2023 Conference Presenter Bios

Melanie Woods Alexander is the Education Technology Marketing Coordinator for Hal Leonard, where she helps teachers navigate the ever-changing world of technology and provide authentic technology-enhanced experiences in their music classrooms. Before her tenure at Hal Leonard, Melanie spent 16 ½ years as an elementary music specialist in the Zachary Community School District in Zachary, LA. She holds both a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University. Melanie is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early/Middle Childhood Music and a Seesaw Ambassador with Seesaw Learning, a digital learning and portfolio creation platform for students. She is also a teaching fellow with Louisiana A+ Schools, an organization that promotes arts integration in its member schools throughout Louisiana.

Macy Bell holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from Auburn University. She is passionate about pursuing research and educational initiatives that are humanizing and transformative for marginalized students and their communities. Dr. Bell is committed to a cognitively busy, rigorous, and socially enriching music learning environment in which all learners are actively engaged in creating, performing, and responding to music through Orff Schulwerk, Modern Band, and Project-Based Learning pedagogies.

A dynamic performer and educator, bassoonist Nanci Belmont has been praised as “outstanding” by New York Classical Review. She is the Second Prize winner of the 2016 Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Competition of the International Double Reed Society and is a Performing Artist for Leitzinger Bassoons. Nanci has appeared as a concerto soloist on multiple occasions, including performances of the Strauss Duett Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon and the Gubaidulina Concerto for Bassoon and Low Strings. A proponent for the music of our time, Nanci is also active in the performance and commissioning of new works for bassoon. Recent solo engagements include recitals at the Meg Quigley Bassoon Symposium and multiple International Double Reed Society Conferences.

Chamber music is an integral part of Nanci’s career, and she is frequently invited to collaborate at chamber music festivals and series throughout the United States. She is a member of The City of Tomorrow, a wind quintet dedicated to the performance and expansion of contemporary repertoire. The City of Tomorrow recently released their second album Blow on New Focus Recordings, featuring works by Franco Donatoni, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Hannah Lash. From 2012-2014 Nanci was the bassoonist with Ensemble Connect (formerly Ensemble ACJW)– a Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute. In other contemporary chamber music ventures, Nanci frequently collaborates with the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, Argento Chamber Ensemble, and Talea Ensemble.

As an orchestral musician, Nanci has performed with many of the major ensembles in New York City, including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, and New York City Ballet Orchestra. Additionally, she has worked with the Charleston, Princeton, and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestras. Memorable international experiences include performances and recording of Peter Grimes in the United Kingdom for the Benjamin Britten Centennial as a part of the Britten Pears Festival, and a European tour with Ensemble intercontemporain in collaboration with the Lucerne Festival.

Nanci aims to cultivate meaningful relationships and relevant musical experiences through performance and in her role as an educator, she strives to cultivate curious, lifelong learners in music.  She is currently the Assistant Professor of Bassoon at Louisiana State University, and previously served on faculty at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA. Nanci has presented master classes at a variety of colleges and universities across the country, and spends part of her summer on faculty at the Trentino Music Festival Chamber Music & Orchestral Studio in Italy. 

Nanci received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Stony Brook University, a Master of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree from Florida State University. Her primary bassoon teachers include Jeff Keesecker and Frank Morelli.

Dr. Jason Bowers, originally from Dallas, Texas, currently serves as the Assistant Director of the School of Music and teaches in the Music Education department at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He has performed with various professional choirs in the Baton Rouge area including BRACE New Music Choir, De Profundis, and Red Shift. He is co-director of the First United Methodist Church Children’s Choir and performs with the handbell ensemble, Woodland Ringers. He is an active choral clinician and adjudicator, and holds the Vocal Vice President position in the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association. Prior to joining the faculty at Louisiana State University, Jason taught in public schools in the Houston and Baton Rouge areas for nine years. He was named 2008-2009 Zachary High School Teacher of the Year and 2011 Baton Rouge Symphony Music Teacher of the Year. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education from Louisiana State University.

Dr. Nicholas Bratcher is the newly appointed Director for the School of Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) and Director of Bands at the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM). In addition to his administrative duties as Director for the School of VAPA, Dr. Bratcher conducts the ULM Wind Ensemble and teaches graduate courses in music education as a tenured Professor of Music. 

Prior to his appointment at ULM, Bratcher held positions as Director of Bands and Coordinator for Music Education at California State University San Bernardino, Director of Bands at the University of Dubuque (Dubuque, IA), and Assistant Director of Bands at Savannah State University (Savannah, GA). In each role, Bratcher helped grow and develop comprehensive band programs with educational outreach initiatives for public school students and directors; as well as several wind and jazz ensemble performance tours throughout varying regions of the United States.

​Bratcher consistently works with composers, arrangers, and performing artists throughout the country. Projects with new compositions and wind literature are integral to his creative work. Bratcher is published several times in the GIA Teaching Music through Performance in Band book series. He is an active guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. Bratcher has presented clinics across the United States and researched wind band pedagogy and literature in multiple countries. Recent professional engagements off campus include serving as the founding conductor and conductor emeritus of the Julien Winds, a professional wind ensemble serving the tri-state area (Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin). In their fourth year, the ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall in June of 2018. Additionally, Bratcher founded the San Bernardino Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble in 2020, an honor-band level ensemble serving San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Dr. Bratcher also wrote and published Rainbow Jukebox: A Concise Companion to LGBTQ Music Studies. The book peaked at #37 on Amazon’s Top 100 Best-Selling List for Ethnomusicology and is used as a curriculum text for queer music studies on multiple college campuses.

​Bratcher attended South Carolina State University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and a Master of Arts in Music Education from Coastal Carolina University. He later earned the Doctorate in Music Education with studies in Conducting from the University of Georgia where he studied with Mary Leglar, John Lynch, and Mark Cedel, respectfully. Bratcher also completed additional study with John Whitwell and Frank Wickes.

Ensembles under Dr. Bratcher’s direction have been recognized for their innovative programming and performances. Dr. Bratcher regularly champions new works for the wind band medium as well as underrepresented minority composers in his concerts and educational outreach opportunities involving area high schools. In 2019 and 2021, the CSUSB Symphonic Band was recognized as a finalist for College/University Wind Band Performance in the American Prize National Competition for the Performing Arts. Dr. Bratcher was also recognized as a finalist in the Conducting division, and as a finalist for the Ernst Bacon Award, an award that recognizes innovation and performance of music by American composers. That same year, the ensemble was invited and accepted to perform at the Inaugural Emerald Isle Wind Festival in Ireland. However, the opportunity was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the CSUSB Chamber Winds released their debut album entitled Some Notes Between Friends, which is now streaming on most major platforms.

Bratcher is an active member of these organizations: College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), Minority Band Directors National Association, National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Tau Beta Sigma (honorary member), and Kappa Kappa Psi where he served on the National Alumni Association Board of Directors and as National Vice President for Programs.

Sara Bray is in her eighth year as the choral director at St. Amant High School in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and her master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of North Dakota. Sara currently serves as the High School Coordinator for the District IV Choral Directors Association where she organizes the Louisiana Music Educators Association round one auditions and the District IV Honor Choir. Sara is an active performer, singing soprano with the Baton Rouge Artists of Choral Excellence and performing on stage with Ascension Community Theatre.

Craig Byers received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2007, where he studied percussion and was drum major of the Spirit of the Southland Marching Band. He is most recently pursuing his master’s degree in Music Education from William Carey University. Currently serving as the Director of Bands at Lakeshore High School in Mandeville, Louisiana, Mr. Byers’ ensembles consistently receive Superior or Excellent ratings.  The Titan Band was selected to represent the state of Louisiana in the 2018 and 2023 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. Their 2022 Winds group were the recipient of the LMCGPC gold medal in Scholastic A.

Prior to Lakeshore, Mr. Byers served as the Assistant Director, Designer, and Percussion Instructor at Central Lafourche High School for four years, receiving the honor of being named the 2017 WGI Winds Open Class World Champions and 2015 Winds Scholastic A Class Silver Medalist in Dayton, Ohio. Craig also served as the Assistant Director at Fontainebleau High School where he began his passion for the indoor activity and was a guest conductor of the FHS Jazz Ensemble at the 2010 Midwest Clinic in Chicago, IL. It was during his time at Fontainebleau, Mr. Byers found his passion for drill design and started his own company – Distinguished Drill and Designs, LLC.

