BIO
I am a RETIRED public school chorus director. I was Choral Director for Vidalia Comprehensive High School from 2014-2020. For the previous six years, I taught at Swainsboro Middle and Swainsboro High Schools in the Emanuel County School System. I was the 2007-2008 System Teacher of the Year for Vidalia City Schools, where I served as a middle school band director. I previously served as Choral and Band Director for Turner County Schools in Ashburn, GA and Montgomery County Schools in Mount Vernon, GA.
I am pianist and director of the Chancel Choir at Vidalia Cornerstone Church in Vidalia, GA. I have served this church since 2003. I previously served Ashburn First Methodist, Pinson Memorial Methodist in Sylvester, Vidalia Church of God, and Vidalia First Baptist Churches.
I was director of the Vidalia Community Chorus from 2013-2014. I was accompanist for the chorus from 2002 - 2013. We did an extensive Christmas Concert every two years and a spring concert or show every two years.
I perform for entertainment, weddings, funerals, and civic events frequently. For many years, I have had the privilege of playing music with several of my colleagues in a dance band called Eight-Track Flashback (I play keyboard).
My undergraduate degree is in Music Education with Departmental Honors in Piano Performance from Shorter College in Rome, GA. I was the Georgia Music Teachers Association Collegiate Concerto Winner in Piano in 1982. I minored in voice, and I play trumpet pretty well and marched as a soloist with the Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps in 1979. I can play most of the band instruments with enough proficiency to teach them.
I am also a graduate of Troy University having earned a Master's in Post-Secondary Education with an emphasis in Instructional Technology.
I do freelance arranging and orchestration as I have the opportunity. I arranged marching band charts for metro Atlanta bands during college and my marching band arrangements have been played at football games all over Georgia. I have co-written music for original broadway-style church musicals Hugh!, and Humbug!.
I have two beautiful Vidalia-born children. My oldest daughter Hannah is an BSN RN at Meadows Hospital Cancer Center, pursuing her NP degree, and is mother of our grandson Kaspian. My youngest daughter Halli is a stay-at-home mom. Her son, our grandson, Miles, was born in 2009.
In addition, since my retirement, I have worked as a Funeral Assistant (Part time) at Kennedy-Brannen Funeral Home in Metter, GA. I also created, code, and co-own FuneralCalls.com funeral home management software company.
