Thomas Hargis

Biography

T. Jonathan Hargis is a native of Gloucester County, Virginia, where he resides in the Wicomico community. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Instrumental Music Education from Old Dominion University (1983) and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech (1986). While at Old Dominion University, he studied saxophone with Dennis Zeisler and later pursued graduate studies in conducting and saxophone at Virginia Tech.
Mr. Hargis retired following a distinguished 40-year career as an instrumental music educator. Over the course of his career, he served as a middle school band director, high school band director, and music coordinator. His professional appointments included positions with Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, Chesapeake Public Schools, Newport News Public Schools, and his hometown Gloucester County Public Schools. He was selected to establish band programs at Woodside High School (Newport News Public Schools, 1996) and Warhill High School (Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, 2007). His final teaching assignment was as Director of Bands at Lafayette High School in the Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, where he spent 14 years leading the program to sustained excellence on both the field and the concert stage.
Highlights of Mr. Hargis’s tenure as a high school band director include leading ensembles that consistently earned Superior and Excellent ratings at district and state level Concert Band, Marching Band, and Jazz Ensemble Assessments. He directed high school bands that achieved VBODA Honor Band recognition at Lafayette, Warhill, Western Branch, Woodside, and Denbigh High Schools. In 1993, while at Denbigh High School, the Marching Patriots participated in the Inaugural Parade for President Bill Clinton, and the Symphonic Band performed at the VMEA Fall Conference. Mr. Hargis is also a recipient of the “Ten-Year Honor Band Director Award” from the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA).
Mr. Hargis remains active as a conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. He is a member of NAfME, VMEA, VBODA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Phi Beta Mu. He served as the 35th President of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (2002–2004) and currently serves as the 43rd President of the Virginia Music Educators Association (2026–2028).
Mr. Hargis is the proud father of Kendall, Hailey, Jackson, and Cora, and grandfather to Cash, Wren, and Sully. Outside of music, he enjoys sailing, spending time on North Carolina's Outer Banks, and following the Baltimore Orioles.
He is the son of Dr. William J. Hargis, Jr., who served as Director of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science from 1959 to 1981. Dr. Hargis provided visionary leadership that helped establish the Virginia Institute of Marine Science as a division of the College of William & Mary, creating a lasting connection between the Hargis family and the university.