Mr. Byers is the most recent past Executive Director of the Louisiana-Mississippi Color Guard and Percussion Circuit where he now serves as the Winds Representative. His other professional affiliations include NAfME, LMEA, Louisiana Bandmasters Association and the Percussive Arts Society. He is also a proud artist and endorser of Mapex and Majestic Percussion and ambassador of Digital Performance Gear.

Kelly Clingan is the Director of Education at nonprofit SeattleJazzEd. A veteran band/ jazz educator, and graduate of the University of Washington, she is rooted in Seattle’s celebrated tradition of music innovation. Kelly is a frequent adjudicator at regional and national jazz festivals. She also presents at regional and national music conferences, and has been recognized for her work on gender equity in jazz. Kelly serves as Washington President for JEN.

Cory Joy Craig was born into an abusive environment in Brea, California and was placed into foster care at age ten. In her second foster home she was “accidentally” placed into the Band class where she received incredible musical instruction. Her life changed immensely with great hope and pursued music education to provide the same experience to the impoverished and abused. While working with inner city youth summer programs, she continued her pursuits of music education, graduating from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. Craig began her teaching journey as the music director at Herndon Magnet School fully managing band, jazz band, guitar, piano, and show choir programs. While at Herndon, she accepted the role as Community Partnership Music Teacher Leader in Caddo Parish Schools where she communicated, connected, and organized opportunities for Caddo music programs to perform in the community. Craig then directed middle school band, percussion, and jazz band at a Title I school called Ruston Junior High. She is currently an active member of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce, clinics honor bands throughout Louisiana, is the band leader of her own professional jazz band, and teaches Recorder and Beginning Band at Benton Intermediate with 600+ students in her program where she is began their new service chapter of Tri-M Honors Society. Today she is a 3 time Grammy Music Educator of the Year Finalist and Louisiana State Teacher of the Year Finalist, and continues to reach and inspire her students, their families, fellow music educators, and the community at large through relationships, quality music education, and community service.

Trey Davis is the Associate Director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State University. As the recipient of the Julius Herford Dissertation Prize, Dr. Davis has presented at state, regional, and national American Choral Directors Association conferences, for music educators associations throughout the nation, and for international conferences of the College Music Society. In 2020, he was selected as a featured presenter at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Davis is also the founder and conductor of the professional choir, Red Shift, which has performed by invitation for regional ACDA and international CMS conferences.

Pat Deaville served as an award-winning band director for twenty years, then left the rehearsal hall for a twenty-year administrative career, becoming the Supervisor of Music and the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Calcasieu Parish Schools. He was inducted into the LMEA Hall of Fame in 2003 and was honored with the Distinguished Legacy Award in 2022. Mr. Deaville’s involvement with LMEA included a thirty-four-year tenure on the Board of Directors, serving eight years as a District Director, twenty-five years as Chairman of the LMEA Professional Development Conference, and twenty-eight years as Editor of The Louisiana Musician. He has recently completed a new book on the history of LMEA entitled: The Louisiana Musician Retrospective: A History of the Louisiana Music Educators Association 1936-2023.

Serving as a Middle and High School Choir Director in Caddo Parish Schools, Michele has had the opportunity to navigate through the muck and mire of what it means to be a public educator.  She began her journey in education by pursuing a degree in Vocal Music Education from Louisiana Tech University.  Combining that experience with Church Music of which she has been involved with since her childhood serving as Worship Pastor, Choir Director, pianist and Children’s Choir and Youth Choir Coordinator, Michele has grown as an educator into a mentor for many new-comers into the world of Music Education in the secular and sacred arenas.  Although she has only taught in a Choral setting, her appreciation for the other music disciplines offered in Louisiana schools lead her to the opportunity to serve on the LMEA Board of Directors for District VIII, a position she currently holds.  Her strengths include recruitment, classroom management, communication and team-building.  She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Colorado Christian University.  She is a wife, a mom of three grown children and three dogs and a Mimi to the most precious two year old boy.

Catie Dwinal taught elementary general music for several years before joining the QuaverEd team as their, HigherEd Program Manager and Trainer. With a background in curricular and instructional design, educational technology, and music education. Catie Dwinal is an author, blogger, and social media personality using her passions to help educators integrate technology into their instruction.

John Lewis Folsom, Jr. (Johnny) has recently retired from 45 years of full time band directing and resides in Columbus, Mississippi. He spent twenty-five years as a successful band director in Alabama, first at Geneva (8 years) and then at TR Miller, Brewton (17 years), and spent 13 years with the prestigious Cairo High School Band in Georgia. He also spent 7 years as the director of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Band in Tifton, Georgia. Folsom now works with the Mississippi State University Music Department as a university supervisor of student interns.

Folsom was a member of the Georgia Music Educators Association and served as chairman for district 2.  He is also a past president of the Alabama Bandmasters Association.  He was honored by the Troy State University’s music faculty as its 1996 Alumnus of the Year.  He has judged numerous marching and concert festivals in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina and regularly serves as an honor band clinician.  Mr. Folsom was honored to be selected to the Phi Beta Mu Alabama Bandmasters Hall of Fame and the High School Band Directors National Association Hall of Fame.

Frances Fonza is the Director of Choral Activities at Southeastern Louisiana University where she teaches conducting, choral methods, and conducts the Concert Choir and Bella Voce Choir. Fonza earned a bachelor’s degree in music education at the University of Missouri-Columbia, a master’s degree in music education, and a doctorate in music education/choral conducting at Florida State University.

Most recently, Dr. Fonza served on faculty at the University of Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin State University. Dr. Fonza taught choral music at the middle school and high school levels in Kentucky and was the choir director and sight singing teacher at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC. Additionally, Dr. Fonza served as Assistant Professor of Music Education and Director of Choral Activities at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. Fonza is an active singer, clinician, and adjudicator. A frequent guest conductor, she has conducted all state, honor, public school, and church choirs.

Elizabeth Fortune is a known change-agent in music education. She is a veteran classroom instrumental music educator with 21 years of experience. She is the Associate Director for the Washington Music Educators Association. She is Director of Education for Wintergrass, a nonprofit, nationally acclaimed acoustic music festival with award-nominated educational programming. She is the current chairperson for the NAfME Council for Orchestral Education. And, she is the co-host of a popular forward-thinking music education podcast/ Facebook Live show called “The Beth and Kelly Show.”

Bob Gillespie is Ohio State University Professor Emeritus of string education/string pedagogy. Under Dr. Gillespie’s leadership, Ohio State University received the 2015 Institutional String Education Award as the premier string education university in the country. Dr. Gillespie is a past national President of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). He is a frequent guest conductor of All-State, region, and festival orchestras, having appeared in 49 states, Canada, Asia, and throughout Europe. He is co-author of the Hal Leonard string method book series, Essential Elements for Strings, the leading string instrument teaching series in the US with sales of over eleven million copies. Also, he is co-author of the college text Strategies for Teaching Strings: Building A Successful School Orchestra Program, the String Clinics to Go DVD series, the Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra texts for GIA publications, and the new method series, Rockin’ Strings for Hal Leonard. In summers, well over 1,600 teachers have attended the annual summer OSU String Teacher Workshop, the largest string/orchestra teacher-training workshop in America. In Columbus, he conducts the Columbus Symphony Chamber Strings Youth Orchestra. In 2020, Dr. Gillespie received the Paul Rolland Lifetime Achievement Award from the American String Teachers Association for significant contribution to the field of string teacher education and string pedagogy. In 2022, he received the University of Michigan School of Music alumni Hall of Fame Award in recognition of his distinguished career in music education. In December 2023 he will receive the Medal of Honor from the Midwest Clinic for distinct services to instrumental music education and continuing influence on the development and improvement of bands and orchestras in America.

