Sharon Voss, Flute Instructor
Sharon Voss has been a teacher in Carteret County for over 28 years. She currently holds a position as general music teacher at White Oak Elementary School. She is also a private flute instructor and performs at various churches and weddings on the east coast. Ms.. Voss earned a Bachelor of Creative Arts in Flute performance from UNC-Charlotte, and a Master in Music Education from Florida State University.
Lynne Hasenei, French Horn Instructor
Lynne Hasenei is a passionate and experienced music teacher with over 35 years of teaching experience. She holds a Master’s degree in French Horn Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory and is certified to teach K-12 general and instrumental music instruction. Lynne strives to incorporate fun and interactive methods to engage students of all ages. Her students appreciate her patience, creativity, and dedication to their musical growth. Outside of teaching, Lynne has been performing professionally for over 40 years. She currently enjoys performing on French Horn with local ensembles as well as playing keyboards with her church’s worship band.
Phil Smith, Brass Instructor
Phil Smith is a native North Carolinian with 30 years experience directing bands in North Carolina. After growing up in the Western part of our state, he moved to Greenville NC and is a 1992 graduate of East Carolina University. He began teaching in Scotland County and later moved to Onslow County where he taught for 25 years at Swansboro High School, Swansboro Middle School and served as Middle School Music instructor for the Onslow Virtual School. While in Swansboro Schools he directed award winning marching bands, concert bands, and jazz ensembles. His groups have received consistent excellent and superior ratings and have performed at Disney World, Philadelphia, and New York City. He is a member of the North Carolina Music Educators Association and The National Association for Music Education. Mr. Smith is a recipient of The Old North State Award for dedication and service beyond expectations for the great state of North Carolina. Since his recent retirement from the NC school system, Mr. Smith is an active substitute teacher with local band and orchestra classes and works part time with Fuller's Music of New Bern. He is a member of the Carteret Sunshine Band and the Coastal Carolina Community Orchestra. He has remained in Swansboro and is enjoying his hobbies which are playing trombone, fishing, boating, and being outdoors.
Erik Riggs, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Jazz Instructor
Erik Riggs graduated from West Virginia State University with his degree in Music Education K-12 then attended East Carolina University for graduate work in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies. Following graduate school, he was selected as a member of the premiere cast of “Blast II: Shockwave,” the sequel to the Tony and Emmy award winning Broadway show, “Blast!” He performed for four months at DisneyWorld’s EPCOT, then toured with the show for 189 performances in 46 states.
Following this tour, he began teaching in Wake County. His first year at East Millbrook Magnet School he was awarded both the New Teacher of the Year for the school as well as New Teacher of the Year for all of Wake County. This was followed by Teacher of the Year at EMMMS in 2009, the same year he earned his National Board Certification in Early and Middle Childhood Music. Mr. Riggs was recruited from Wake County Schools in 2011 to rebuild and establish a high school band program at the Canadian International School of Singapore. Living in Singapore, he had the opportunity to travel, teach, and perform across Southeast Asia. Upon returning to the US, Mr. Riggs began teaching at Martin GT Magnet MS in Raleigh where the program experienced 105% growth in six years. He is currently band director at Mills Park MS in Cary, NC.
Mr. Riggs has more than twenty six years of experience teaching private woodwind lessons and working as a clinician for area high schools and universities. His private students have consistent successes in their respective schools as well as at North Carolina Honors Events such as All District, All Region Jazz, All State Honors and All State Jazz. In addition, Mr. Riggs has taught numerous students who have gone on to audition and earn spots in the NAfME National Band. Mr. Riggs has helped prepare students for admissions and scholarships at institutions that include Michigan, Michigan State, Berklee School of Music, The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, North Texas State University, Indiana University, Temple University, UNC School of the Arts, William Paterson University and many others.
Beyond his classroom experience, Mr. Riggs is an active performer and clinician. He has performed on stage with many prestigious jazz musicians and ensembles. He can be found locally performing with The Moonlighters Orchestra, Swing Street Big Band, The NC Revelers Orchestra, The Raleigh Jazz Orchestra, The Tar River Symphonic Band, and in the orchestra pit of Theatre Raleigh, Theatre in the Park, NC State University Theatre, and PlayMakers Repertory Company.
Darien Baldwin, Trombone Instructor
Darien Baldwin is currently an undergraduate student at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University studying with Dr. Bradley Palmer. While at the Schwob School of Music, Darien performs in the Schwob Philharmonic, the Schwob Wind Ensemble, and the internationally known Schwob Trombone Ensemble.
Darien started playing trombone in 6th grade just like many other traditional programs and had no musical background going into it. But, he truly fell in love with the music making process as well as the music community when he got to experience an All-State band in 8th grade. After that, the love continued to grow which led to him taking multiple private lessons from many esteemed artists like Nathan Zgonc, Brian Hecht, George Curran, and Dr. Bradley Palmer. Once he saw how incredible those musicians were on both a personal and playing level, he decided to pursue music as a career with the goal of becoming an orchestral musician.
In his pursuit to become an orchestral musician in a professional symphony orchestra, Darien has participated in NYO Jazz (2021), the International Trombone Festival (2021-2024), the Southeast Trombone Symposium (2022-2024), the Korean Trombone Symposium (2024), and the Chautauqua Institution (2024). He has also shared the stage with top trombonists such as Wycliffe Gordon, Delfeayo Marsalis, Brian Hecht (Dallas Symphony), Colin Williams (New York Philharmonic), Zachary Bond, and even trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
