Alpharetta High School Band Directors
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S. Ira Jenkins
Director of Bands, Alpharetta High School Email Mr. Jenkins Ira Jenkins joined the Raider Band family in 2013 as the Associate Director of Bands and was promoted to the Director of Bands in 2019. Prior to coming to AHS in 2013 Mr. Jenkins taught elementary, middle, and high school bands in Atlanta City, Cobb County, Fulton County, and in Westchester County (NY) as well as Bergen County (NJ). His bands have consistently earned superior ratings at performance evaluations. Mr. Jenkins' students have earned chairs in county and district honor bands as well as all-state bands and university honor clinics. Mr. Jenkins' responsibilities have extended far beyond the classroom. He has served as an assistant high school marching band director, visual caption head, color guard caption head, and director of numerous winter guard programs in GA, SC, AL, MD, NJ, and NY. Mr. Jenkins conducted honor band clinics in Westchester County (NY) and was the publicity chair for Westchester County School Music Association (WCSMA) for the 2012-13 school year. Mr. Jenkins' professional affiliations include marching band and winter guard adjudication with the WGI, DCI, BOA, USSBA, and numerous state circuits. He holds memberships with GMEA, NAfME, SAPA, WGI, NYSSMA, NYSBDA, and FFJA. Mr. Jenkins completed his undergraduate degree at Florida A&M University and Georgia State University. He holds a masters degree in educational leadership from Kennesaw State University and an education specialist degree in music education from the University of Georgia. |
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Jared Kaufman
Associate Director of Bands, Alpharetta High School Email Mr. Kaufman Mr. Kaufman is a native of Norcross, GA and joined the Alpharetta High School faculty in 2020 as the Associate Director of Bands. Prior to AHS, he taught at the middle school level in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Fulton County, Ga. His bands have earned consistent superior ratings and his students have been awarded seats in their respective district honor and all-state bands. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from Brenau University and a Masters Degree in Music Education from the University of Florida. Additionally, Mr. Kaufman holds membership with the Mu Phi Epsilon Music Honors Fraternity, Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, GMEA, and NAFME. Mr. Kaufman's educational pursuits extend beyond the classroom as he has held a variety of educational and leadership positions with multiple band programs, indoor ensembles, and drum corps for the last 15 years. Currently, Mr. Kaufman serves on the brass faculty at The Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps. |
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Matthew Howell
Percussion Instructor Matthew Howell, a native of Memphis, TN, has been an active percussionist since 1997. His performance credentials include membership within World Class organizations in both WGI and DCI including Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps and Gateway Indoor. Matthew also performed in the University of Memphis PASIC Marching ensembles in 2004 and 2006 and was a charter member of the National Basketball Associations’ (NBA) Memphis Grizzlies Drumline. Matthew has worked with multiple World Class organizations including Gateway Indoor, Tyler Junior College Indoor, Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps, Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps, Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps, Palmetto Percussion, and Monarch Indoor Percussion (Houston, Texas). Matthew was most recently the percussion director, visual designer, and program coordinator for North Shore High School in Houston, TX. Matthew is currently the Percussion Director for Alpharetta High School in Alpharetta, GA. He is an active percussion arranger, clinician, and visual designer for multiple marching bands, winter guards and indoor percussion ensembles all over the world. |
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Kaleigh Schlosser
Color Guard Co-Director Kaleigh Schlosser started her dance training at age three. As a student at Chattahoochee High School, she was a captain for the color guard and a member of the winter guard under the direction of current AHS assistant band director, Ira Jenkins. She began dancing at Barbara Bramble Dance Center and later moved to Fleetwood Dance Theatre where she has been trained in a variety of styles. Kaleigh has also studied at the Radio City Rockette Summer Intensive. Kaleigh graduated in 2014 & 2016 with a B.A. in Dance and a B.S. in Exercise Health Science from Kennesaw State University. While maintaining the HOPE Scholarship and achieving Dean’s List, Kaleigh is also a member of the Nu Delta Alpha Dance Honor Society at KSU, and served as the Secretary of the KSU Dance Company during 2012-2013. She is interned with Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center. As a member of the KSU Dance Company, she has had the opportunity to work with artists such as Ivan Pulinkala, Christen Weimer, Reiko Kimura, Sandra Parks and Lauri Stallings and performed in a variety of pieces, including contemporary works such as Cocoon, Sablon, Maa and Solitare, as well as the classical ballets, Paquita and Swan Lake. She has performed outside of KSU in a production of 42nd Street and participated in Disney Magic Music Days. Currently, Kaleigh is a Special Education Teacher at Alpharetta High School. She also teaches the Shining Stars program for students with special needs at Fleetwood Dance Center. Kaleigh has absolutely loved her time working with the AHS Color Guard and can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future! |
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Lizzy Lukes
Color Guard Co-Director Lizzy has been involved in the color guard activity for twelve years now. As a resident of Alpharetta, Lizzy graduated from Chattahoochee High School where she participated in eight seasons of color guard and winter guard (under the direction of Mr. Ira Jenkins, current AHS assistant band director, for her junior and senior years). From there she moved to Atlanta and joined the Georgia Tech Color Guard where she marched for four years. At the same time Lizzy tried out for her first season of drum corps where she ended up spending her next four summers. She toured with Spirit of Atlanta, eventually becoming captain her last year, and with Carolina Crown who earned a fourth place medal at world championships the year she marched. Lizzy also kept up with her love of winter guard as a member of Paramount Independent World Guard, and she is now starting her third season with Aureus Independent Open Guard. With previous experience at Forsyth Central High School, this will be her forth year at Alpharetta High School. Aside from guard, Lizzy graduated from Georgia State University in the spring of 2014 with a degree in Managerial Science with a focus in Business Analysis. |