Canadian-American classical guitarist, Dr. Janet Grohovac, is a passionate performer and sought after instructor based in Austin, Texas. Janet holds Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. As a dynamic concert artist, recent performances include appearances at the Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Taxco, Mexico with the Ibison Guitar Duo, and solo concerts for Austin Classical Guitar Society’s Salon and Cactus series, the Central Valley’s Guitarraganza festival in California, and Victoria Conservatory of Music’s Summer Guitar Academy in Canada. Dr. Grohovac has accumulated many top prize awards in competitions including: 1st place as a soloist in Southern Guitar Competition and Northwest Guitar Competition, and was a finalist in the international guitar competitions at Montreal, Lone Star Guitar Festival, Tennessee, and Dallas. 

Janet is a member of the Ibison Guitar Duo, where she and Dr. Chad Ibison perform throughout the US and abroad. Recent concerts include their 2022 Southeast tour in Nashville, TN, Columbus, GA and Troy, AL. They have also performed at St. Barnabas’ concert series in Canada, Ticino Musica’s concerts in Lugano, Switzerland, Houston’s Classical Guitar Festival and Competition, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee concert series, Austin Classical Guitar’s Cactus Café series, and Austin’s radio stations KMFA and KVRX. 

Janet is also a member of the Austin Guitar Quartet. In 2019, the quartet performed and recorded Nico Muhly’s “How Little You Are” with the Texas Guitar Quartet, and the Grammy Award Winning groups, Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Conspirare under the direction of Craig Hella Johnson. The 2020 album, “The Singing Guitar” on the Delos label, reached #15 on the Billboard traditional classical charts in its first week and was reviewed favorably by BBC 3 Radio. In 2022, the album was nominated for a Grammy.

In addition to performing, Janet is an avid professor and directs the guitar program at Concordia University. She also directed the guitar programs as professor at Huston-Tillotson University and Texas Lutheran University and is invited regularly to teach masterclasses and adjudicate competitions at universities and guitar festivals throughout North America. Janet has also served as a clinician for the Lullaby Project through Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections Program.

Luis Fabián González is a third-year doctoral student of choral conducting and vocal pedagogy at Louisiana State University. Fabián has worked with a wide range of choirs, showing a true passion for all aspects of rehearsal technique and pedagogy. He holds a BA in journalism and music from the University of Puerto Rico, a Juris Doctor from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, and a MM from the University of South Florida. His doctoral dissertation concerns Latin American choral music.

Gregg Griffin is an experienced music educator with over 15 years of experience. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Recognizing the importance of continued growth and expertise, Gregg pursued a Masters of Music degree from UL Lafayette.

Gregg teaches Talented and Gifted Music at Vermilion Parish Schools. His passion for nurturing exceptionally talented students’ musical abilities is evident in his dedicated approach to education. Under his guidance, countless young musicians have flourished under his mentorship.

Beyond his role as an educator, Gregg’s love of music extends to his active involvement as a performer. Together with his wife, Kylie Griffin, also a music educator, Gregg is a founding member of the band Poisson Rouge. Their harmonious collaboration creates an original and captivating sound that captures audiences across various venues.

In addition to their musical endeavors, Gregg and Kylie founded the Petits Cajun et Creoles children’s music camp. This initiative allows them to impart their knowledge and passion for Cajun and Creole music to young learners. This instills in them a deep appreciation for their cultural heritage.

Family plays an integral part in Gregg’s life. He and Kylie Griffin are proud parents to four children: Gracie, Anna, Eleanor, and Iry.

Judy Hand is Associate Professor of Flute and coordinator of the music history area at McNeese State University, where she teaches flute, chamber music, flute pedagogy and literature, music history, and music appreciation. She has held seven endowed professorships in music, and has served as Assistant Department Head. She has a BMEd from the University of Arkansas, and MM and DMA in flute performance from Louisiana State University. Dr. Hand is currently principal flute in the Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra and the Rapides Symphony Orchestra. She has soloed with both orchestras on flute and piccolo, and has also held positions in the North Arkansas Symphony and the Baton Rouge Symphony. She toured England and Wales with the International Flute Orchestra and was a performer at the William Bennett Flute Course in England, as well as performing a solo recital at St. James Church Piccadilly in London. In master classes she has performed for such greats as Jean-Pierre Rampal, Geoffrey Gilbert, Donald Peck, and William Bennett.

Dr. Hand’s students have consistently won performance competitions and gone on to successful careers in music education and performance, as well as graduate studies both nationally and internationally. Through grants and endowed professorships, she regularly brings in world-renowned guest artists for inspiring masterclasses and performances. Past artists have included Susan Milan of the Royal College of Music in London, Ian Clarke of the Guildhall School of Music in London, Ransom Wilson, Professor of Flute at Yale University, Renee Siebert, flutist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Alexa Still, Principal Flute in the New Zealand Symphony, and Jim Walker, Hollywood film flutist and faculty at the University of Southern California and the Colburn Conservatory of Music.

Dr. Hand has been awarded numerous arts grants, including the prestigious Louisiana Artist Fellowship, as well as serving on grant adjudication panels. Her CD, Judy Hand: The Flute Music of Keith Gates, is a world premiere recording on the Summit Record Label. She has performed and presented at many conventions of the National Flute Association throughout the United States and has had performances aired on National Public Radio. She is the NFA liaison for the Louisiana Flute Society, and is a charter board member of that organization. She has been a presenter at conventions of the Louisiana Bandmasters Association and the Louisiana Music Educators Association, and her articles on pedagogy, performance, and auditioning have been published in The Louisiana Musician, The National Flute Association Journal, and the MENC Journal.

Cordara Harper is a native of Cove City, North Carolina, and serves as the Assistant Professor of Music Education/Director of Choral Activities/Vocal Coordinator at Grambling State University. He is an acclaimed versatile musician and completed a Ph.D. in Music Education with a cognate in Choral Conducting, completed the Master of Music degree and post-Masters Certificate in School Administration at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Master of Science degree at Amberton University, the Bachelor of Music degree (magna cum laude) at North Carolina Central University, and the Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Fayetteville State University. Harper has presented at national and international music education conferences and guest lectured at universities, with primary research focusing on the music of the Black diaspora and culturally-relevant conductor leadership.

Mr. Keith Hart, BA NBCT is a National Board Certified master educator, music director, consultant, musician, mentor, and clinician. He was born in New Orleans at Charity Hospital (no longer in existence since Katrina) into a rich tradition of Music Educators.  At a young age, he decided to make it his life’s work to carry on the traditions that were passed down to him.  After receiving his Music Education Degree from the University of New Orleans, he founded the Music Program for KIPP Believe College Prep Middle School in New Orleans where he designed an interdisciplinary curriculum that teaches music as a universal language and integrates language reading techniques and strategies into the study and performance of music.  Mr. Hart is the Symphonic Band Director at The Willow School (formerly known as Lusher) for the middle and High School.

Over the past 20 years, Mr. Hart has led professional development throughout the greater New Orleans area training enrichment teachers in a number of Districts and Charter Networks as a clinician, mentor, and coach. He has also served the community as the Director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s Saturday Music Program, as a clinician and adjudicator for many ensemble assessments, as a mentor teacher for the Loyola School of Music and ARISE Charter school network, and private lesson instructor for the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA).

Some of his most recent achievements include; the KIPP National “Excellence in Teaching Award”; “Band Director of the Year” District VI of the Louisiana Music Educators Association for three years; “Exemplary Music Program” from Festival Disney and he has recently been inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, an International Honor Society in Education; the lead Band Director, Mr. Lecour, in HBO’s hit series, “TREME”; and is a State evaluator in the Gifted and talented program.

Eddie Hirst is serving in his 10^th year as the Asst. Band Director at Walker High.  Prior to that, Mr. Hirst served as Parkview Baptist School in Baton Rouge as high school band director for 10 years, and middle school band director for 2 years.  Across 21 years of teaching, Eddie has consistently achieved sweepstakes ratings at District Assessment and at Regional & State Assessments when they existed.  He has been a part of high school programs up to 170 as well as entire 9-12 band of 35 students.   Mr. Hirst has also served as an honor band clinician, and runs a weeklong summer band camp for Junior High students.  He is a member of LMAA, Phi Beta Mu, and is currently serving as the President of the LMEA Dist. IV Honor Band Association. These diverse experiences have led to countless hours of evaluating and reevaluating decisions made for different programs, and how to fit them into a consistent framework for how to serve students through music education.

