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S. Ira Jenkins
Director of Bands, Alpharetta High School 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 Mr. Kaufman is a native of Atlanta, GA and is excited to enter his 5th year of teaching as the Assistant Director of Bands at Alpharetta High School. He has taught middle school in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Fulton County, Ga. His bands have earned consistent superior ratings and have performed at the High Note Music Festival (Ga) in addition to many LGPE's. Further, his students have been awarded seats in their respective district honor bands 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 and Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. As a performer both on and off the field, Mr. Kaufman is an alumnus of Court of Honor Drum & Bugle Corps, Alliance Drum & Bugle Corps, and the 7-time world champion Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps. He has played for multiple productions as a part of the Gainesville Theatre Alliance among other theatrical organizations in the metro-Atlanta area, and has performed frequently with the Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra, Northeast Atlanta Ballet Pit Orchestra, and various other ensembles in the Metro-Atlanta area. Mr. Kaufman's educational pursuits extend beyond the classroom as he has held positions with several prominent band programs, indoor winds ensembles, and drum corps for the last 12 years. He has held a variety of educational and leadership roles in that time. Currently, Mr. Kaufman is on the brass faculty for 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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Pauly Lalvani
Percussion Instructor Pauly is has been a part of the Raider Band since 2007 and is in his 8th year of teaching Marching Percussion at the high school level. He graduated from Alpharetta High School in 2011, performing in over 6 different music ensembles. Pauly graduated from Kennesaw State University, where he was the Principal Percussionist in the Kennesaw State University Concert Band, and where he received his Bachelors in Information Security and Assurance and teaches as Alpharetta High School and Ridgeview Middle School. Pauly marched with Alpharetta High School and Georgia State University Drumline and has taught various High School and Middle School ensembles in both Cobb and Fulton County. During High School Pauly was a leader of the Award winning Alpharetta High School Drumline and Wind Ensemble, performing in New York’s Carnegie Hall, GMEA, ASTA, and UGA’s Janfest. Pauly currently resides in Kennesaw with his wife Elizabeth and their pups Harley and Torrey. He's currently living his dream as an airline pilot and teaching percussion at the same time. |
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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. |