ALUMNI
Contact Dr. Swisher to post your bio here. Be sure to include your degree and year of graduation. Pictures are welcome too.
Alan Emerson
Alan Emerson, a native of Owensboro, KY, graduated from Daviess Co High School (1988) and received his BME (1994) and MME (2004) degrees from Murray State University. Mr. Emerson began his teaching career in Owensboro at Audubon Elementary School and Apollo High School.
In 1995 Mr. Emerson began teaching for the Hopkins County School system and is currently working with Madisonville North Hopkins High School and James Madison Middle School Bands. James Madison Middle School currently has 44% of the student body involved in the instrumental music program. The 7th and 8th grade bands continually receive distinguished ratings at KMEA large ensemble festival. James Madison Bands are also involved with KMEA All-District band and solo and ensemble festival. James Madison bands have also competed in the “Music in the Parks” festivals and have be rated superior on each occasion and winning all classifications, including high school, in 2004.
Madisonville North Hopkins High School Band (105 members) offers many outstanding ensembles for its students: Marching Band (seven state finals appearances and two state championships), Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Brass Choir, Chamber Winds, and two winter guards. Mr. Emerson proudly team-teaches these ensembles with Mr. Rob Bryant and Mr. Randy Adams. Madisonville North Hopkins has marched at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, President Clinton’s second inauguration, and the World War II monument dedication.
Besides his teaching duties in Hopkins County, Mr. Emerson is also an active arranger for high school marching bands with over 50 shows to his credit. Mr. Emerson’s drum and bugle corps experience includes Star of Indiana (1988), The Crossmen (1994-1998) and Eklipse (2003). Mr. Emerson is a SBDM committee member at James Madison Middle School. Mr. Emerson has been awarded the KMEA 2nd District Middle School “Music Educator of the Year” three times and is the 2004 recipient of the Hopkins County Middle School “Teacher of the Year.” Mr. Emerson is married to Sarah, an 12th grade English teacher for Hopkins Co Public Schools. Sarah also teaches color guard for the Madisonville North Hopkins High School Band.
Eric Waldon
Mr. Waldon is in his sixth year as Assistant Director of Bands at Gibson Co. H.S. He has also been the Director of Bands at Rutherford, Yorkville and Spring Hill Jr. Highs located in the Gibson Co. School District. Mr. Waldon graduated from Murray State University with a degree in Music Education Cum Lade, and then went on to receive his Masters in Educational Administration, Leadership and Supervision from Bethel College McKenzie, TN. Mr. Waldon has taught numerous high school bands in Tennessee and Kentucky including Union City H.S. (TN), Murray H.S. (KY), Haywood Co. H.S. (TN), and Ballard Co. Memorial H.S. (KY). His professional Memberships include MENC, WTSBOA, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, and Gamma Sigma Alpha National Greek Academic Honor Society.
Doug Wilson
Spent the '04-'05 school year as a graduate student in trumpet performance at the University of North Texas. Since then he has been living in Illinois; working and going back to school. I was recently accepted into the School of Pharmacy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He still plays his horn locally.
Ben Edwards
From Paducah, KY and attended Murray State from 2003 - 2007 as a music minor, elementary education major. While at MSU, he played in Orchestra, Wind Ensemble for 2 years, and Trumpet Ensemble for 4 years. After graduating in December 2007, he started teaching art and music at Fancy Farm Elementary in Fancy Farm, KY. After a year and a half of teaching art and music part-time, he now teachs math at Fancy Farm.
Zach Kingins
Begins work on his Master of Music (Trumpet Performance) at Indiana University this fall. Zach performed with MSU's Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble and Trumpet Ensemble.
Mark Woodring
Will complete work on his Master of Music (Trumpet Performance) at Indiana University this fall. Mark performed with MSU's Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble and Trumpet Ensemble.
Jonathan Light
In 2005, Jonathan Light was named Middle School Band Director for the Graves County Public Schools.
Mr. Light is in his 5th year of teaching at Graves County Middle School. He also acts as Assistant Director of Bands at Graves County High School.
Mr. Light received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Murray State University. He is a member of KMEA, MEMC and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He is currently working his a Master in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Music.
He lives in Paducah with his wife Kate and his son Brody.
Jacob Hein
Jacob Hein, a May 2007 graduate of MSU is set to begin his 3rd year as Choral Director at Graves County High School in Mayfield, KY. Jacob graduated magna cum laude from Murray State with a bachelor's in music education.
Under his direction, the size of the choral program at GCHS has nearly doubled from just under 40 members in 2007 to nearly 80 members in the fall of 2009. In his 2nd year teaching, he was chosen to present a clinic at the Kentucky Music Educators Association Annual Conference in Louisville in 2009, and was honored by the faculty and administration at GCHS with the "Best in the Nest" award - a monthly award chosen by the faculty and staff at Graves County HS and is given to a person who "goes above and beyond the call of duty for his/her students." He also writes and arranges music for his choir including two premiered works this past school year (08-09). Other duties at GCHS include his service on the curriculum committee, participation in professional learning communities, and professional development activities with the Southern Regional Education Board.
Aside from public school, Jacob also spends his time and talents working at St. Thomas More Catholic Chuch in Paducah as the assistant choir director where he spends time teaching, conducting, singing, and playing trumpet and piano when needed.
He is a a member of the Board of Directors for the Community Performing Arts Center (Purchase Playsers) in Mayfield where he has been a part of putting on community theatre productions of plays and musicals including "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe", "Steel Magnolias", and "Little Shop of Horrors."
He is also a member of many professional organizations including KMEA, MENC, and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). He still plays trumpet off and on for special occasions and ceremonies when needed or asked as well as serving as a piano accompanist for many students at GCHS for scholarship auditions and solo and ensemble festivals.
Amy Fuller-Whitaker
Amy Fuller Whitaker is a native of Princeton, KY and 2000 graduate of Caldwell County High School. She received a BME Summa Cum Laude from Murray State University in 2004. She began teaching elementary music in Hope, AR in 2005 at William Jefferson Clinton Primary School and then in Benton, AR at Ringgold Elementary School. While at Ringgold, she started an elementary choir that performed throughout the Little Rock area and received a $6000 grant to purchase Orff instruments for her students. While in Arkansas, Mrs. Whitaker was a member of the South Arkansas Symphony.
Most recently, Mrs. Whitaker has moved to Northport, AL where she will be employed in the Tuscaloosa County School System in the fall of 2009. She will continue teaching elementary music at Brookwood Elementary School. Mrs. Whitaker is married to Jon, professor of trombone at the University of Alabama and has a daughter, Ainsley.