Eddie is a class of 1997 graduate of Sulphur High, where he played in the Band of Pride under Jerry Reed, and Fred Roeder.  While in high school, he studied horn with Rod Lauderdale.  He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Music Education from LSU with his primary professors being Dr. James Byo and Dr. Linda Moorhouse. Eddie is married to Jana Hirst, and they have 4 children.

Beverly Harlan Jones is currently the instrumental music teacher at Our Lady Queen of Heaven School in Lake Charles. She began teaching band in 1989 at East Beauregard High School and has also taught in DeQuincy, Westlake, and Moss Bluff. Her middle and high school band programs have enjoyed growth in both numbers and musicianship, consistently achieving Sweepstakes trophies at District Assessment. Her private oboe students are also consistently placed in an LMEA State Ensemble. 

Ms. Jones Is a graduate of San Angelo Central High School (San Angelo, Texas) where she was active in the string, band, and color guard ensembles. She graduated Magna cum Laude from McNeese State University with a Bachelor in Instrumental Music Education. She enjoys playing in the Lake Charles Community Band, Lake Charles Symphony, Masterworks Chorale and area churches and theater orchestras. She has twice been selected Teacher of the Year and in 2005 was selected District V Band Director of the Year. Ms. Jones has served as Recording Secretary and 2nd Vice President for District V. She is currently the Incoming President of the Board of Directors for the Lake Charles Symphony and her professional affiliations are LMEA, District V BODA, NAfME, and Phi Beta Mu, and Sigma Alpha Iota. In her free time, Beverly and her husband Lynn enjoy camping and traveling to visit their grandchildren and adult children.

Carlton Kilpatrick, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Music in Vocal Music Education at the University of Louisiana Monroe. He teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework in music education and conducts Bayou La Belle, an upper-voice ensemble and Warhawk Singers, a lower-voice ensemble. A native of Florida, Dr. Kilpatrick taught high school chorus in the public schools in Lake City, FL and Altamonte Springs, FL for 15 years. In 2010, his choir was invited to perform for the Florida Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He was recognized as the Florida Music Education Association’s Secondary Music Educator of the Year in 2018. He received his Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Florida and Master of Music in Choral Conducting and Ph.D. in Music Education from the Florida State University. Prior academic appointments include Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Kilpatrick is an active conductor, clinician, and adjudicator. His research has been published in The Choral Journal and Update: Applications of Research in Music Education. His research interests include nonverbal communication in conducting and teaching, inclusive practices in music education, and LGBTQIA+ issues in music education. He has presented sessions for music educators throughout the Southeastern United States. He is in demand as a curriculum specialist having served as the Instructional Design Editor on Jason Max Ferdinand’s Teaching With Heart and in the development and production of two units of educational videos for The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay Digital Youth Initiative.

During his teaching career in Florida, Dr. Kilpatrick was engaged in leadership roles with the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) and Florida Vocal Association (FVA), including services as President of FVA (2016-2017). He continues to be involved in the leadership of the ACDA’s Southern Region as the Performing Choir Chair-elect for the upcoming 2022 conference in Raleigh. Prior leadership roles in the Southern Region include the Application and Ads Chair for the 2020 conference in Mobile, the Honor Choir Chair for the 2016 conference in Chattanooga and the 2014 conference in Jacksonville. He served as the coordinator of the National ACDA High School Honor Choir at the 2017 conference in Minneapolis. He served as the Secretary of the Florida chapter of ACDA from 2008-2015.

Dr. Kilpatrick holds memberships in NAfME, ACDA, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.

Mr. King is a Texas native and been teaching for the past 17 years. He has served the students of DeKalb, Carlisle, Rusk, Henderson, and Beckville ISDs where his bands have consistently received superior performance ratings and consecutive UIL Sweepstakes Awards. During his time are Carlisle ISD, his band was named the TMEA 1A Honor Band for the State of Texas. He currently serves as the Director of Bands and Fine Arts at Beckville ISD where his bands have placed in the top three at State Marching Contest the last two years. This past year, the Beckville Band was named the TMEA Honor Band Runner-up for class 2A and received two Outstanding Performance Series Awards courtesy of the Association of Texas Small School Bands. Since Mr. King’s appointment as Director of Bands, Beckville ISD has been named one of NAMM’s Best Communities in Music Education for the past two years. Mr. King holds two degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University and is currently completing his Masters degree in Educational Leadership from The University of Texas at Tyler. He is a member of ATSSB, TMEA, NAMMB, TMAA, Pi Kappa Lambda, Kappa Kappa Psi, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Mr. King resides in Henderson, TX with his wife, Michelle, and their three children: Aaden, Noah, and Sutton.

Mrs. King is a Texas native and been teaching for the past 18 years. She has served the students of Hardin, Queen City, DeKalb, Henderson, Carthage, and Beckville ISDs where her bands have consistently received superior performance ratings and consecutive UIL Sweepstakes Awards. During this time programs that she contributed to received many accolades including UIL State Marching Contest champion and 3A TMEA Honor Band. She currently serves as the Junior High Band Director at Beckville ISD where she received the first UIL MS Sweepstakes Award in Beckville ISD history. This past year, the Beckville HS Band was named the TMEA Honor Band Runner-up for class 2A and received two Outstanding Performance Series Awards courtesy of the Association of Texas Small School Bands. Beckville ISD has also received the distinction of NAMM’s Best Communities for Music Education for the past two years. Mrs. King holds two degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University and is currently completing her Masters degree in Educational Leadership from The University of Texas at Tyler. She is a member of ATSSB, TMEA, NAMMB, TMAA, Pi Kapp Lambda, and WBI. Mrs. King resides in Henderson, TX with her husband, Josh, and their three children: Aaden, Noah, and Sutton.

Sharon S. Laird is currently enjoying semi-retirement while working as a sales representative for Southern Performances, a band uniform and accessory company. After 30+ years in public education, Mrs. Laird accepted the position as Assistant Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. While at Eau Claire Mrs. Laird assisted with the 475 member Blugold Marching Band, and was assistant conductor of the University Band. Prior to her appointment at UWEC, Mrs. Laird served as Director of Bands at Oak Grove High School, West Jones, Taylorsville, Magee, and Italy, TX.

During Mrs. Lairds’ time at Oak Grove, the bands performed at numerous local and regional conferences and events. The Wind Ensemble was the featured high school performing ensemble at the 2014 Mississippi Bandmaster’s Association State Band Clinic and has performed as a featured ensemble at The William Carey Honor Band, The University of Southern Mississippi All South Honor Band, The University of Alabama Honor Band Festival, and the Music for All Concert Invitational at The University of Louisiana, Lafayette. The Oak Grove Bands consistently received superior ratings in all categories at state and regional festivals, and have been awarded the MHSAA Sweepstakes Award every year since its’ inception. The Warrior Marching Band was the 2016 6A Silver Medalist and the 2017 6A Gold Medalist Mississippi Marching Band Champion.

Sean Linfors is an Associate Professor of Music Education at Ithaca College, where he directs ensembles and has taught choral conducting, choral literature, and choral methods. As an honor choir clinician and guest conductor, he features music of many under-represented composers. Linfors enjoys collaborating with his many colleagues and local artists in creating meaningful music. He received his undergraduate degree in trumpet performance from University of Richmond and graduate degrees in choral conducting and choral music education from Florida State University, studying with André Thomas. Prior to graduate study, he taught public school in Florida and Virginia. In 2013, he was the Guest Conductor and Clinician for the East African Choral Festival in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2016 he was semi-finalist for The American
Prize, as a conductor and as director of the Tallahassee Community Chorus. In 2019 Linfors was named the Artistic Director of the Syracuse Chorale in Syracuse, New York, and in 2020, he was named to the same position by the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble in Ithaca; these two groups have a combined 100 years of community choral singing. Ensembles under Linfors’ direction
have toured Canada, Italy, and the United States. They’ve been featured at National ACDA Conference and regional conferences. In 2023, the IC Choir was named a semi-finalist for The American Prize in Choral Singing (large collegiate programs). He’s an active commissioner of new choral works for college and community ensembles. Recent performances have included Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Us, Margaret Bonds’ Credo and The Ballad of the Brown King, and Carol Barnett’s Bluegrass Mass: the World Beloved.

