate Marching Contest (two-time finalsist-2nd place finish); and performed at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic (2 times) in Chicago, IL. Delton is a two-year member of the Texas All-State 5A Symphonic (top) Band, where he played the Euphonium.
Delton attended Louisiana State University, where he was: an SEC Academic All-American as a member of the LSU Track team; a Senator for the LSU Student Government; a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity; a member of Mortar Board Honor Society and Leadership LSU. He studied with Frank Wickes, Linda Moorhouse, and Larry Campbell and was a member of the LSU Wind Ensemble.
After completing his studies at LSU in 1998, Delton began his teaching career in the Ft. Worth ISD where he was a high school band director for ten years and developed very close relationships with Arturo Valdez, III and Don Hanna. Here, he discovered his true calling and passion of music education in the urban/inner-city setting, in which he has spent the overwhelming majority (24yrs) of his career. Delton’s bands in Ft. Worth achieved success and recognition on levels not present before his appointment.
After a one-year stint as a director at South Grand Prairie HS, Delton became the Director of Bands for DeSoto ISD. He is currently in his 14th year at DeSoto. Under his leadership, the band program has been revived and continues to live up to the rich history and success of the historical program of DeSoto HS. Under his direction, the DeSoto HS band earned national recognition in 2019 by Music for All, College Band Directors National Association, and the National Band Association as they were selected the 2019 Winner of the Dr. William P. Foster Program of Excellence Award, presented at the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic.
A highly sought-after adjudicator, his career has led him to be known as the educator who “keeps it real” and as a result, he is requested for consultation, strategies, and expertise regarding developing quality in programs in underserved settings. In 2021 Delton presented at the TMEA Convention regarding the subject matter, with a session entitled, “Keepin’ It Real: An Urban Music Educator’s Guide.”
Delton has been selected as a 2019 quarterfinalist for the Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum. He has held memberships in ITEA, TMEA, TBA, and TMAA. He holds a master’s degree in Education Administration and a doctorate of Music Education degree.
Delton is also a Division II (varsity level) basketball official for the Ft. Worth Basketball Officials Association where he is a member of the Ethics Committee. Delton has officiated (for 21 years) basketball at the UIL Regional Tournament, the TAAPS State Finals, and three State Tournament finals for the Texas Can! Academy.
Delton plays trombone in his church orchestra at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. During the summers, Delton and his wife of 21 years coach for an AAU track team (Athletic Performance Ranch). He is a USATF Level 2 Certified coach and specializes in the horizontal jumps. He has three daughters ages 23, 20, and 8! They played saxophone, flute, and the eight-year-old is a future trombonist. His 20yr old daughter is a junior member of the Arizona State University Track Team where she is a sprinter. He enjoys playing basketball, bike riding, playing chess, and bass fishing.
