Students enter the Willow Wood band program in the 6th grade at Northpointe Intermediate School. Both the Willow Wood and Northpointe Bands are among the most active and visisble organizations in their respective schools. Between the two campuses, there are over 250 students enrolled in one of the bands listed below.

The NORTHPOINTE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL BAND consists of over 120 6th graders in their first year of study in band. Mr. Shaw teaches beginning woodwind classes classes, and Mrs. Vandergriff teaches the beginning brass. Mr. King is the percussion instructor.

Following the beginning year, Northpointe Band members audition for placement in one of the following performing groups at Willow Wood Junior High School:

The HONOR BAND is the top performing group, by audition, in the Willow Wood band program. This award-winning band performs several concerts throughout the year and takes part in a number of contests and festivals. The Honor Band is composed mostly of 8th graders and select 7th graders. This band is directed by Mr. Shaw.

The SYMPHONIC BAND consists of students who have shown an above-average level of proficiency on their instruments. This band, under the direction of Mrs. Vandergriff, performs in several concerts througout the year and participates in UIL Contest and at least one other concert band festival each year.

The CONCERT BAND builds upon the skills learned during the beginning year and is composed primarily of 7th graders. The band performs in several concerts during the school year, and members may audition into the Pep Band. Mrs. Vandergriff is primarily responsible for this band.

The PEP BAND is comprised mainly of Honor and Symphonic Band members with select Concert Band members. The band performs in all school pep rallies, as well as two Willow Wood JHS football games each year.

Jim Shaw is in his fourth year as the head band director at Willow Wood JHS and Northpointe Intermediate School. A graduate of Klein Forest High School, Mr. Shaw holds bachelors and masters degrees from West Texas A&M University. He has also done post-graduate work at Arizona State and has taught band in Harlingen, Midland, and Klein.

Bands under Mr. Shaw's direction have consistently earned the UIL Sweepstakes Award for Superior ratings in concert and sightreading and have won Best in Class awards at the Hub City and South Coast Music festivals. In 2008, the Willow Wood Honor Band was named a Commended Band in the National Wind Band Honors Mark of Excellence competition. The Honor Band was the Runner-Up at the 2010 South Coast Music Festival.

A contributing editor to The Instrumentalist magazine, Mr. Shaw has had several articles published on teaching band and music pedagogy. He is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and the Phi Beta Mu international band directors honor fraternity. He works regularly as a clinician and adjudicator in the Houston area and in other parts of Texas.

Entering her second year in the Willow Wood Band cluster, Debra Vandergriff teaches beginning brass classes at Northpointe and conducts the Willow Wood Concert and Symphonic Bands. Mrs. Vandergriff is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and taught previously at Aragon Middle School in Cy Fair ISD and served as the graduate assistant for the Wind Studies department at Sam Houston. Under Mrs. Vandergriff's direction, the 2009-2010 Willow Wood Symphonic Band was named Runner-up in its class at the South Coast Music Festival.

She currently lives in Spring with her husband Bryon, and she is an active private horn teacher in the area.

Mrs. Vandergriff is a member of the Texas Bandmasters Association and the Texas Music Music Educators Association.

Chris King is the percussion instructor for Tomball ISD. In addition to teaching the beginning class at Northpointe Intermediate, he assists with the percussion program at Willow Wood and serves as the percussion instructor at Tomball High School.