Emily Maurer is the choir teacher at Slidell Junior High School in Slidell, LA. She received her Bachelors of Music Education from Southeastern in 2015 and has been teaching at Slidell Jr. High for 9 years.

Tony McCardle serves as the Director for Visual and Performing Arts, Career and Technical Education, and College Programs, for the Calcasieu Parish School Board. Prior to his tenure as a district level director, he was a highly successful Principal at Frasch Elementary. He holds two Master of Education degrees in Administration and Supervision and Educational Technology.

McCardle is the recipient of the 2023 National Federation of High Schools Outstanding Music Educator Award, as well numerous other local, regional, and state level awards, including, Louisiana FFA Association Honorary Degree, American Legion District 7 Educator of the Year, Principal of the Year, Louisiana Computer Using Educators Leader of the Year, and the Louisiana Computer Using Educators Innovators Award.

Affiliations include the Louisiana Association of School Boards Level Up League, the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents Academy, Southwest Louisiana Education and Workforce Committee, United Way of Southwest Louisiana past board member, and Louisiana Department of Education CTE Leadership Academy Developer and Leader.

McCardle’s passion and love for music started in the town of Vinton, Louisiana, with two highly successful music educators, Arnold “T-Lew” VanMetre and Mark R. Horne. He was a member and Drum Major of the Pride of Lion Country Marching Band as well as the concert ensembles. Although education was his chosen path, he did not choose music education, but the desire to avidly support music education has always been a major focus. He is the husband of Julie McCardle, curriculum coordinator at Sulphur High School, and the father of two All State band members, Caleb, freshman in the Band of Pride and the wind ensemble, at Louisiana Tech University, and Caden,  a Junior Drum Major in the Golden Tornado Marching Band, Jazz Band, and the Wind Symphony.

Ginny Medina-Hamilton presently serves as chair of LMEA’s Louisiana Advocacy Leadership Force where she raises the concerns of our state with NAfME’s National Advocacy Leadership Force. Ginny joined LMEA is 1996 when she began her career as a choir director at her high school Alma Mater later to teach Gifted and Talented Music in Terrebonne Parish, then finally end her classroom time at JB Martin Middle School in St. Charles Parish Public Schools. She moved into administration to eventually serve SCPPS as the Director of Gifted, Talented, and the Arts. In 2020, Ginny returned to her Alma Mater, Vandebilt Catholic High School, as principal. Though Ginny loves her work as an administrator, not a day goes by that she does not miss the joy and energy of the music classroom.

Dr. Brandon Meeks is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and is currently the Director of Athletic Bands and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. He is a graduate of Florida State University where he received his PhD and Masters in Music Education. He is also a 2009 graduate of Western Carolina University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. While at WCU, Dr. Meeks was a recipient of the prestigious North Carolina Teaching Fellows scholarship program. From 2009-2016 he served as the Director of Bands at East Lincoln Middle School in Iron Station, NC. During his tenure at East Lincoln, the band program experienced growth, consistently received Superior and Excellent ratings at state festivals and maintained a culture of high expectations and musical excellence. Dr. Meeks is a National Board-Certified Teacher, holds honorary memberships to Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, was named the 2013 East Lincoln Middle School Teacher of the Year, and was named the 2016 NC South Central Bandmasters Young Director Award for Excellence. He is an active presenter across the southeast, enjoys fitness activities and playing the piano and currently resides in Woodstock, Georgia.

With appearances across the United States, Dr. Andrew Minear is an active conductor, music educator, and choir leader. Dr. Minear is the founding Artistic and Executive Director of Orlando Sings where he conducts the Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus and the professional vocal ensemble Solaria. He also serves as Interim Director of Music Ministry at All Saints Episcopal Church of Winter Park. 

Previously, Dr. Minear was the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Alabama where he conducted University Singers and University Chorus, oversaw the graduate choral conducting program, and taught courses in conducting and choral literature. The UA University Singers performed at the 2018 Alabama Music Educators Association conference, and performances of choral-orchestral works included Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Bach’s Missa Brevis in A, Mozart’s Requiem, and the southeastern premier of Jocelyn Hagen’s multi-media symphony, The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci.

An active performer, Dr. Dunwoody Mirvil is currently the acting principal trombonist of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. His performance resume includes tenures with several ensembles throughout North Florida and South Georgia, including the Sinfonia Gulf Coast Orchestra, Albany Symphony Orchestra and Tallahassee Winds, in which he was a guest soloist several times. His work as an accomplished soloist also includes performances with the Jazz Ambassadors – United States Army & Field Band and the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) Army Brass Band of Ft. Benning, Ga.

On a global stage, Dunwoody has performed on multiple occasions at the International Trombone Festival, appearing with the Cramer Choir, Southeast Trombone Symposium Professors Choir, and the Lift Every Voice Trombone Choir, an ensemble comprised of select minority trombone professionals and professors across the U.S.

Beyond his talent as a performer, Dr. Mirvil is a music educator who enjoys sharing his knowledge as an instrumentalist with other aspiring musicians. He is currently Assistant Professor of Trombone at Stetson University and the owner of D. Mirvil Music, LLC., where he provides musical services to individuals, ensembles, and band programs throughout the Southeast. Prior to his appointment at Stetson, he served as Director of Trombone at Florida Memorial University and Assistant Professor of Low Brass at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., a position in which he instructed students of trombone, euphonium, and tuba.

His experience as an educator also includes a term as Director of Bands at Amos P. Godby High School in Tallahassee, Fla., and consistently work as a resident clinician. In January 2023, he presented at the Georgia Music Educators Conference and participated in a panel discussion at the Florida Music Educators Conference, where he has provided several clinic sessions since 2016. Additionally, he has presented at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic as a member of the Seminole Trombone Quartet and performed with the ensemble at Carnegie Hall.

Dunwoody’s research interests center on equipping educators and students with practical techniques to overcome common challenges of the trombone. He demonstrated a commitment to this by co-authoring a chapter on trombone pedagogy in Teaching Instrumental Music: Perspectives and Pedagogies for the 21^st Century (July 2023), a textbook published by Oxford University Press as a resource for prospective and current music educators nationwide. Additionally, his treatise, entitled Dr. Nathaniel O. Brickens: His Pedagogy, Career, and Influence on Trombone Performers and Educators, is cited in the International Trombone Association Journa1 Vol. 50, Issue #3 (July 2022) and being used by several trombone professors as a blueprint for developing and maintaining a reputable trombone studio.

Dr. Mirvil is an adjudicator for the Florida Bandmasters Association, a member of the International Trombone Association, Florida Music Education Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity of America, Inc., Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society for Education, and a McKnight Fellowship recipient. Dr. Mirvil is also an endorsed Performing Artist for Conn-Selmer, Inc., and has two signature mouthpieces with Giddings Mouthpieces.

Joseph Nassar received his Master of Music (MM) and Bachelor of Music Education (BME) in from Louisiana State University, and has completed post-graduate work in Educational Leadership. He holds National Board Certification in Early Adolescence/Young Adulthood Instrumental Music, and is a certified Teacher Leader.

Mr. Nassar has served as Band Director at Donaldsonville High School, Prairieville Middle School, and since 1999, Band Director at St. Amant High School in St. Amant, Louisiana. At St. Amant, Mr. Nassar conducts the Marching Band, Wind Symphony, Concert Band, and Jazz Band, and has served as the Color Guard faculty sponsor. All bands under his direction have earned numerous sweepstakes awards at LMEA state events, and the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Symphony have been ranked first many times in their respective divisions in LMEA competition.

Mr. Nassar is active as a concert band and marching band clinician and adjudicator throughout Louisiana, and is a member of the National Association for Music Education, the Louisiana Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, and the District IV Band Directors Association.

