After graduating with a degree in vocal education at Southeast Missouri State University last spring, Kylee Watters-Stephens didn’t have much trouble finding work.

The Crystal City native was hired to take over music director duties at the Montgomery County R-II School District in the fall of 2024.

“I was one of those early birds who were scanning through most teacher’s jobs probably in December before I graduated,” Watters-Stephens said. “I was like, ‘Oh, look at this one, this seems interesting.’ I just ended up here.”

Watters-Stephens headed a music department that had 59 students, including 18 from the high school. She wrapped up her first year as music leader on May 15 at the R-II Spring Music Concert at the MCHS gymnasium.

Watters-Stephens has big plans for the 2025-26 school year.

“Next year, I’m really excited to start high school theatre again, so we’re planning on trying to do a musical next fall and trying to get dates together for that,” she said.

Landing the job as the new R-II music leader just months after graduating from college was a dream come true for Watters-Stephens, who graduated from Crystal City High School in 2020.

“I probably realized I wanted to be a music director in my sophomore and junior year of high school,” said Watters-Stephens, who played trumpet for the SEMO Marching Band. “I was a band kid, I was a choir kid and I was a theatre kid. I couldn’t imagine my life without it anymore after graduation. I really love teaching. I love inspiring kids and teaching them to love music the way that I did.”

But Watters-Stephens had a tough task in her first year as music leader. She had to replace Pam Walton, who retired as director of the R-II music department after 20 years last spring.

“It was definitely intimidating and it did take the kids a couple of weeks to warm up to me, but I feel like we have a really good relationship now and I feel like we’re doing a lot of good things with the program,” Watters-Stephens said.

Walton was in attendance at the Spring Music Concert, playing the piano. She also was the substitute band teacher at the R-II schools.

“She’s been such a blessing,” Watters-Stephens said. “Even though she’s no longer a teacher here, she’s the long-term sub for our band director. She’s been helping me on the piano. She’s giving me advice. She’s literally always a call away when I needed something and she has saved my butt more times this first year than I can count.”

Watters-Stephens’ choir had 27 returning members from last year, including returning state qualifier and high school junior Rachel Harris. There were 11 sixth-graders on the choir

“Sixth and eighth graders were probably the hardest,” Watters-Stephens said. “Sixth graders never took a music class like choir before and eighth-graders were very attached to Mrs. Walton, so they didn’t want a new person in here at all. The high schoolers were hesitant, but they were genuinely more open minded.”

One of Watters-Stephens’ biggest highlights as the new music leader was taking five of her students to the State Music Festival in early May at Columbia. The state qualifiers were Harris, Addison Brower, Eden Hoffmann, Dakota Marion and Grace Thier.

“We hung out there for the day and they performed,” Watters-Stephens said. “I think they may have psyched themselves out a little bit, but they still did really well. State is intimidating. I’m so proud of them for getting there and all of the work that they put in to get there and perform. They’re an incredible group of girls.”