Additionally, Mr. Nassar has received many awards and accolades for teaching including: Selection by School Band and Orchestra Magazine to represent Louisiana in the feature entitled “50 Directors Who Make a Difference”, Louisiana Music Educators Association State Band Division Chair, Charter Member and Vice President of the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association, President/Board Member of the LMEA District IV Band Directors Association 2007-present, three-time recipient of the Ascension Fund Grant for Teaching Excellence, induction into Phi Beta Mu, the National Bandmasters Fraternity, ​performer at the 25th Annual International Horn Symposium, Tallahassee, Florida.

Amy Prats is an instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University where she is the director of the University Chorus/Northshore Choral Society, teaches undergraduate conducting, voice, and music education. Mrs. Prats also serves as liaison for the SLU Department of Music and Performing Arts and the SLU Department of Teaching and Learning; in 2021, she was appointed as the Undergraduate Coordinator for Southeastern’s Department of Teaching and Learning.

Prior to coming to Southeastern, Ms. Prats was the Assistant Director for the Northlake Performing Arts Society and taught at Destrehan High School and Ponchatoula High School. She frequently serves as an adjudicator for local music festivals and as a guest clinician for honor choirs throughout the Southeastern Louisiana region. 

Ms. Prats completed her Alternate Certification in Music Education at SLU and was awarded the highest honor, Exemplary Alternate Certification Student. Ms. Prats holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She is currently serving as vice-president for the Louisiana American Choral Directors Association.

Mrs. Prats lives in Abita Springs with her husband, Erik and son, Eli.

Tina Raymond is an accomplished drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator based in Los Angeles, CA. A unique voice in the contemporary improvised music scene, Raymond blends traditional jazz vocabulary with African polyrhythm and classical percussion technique. Brian Zimmerman of DownBeat Magazine writes, “Raymond displays ferocious chops and a remarkable sense of balance.” She has toured the US, Europe and Asia as a leader and sideman. Raymond is also a co-leader of Esthesis Quartet with Dawn Clement, Elsa Nilsson, and Emma Dayhuff.

Recent recordings include the acclaimed Esthesis Quartet debut album (Orenda 2022), Boom Sessions Volume III with Dan Rosenboom, Gary Fukushima, and Eric Revis (Orenda 2022), Trio Subliminal “Cinema Infernale” (Orenda 2022), Kuba Stankiewicz’ “Music of Roman Statkowski” (Warner Music Poland 2021), Bobby Bradford’s “Stealin’Home” (NoBusiness Records 2021), and Tina Raymond “Left Right Left” (Orenda 2017). Upcoming releases include Esthesis Quartet “Time Zones” (Ears and Eyes 2023) and Rachel Eckroth’s Live at Sam First (Sam First Records 2023).

Raymond is the director of Jazz Studies at California State University Northridge, she received a DownBeat Educator Achievement Award (2020), and is president-elect of California Alliance for Jazz. Raymond has presented globally and her teaching credits include Los Angeles City College, The Herbie Hancock Institute, University of Michigan, Bard College, and Idyllwild Arts. She received an M.F.A in Jazz (drum set) from CalArts in 2010, and a B.M. in double performance, classical percussion and jazz studies, from University of Cincinnati’s CCM in 2008. She is an endorsed educator with Remo, Regaltip, and Sabian.

Dr. Molly Redfield is Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Louisiana State University. She is an established bassist, arranger, and jazz educator.

Dr. Redfield maintains an active national performing and touring schedule as a bassist. She has performed with Ingrid Jensen, Allison Miller, Kenny Rampton, and many more. Her most recent recording, “JOIful Noizz” with the Las Vegas Joi Jazz Orchestra can be heard on all streaming devices.

Dr. Redfield is dedicated to the jazz education community. At LSU, Dr. Redfield teaches applied lessons, improvisation lessons, conducts the LSU Lab Jazz Band, coaches multiple chamber ensembles, and instructs courses in jazz theory and arranging. She has been invited to present at the LMEA In-Service, Jazz Education Network International Conference, and the Capitol Section CMEA In-Service. Additionally, Dr. Redfield was the invited conductor of the Montana 2023 Allstate Jazz Ensemble and has adjudicated jazz festivals across the nation.

Alissa Mercurio Rowe, is an active choral conductor, voice teacher, and soloist. She currently serves as Associate Professor and Galante Chair Director of Choral Studies at Louisiana State University. At LSU she conducts the renowned A Cappella Choir and teaches graduate advanced conducting and choral literature courses. She is active as an adjudicator, has given choral and vocal workshops in the Midwest and Southeastern states, and has conducted numerous All-State and Honor Choirs. She presented research on Individual Assessment in the Choral Rehearsal at the International Conference on Arts and Humanities and at the 2019 National American Choral Directors Association Conference in Kansas City, MO.

Dr. Rowe is also an active soprano soloist who has performed with the Tallahassee Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Baton Rouge Symphony, New Hampshire Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra (Mexico). She also performed and recorded three roles in David Schiff’s opera Gimpel the Fool with
Third Angle, Portland Oregon’s renowned new music ensemble. Dr. Rowe is a versatile performer who regularly performs a wide variety of works such as the Beethoven’s Mass in C, Messiah of Handel, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Schubert’s Mass in G, as well as opera roles in La Cenerentola, The Consul, Magic Flute and La Perichole, among others. Rowe released the album “Defining French Arias of Early 19th Century New Orleans” in October 2021 on Centaur Records.

Dr. Rowe received the President’s Award from St. Tammany Parish President, Patricia C. Brister, as Musical Artist of the Year in 2019 and was awarded the Southeastern Louisiana University’s President’s Award for Excellence in Artistic Activity in 2013.

Dr. Rowe holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Louisiana State University, a Master of Music in Conducting, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance, a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and Teacher Certification K-12 from the University of Michigan.

Mr. Dayshawn Russell, a Music Specialist and Band Director in Iberville Parish, is currently in his 8th year as a music educator. By God’s grace, he’s had the opportunity to be part of the start and development of music programs at Crescent Elementary, North Iberville Elementary, and North Iberville High School/Iberville STEM Academy.

Mr. Russell is the product of a family of both musicians and educators. His love for education was nurtured by his mother, while his love for music was inspired by the culture and atmosphere experienced during his upbringing in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana.

As a passionate music educator, Mr. Russell maintains that music is essential for a well-rounded education, and he’s committed to empowering students to take ownership of their own learning in the music classroom. He firmly believes that music education is the catalyst that helps students develop their creativity, critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills, and that it can also help them build self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. He is committed to providing students with a high-quality music education that will help them reach their full potential as individuals who are life-long learners, makers, and partakers of music.

A proud Spring 2016 graduate of the Southern University and A&M College, Mr. Russell went on to obtain his Master’s of Music Education with concentrations in general, vocal, and instrumental music from Kent State University. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Southeastern Louisiana University where he is pursuing a degree in Educational Leadership.

David Saccardi currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music Education at Louisiana State University, where he teaches courses in string pedagogy, music teacher preparation, and directs graduate research in experimental design and the psychology of music. Prior to moving into higher education, Dr. Saccardi taught middle school and high school orchestra in Colorado. He works as an orchestra clinician and guest conductor across the South, and continues to perform and teach double bass. Dr. Saccardi holds a PhD in Music and Human Learning from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives with his family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Richard L. Saucedo retired in 2013 as Director of Bands and Performing Arts Department Chairman at the William H. Duke Center for the Performing Arts at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana. During his 31-year tenure, Carmel bands received numerous state, regional and national honors in the areas of concert band, jazz band and marching band. Under his direction, Carmel’s Wind Symphony I performed at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival three times (1992, 1999, and 2004) and was named the Indiana State Champion Concert Band most recently in 2013. The group also performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago during December of 2005. The Carmel Marching Greyhounds finished in the top ten at the Bands of America Grand National Championship for 17 years under Saucedo and were named BOA National Champions in the fall of 2005. Carmel became one of the few schools to win a BOA National Championship and perform at the Midwest Clinic in the same year in 2005. The Marching Band was the Indiana Class A State Champion four times. The Indiana Bandmasters Association named Mr. Saucedo Indiana’s “Bandmaster of the Year” for 1998-99 and he was named the “Outstanding Music Educator” in the state of Indiana for 2010 by the Indiana Music Educators Association. Mr. Saucedo’s accomplishments have been highlighted in articles by HALFTIME and SCHOOL BAND AND ORCHESTRA Magazines. He was inducted into the Music for All “Hall of Fame” in 2015 and recently was inducted into the Drum Corps International “Hall of Fame” (2022).

Mr. Saucedo is a freelance arranger and composer, having released numerous marching band arrangements, choral arrangements, concert band works and orchestral compositions. Along with his work at Hal Leonard Publishing, he is the music ensemble coordinator for the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps in Concord, California and is the Brass Arranger/Composer for the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps in Rosemont, Illinois. Mr. Saucedo is an Educational Consultant for “Music for All” and “Bands of America.” He is a member of the Conn-Selmer Division of Education and currently serves as Chief Judge for Bands of America marching band competitions. He is married to wife Sarah, who is an interior design blogger. His daughter Carmen, teaches elementary school in Indianapolis and his son Ethan, is a sophomore percussionist at Fishers High School in Fishers, IN.

Amanda Schlegel is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at The University of South Carolina. Before coming to USC, Amanda was Associate Professor and Chair of Music Education at The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. At USC, Amanda teaches introduction to music education, methods for middle and high school students music through bands, measurement and evaluation, psychology of music, supervises student teachers, advises theses and doctoral dissertations, and directs the Congaree New Horizons Band program.

Her scholarly work has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Psychology of Music, Music Education Research, and International Journal of Music Education. She served as chair of the NAfME Perception and Cognition and Affective Response Special Research Interest Groups (SRIG) and is the current chair (2022–2024) of the Adult and Community Music Education (ACME) SRIG.

Ashley Shabankareh (she/they) is a musician, arts administrator, and music educator. Ashley serves as the Director of Operations and Programs for Trombone Shorty Foundation, Adjunct Professor at Tulane University, Xavier University, and Loyola University. Ashley is a curriculum writer and recently wrote the curriculum for Take Me to the River New Orleans, released via Berklee Pulse. Ashley has worked with numerous arts organizations in their career, including Preservation Hall Foundation, Artist Corps New Orleans, New Orleans Jazz Museum, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and Upbeat Academy. Ashley is the Board President of Folk Alliance International, Vice President for the Jazz Education Network, Board Member for Decolonizing the Music Room, and Chapter Governor for the Recording Academy Memphis Chapter. Ashley is a trombonist and vocalist and has performed with notable musicians including Aretha Franklin, Allen Toussaint, Jimmy Buffett, and Theresa Andersson, and in her own projects, Marina Orchestra, The Asylum Chorus, and Bra’s Band Brass Band.

Todd Shipley joined the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation as the Program Director in August 2023. He guides and administers the foundation’s programs, including musical instrument granting, the Music Rising disaster relief program, and the Music (and Arts) Education District Support Services. Most recently, Todd served as the Director of Arts Education at the Tennessee Department of Education, earning recognition as a state a national arts education leader. Previously, Todd served as a middle and high school band director and music teacher. He was a recipient of the inaugural CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence award in 2016 and was named a Metro Nashville Public Schools Blue Ribbon Teacher in 2018. He is regarded as a regional and national arts education leader serving in several arts professional learning and public interest organizations and is a Past President of State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education (SEADAE), the national organization representing those persons at state education agencies who are responsible for arts education. He is also a board member of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and ArtsEd Tennessee, an arts education advocacy coalition.

Abby South is a PhD student at Louisiana State University in music education with a minor in cognitive psychology. She has 16 years of k-12 music teaching experience and worked for five years at Kids’ Orchestra Baton Rouge as a conductor, teacher coach, content specialist, and member of the presentation team. Abby is currently an instructor of music education at LSU and maintains a private lessons studio of wind instrumentalists.

Mr. Square is a “retired” music educator/band director, having taught band for 36 years at the middle school, high school, and college levels. He is still very active in the Louisiana Music Educators Association as the Council Chairman for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Mr. Square is currently based at Champ Cooper School in Robert, teaching middle school band and serving the Music Resource teacher for Tangipahoa Parish. He is a charter member of the Louisiana Music Adjudicators Association. He is a volunteer actor/sponsor/supporter of the Kay Butler Performing Arts Project at Swamplight Theater. He devotes his “spare time” advocating for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and for a STEAM curriculum, which emphasizes the ARTS (performing and visual) as an essential component of a well-rounded education.

Mr. Square, a hometown product of the Ponchatoula Public Schools Band program, attended the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs). From the University of Louisiana- Lafayette, he earned undergraduate Bachelor’s degrees in both Industrial Technology and Instrumental Music Education. Additionally, he earned the Master of Music Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. Mr. Square completed the rigorous requirements to be designated as a National Board Certified Teacher in the field of Early Adolescent and Young Adult Instrumental Music by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

Melanie St. Cyr has been directing high school choirs for the past twenty years. She has spent 18 of those years at Slidell High School in Slidell, LA. Melanie is a proud graduate of Centenary College of Louisiana and studied under the baton of Dr. Julia Thorn. Mrs. St. Cyr is also the vocal director of the musical theater program at Slidell High School. Melanie is passionate about music education and the joy it brings to students and families including her three kids, Emma, Audrie, and William, and her husband and fellow educator Joshua St. Cyr.

Colette Bulber Tanner is in her 28^th year of teaching music and has taught all levels, from 3 year olds through high school, in the disciplines of vocal music, music appreciation, piano & strings. Mrs. Tanner received her BMEd and MMEd from McNeese State University. She also completed a LEVEL 4 Kodaly Certification and studied conducting at Cambridge University. 

She is currently in her 6^th year as the Choral Director for St. Louis Catholic High School and is in her 21^st year at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic School.

Throughout her career, Mrs. Tanner has strived to bring the love of music and music education to as many people as possible. She spent 5 years teaching strings through a satellite program with the F. G. Bulber Youth Orchestra and served 8 years on the Lake Charles Symphony Board, where she created educational packets & activities in reference to the symphony and its concert repertoire available to the area schools. Since 2012, she has served, and continues to serve, as director & conductor for the Lake Charles Messiah Chorus & Orchestra. She is also in her 11^th year as Choral Director for the Governor’s Program for Gifted Children.  And, she has served as guest conductor for Honor Choirs in Texas and Louisiana.

She is currently in her 12^th year serving as the Director of Music at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church.

Mrs. Tanner is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, NAfME, LMEA, Dictrict V-Vocal Music Teachers Association, OAKE, LAKE, ACDA/LA-ACDA, NCEA, and NPM.

Colette Bulber Tanner is the daughter of Dr. & Mrs. Francis G. Bulber. She and her husband of 29 years, Marcus Tanner, have three sons.

Jerry Tolson is professor of jazz studies and music education at the University, where he is chair of the department of academic and professional studies, directs jazz ensembles, and teaches jazz pedagogy, jazz style, jazz history, and African American Music classes.

Tolson has made presentations at state, regional, and national Music Education conferences, the International Association for Jazz Education Conference, Jazz Education Network, the International Academy of Law and Mental Health, and the Midwest Clinic, as well as universities in the U.S. and abroad. As a composer/arranger Tolson has written over 150 original tunes and dozens of arrangements for both large and small instrumental ensembles as well as vocal jazz ensembles.  His vocal jazz works are published by UNC Jazz Press.  He is a clinician/consultant for Kendor Music Publishing Company, a division of Excelcia Music, a content consultant for Pearson/Prentice Hall Educational Publications, and serves as an adjudicator, guest conductor, and jazz camp instructor internationally. Tolson has directed All-State and Honor Jazz Ensembles in Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Kentucky.  In addition, he was a long-time faculty member of the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops.

He is the founding educational director for the University of Louisville Jazz Festival and co-founder of U of L’s African American Music Heritage Institute, a celebration of the contributions of African Americans to America’s musical history, and the Louisville Jazz Workshop, an adult summer jazz experience, as well a national series of jazz teacher training institutes. Tolson’s articles have appeared in Music Educator’s Journal, Jazz Educator’s Journal, The Journal of Jazz Studies, The International Journal of Law and Psychiatry and The Instrumentalist, and he is a contributor to the following publications: Teaching Music Through Performance in Jazz, Volumes I and II (GIA, ed. Carter and Miles), Jazz Pedagogy:  The Jazz Educator’s Handbook and Resource Guide (Warner Bros (Alfred) Dunscomb and Hill), and The Jazzer’s Cookbook: Creative Recipes for Players and Teachers (Meredith Publ.). His jazz pedagogy book, The Jazz Commandments: Guidelines for Jazz Articulation and Style, is published by Kendor Music. He is also the author of the e-text, African American Music: History and Heritage (Great River Learning, a division of Kendall-Hunt Publishing).

Performing on keyboards, woodwinds, and vocals, Tolson has recorded five CDs, Nu View, Back at the Track, Late Night Cruise, Black Sand Beach, and Fresh Squeezed, and has worked with artists such as Delfeayo Marsalis, Antonio Hart, Don Braden, Rufus Reid, Kevin Mahogany, James Moody, Benny Golson, Mark Gross, Winard Harper, and Grace Kelley. His groups have appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, and in Barbados, Brazil, and Trinidad.

David Tyson is an Assistant Professor of Music Education at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. He received a Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of Florida, a Master of Music in Music Education with a concentration in Jazz Studies from East Carolina University, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His research is focused on popular and culturally significant music integration, comprehensive musicianship, creativity, and access to teacher education for non-traditional musicians. He has presented at conferences such as APME, FMEA, NCMEA, SMTE, IMTE, Desert Skies Symposium on Research in Music, and the Technical University of Kenya Arts Education Postgraduate Symposium in Nairobi. David is an in-demand clinician for concert and jazz honor bands and maintains an active performance schedule singing, playing guitar, trumpet, bass and piano in the areas of jazz, rock, and classical music.

Ms. Rebecca Vacha is in her seventh year as a high school choral director. Her career began by rebuilding the choral program at C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport. She is now in her fourth year as Choral Director at Airline High School in Bossier City, leading two treble ensembles and a mixed ensemble. She is an alumnus of Centenary College where she was a member of the Centenary College Choir, Centenary Camerata, Orchestra, and Percussion Ensemble. Her love for music education is rooted in the rich history of the Centenary College Choir where she learned to “love young people into doing great things with all their abilities and capacities.” While at Centenary, Ms. Vacha received the Hurley School of Music Outstanding Graduate in Music and the Vrooland Secondary Education awards.

Ms. Vacha also serves as the President of the  District VIII Choral Directors Association and High School Honor Choir Chairperson. She is also the Director of Traditional Music at Noel Memorial United Methodist Church where she directs the Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance, and Master in Arts of Teach in Choral Music from Centenary College of Louisiana.

Amy Wakefield is in her 22nd year of teaching choir in Bossier Parish Schools.  She has taught 5-12 grade choir. Amy is a proud graduate of Centenary College of Louisiana where she studied under Dr. Julia Thorn.  Under Mrs. Wakefield‘s instruction, her choirs have always received superior ratings at the LMEA District Large Ensembles. Amy enjoys teaching students the joy of music and young Music Educators the joy of teaching.  In her spare time, Amy enjoys watching her son, Grayson, play baseball, and her daughter, Anna Kathryn, play cello. She also enjoys traveling with her husband, Brandon, as they continue to build two companies, Precision Waste Solutions and Go Property Pros.

Patrick Ware is an internationally known Orff – Schulwerk clinician and choral conductor. With a service to education spanning more than 25 years, he holds a B.A. in Music from Westfield State University, an MS.Ed from Radford University and a DMA from the Shenandoah Conservatory of Shenandoah University. Dr. Ware is a National Board Certified Teacher in Music/Elementary and Middle Childhood. He teaches basic pedagogy, movement and recorder for multiple AOSA Orff-Schulwerk teacher education programs. Dr. Ware is currently the AOSA President-Elect. He is a former President of the Virginia Elementary Music Educators Association. Patrick has several compositions in print through Beatin’ Path Publications including works for treble choir with Orff Ensemble. Patrick teaches k-5 General Music and Chorus in Prince William County Virginia. Special focuses in his classroom and courses include Jazz in the elementary setting and the use of children’s literature.

The 2023 LMEA All-State Treble Choir will be conducted by Dr. Cameron Weatherford. Dr. Cameron Weatherford serves as Assistant Professor of Choral Music at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee where he conducts the Ladies of Lee, Choral Union, and teaches courses in the undergraduate and graduate choral music curriculum.

Prior to coming to Lee, he served as the Chair of the Division of Fine Arts and Director of Choral Activities at Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana.

Annie Young-Bridges holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and Suzuki Violin Certification from the Acadiana Suzuki Institute. Ms. Young-Bridges is in her 44th year of string teaching, the past 15 in St. Tammany Parish Public Schools, LA. She started the the Bay Area Strings and Chamberfest (Mobile, AL), and is the founder/director of the NorthShore Strings and Fiddle Camp in Covington, LA. Annie is president of the Louisiana Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (LA-ASTA). She is passionate about students having access to quality string education and performance from K-12 and actively performs as a freelance violinist and fiddler.

Odell Zeigler, IV, is currently the choral director at Booker T. Washington High School (Academy of Visual & Performing Arts) in Norfolk, Virginia. He conducts the Concert Choir, Women’s Chorale, Men’s Chorus,  Mixed Chorus, AP Music Theory, and serve as the head JV boys basketball Coach. 

‍An active clinician, and public speaker, Odell has presented music education workshops at the Colorado Music Educators Conference, Georgia Music Educators Conference, Illinois Music Educators Conference, Massachusetts Music Educators Conference, New York State Music Association Conference, 2019 Millikin University’s cNAfME Collegiate Workshop, South Carolina Choral Directors Association Conference, South Dakota Music Educators Conference, the 2021 National Art Schools Network Conference in Chicago, and the 2022 NAfME  National Conference in Maryland. Odell has also written for the Teaching Music Magazine (NAfME), the Massachusetts Music Educator Journal, the ChorTeach online teaching journal and is a featured blogger for ACDA’s online choral community blog website “ChoralNet.”

Odell is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, and the National Association of Negro Musicians, INC. In addition, Odell is a member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s Education Committee. Odell holds a B.A. (Music & Psychology) from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, holds an M.M.Ed. from the University of Rhode Island, and has an M. Ed (Educational Leadership with a Principal Certification Endorsement) from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.

Ginger Zingara is Director of Bands and Coordinator of Music Education at the Mississippi University for Women and is Adjunct Professor of graduate music education at the University of Alabama Birmingham.  Previously, she was Director of Bands at Birmingham Southern College, Professor of Instrumental Music and Director of Bands and Orchestra at Dodge City Community College in Dodge City, Kansas, Music Education Instructor at Troy University in Troy, Alabama, as well as Conductor for the Music South Orchestra, Tri-State Community Orchestra in Dothan, Alabama. She taught middle school and high school bands and orchestras in Georgia and Alabama to high acclaim, including such highlights such as having one of only 16 bands from the United States selected to perform at the Lord Mayor’s Millennium Parade in London, England in front of 2 million + viewers and the Queen of England and royal family, receiving the John Philip Sousa Foundation “Sudler Flag of Honor”, and Director of the Alabama All-Star Band at the 100^th Anniversary of the Lions Club.  

She is often requested as a clinician, conductor and adjudicator for bands and orchestras throughout the United States, as well as, in China, France and England. She has served in many district and state offices in both Georgia and Alabama MEAs and internationally for WBDI.  She has published articles in state, national and international professional periodicals, such as The Instrumentalist, The School Musician, Band World, Ala Breve, The Woman Conductor and others. Along with her husband, Dr. James Zingara, she hosted Band World for eight years, an NPR radio show featuring band literature and was heard throughout Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Her personal honors include: Who’s Who in Education, Who’s Who in North America, Outstanding Young Women in America, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society, Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society, Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Fraternity – Life Member. She is also a certified grant writer and has written on behalf of university and community music groups throughout the Southeast region.