About the Beacon Hill Band

Beacon Hill Middle School (formerly Renfroe Middle School) opened it's doors in 1972.  The first Band Director to start the band program was Dr. Arlene Woods of Covington, Georgia.  She served the Band program from 1972  through the end of the 1976-1977 school year. Mrs. Woods still resides in Covington, Georgia and is active with the Georgia Music Educators Association as well as teaching a private flute studio of young middle and high school age students. 

The next director served a short time from 1977 until I believe 1984.  Her name was April Sawyer Bell.  April's husband played percussion for the Atlanta Symphony.  

Following Mrs. Bell, was David Williams.  Mr. Williams served the Band for 34 years, his entire teaching career.  During that time the school, Band program, and the City Schools of Decatur grew from a small student population of approximately 500 to now opening it's doors to 1350 students today.  There have been many additions to the school's original facility and the current Band room is one of those additions.  David spent a year in a small classroom off the 1600 wing/hall before moving into the new facility in January of 2018. 

Beacon Hill Middle School Band has a rich history and the CSD Band students can be found playing their Band Instruments in locations around the world.  Music can really take you anywhere in life you want to go!

Christine L Kraemer

Christine Kraemer is in her eighth year as Band Director of Beacon Hill (formerly Renfroe) Middle School in the City Schools of Decatur. 

Prior to this appointment, she served as the Director of Bands at Cousins Middle School in Covington, Georgia where she also served in the capacity of K-12 Music Content Specialists for Newton County Schools.   Mrs. Kraemer’s bands have earned only Superior Ratings while participating in the GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation performances.  Mrs. Kraemer's students have consistently been awarded positions in the District IV Middle School Honor Bands making up more than 25% of the district band.  Her students have earned a place in the GMEA All State Band each year from 2007 - date. In 2009 Mrs. Kraemer was named Teacher of the Year for Cousins Middle School and Newton County Schools.

Mrs. Kraemer has co-authored and implemented “Power in the Progress System” a curriculum for Middle and High School Band and Orchestra students.  As a result of the implementation of this curriculum, her students have achieved higher honors statewide. She has been invited to present the Power Curriculum and related Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS) Database across the state including the Georgia Music Educators In Service Conference 2009, LaGrange College Outreach Program 2010, and to the University of Georgia Woodwind Methods classes and Student Teacher Practicum.  This Database serves as a model for developing student performance portfolios in the performing arts, and was a part of a pilot study in Newton County for a Student Learning Objective (SLO) student performance portfolio assessment.

Mrs. Kraemer served on the Georgia Performance Standards development committee for Band.   While helping teachers in her district implement the new standards in 2010, she developed the GPS Database that archives classroom agendas and performance standards addressed on a daily basis in the Learning Focused classroom environment.  Most recently, Mrs. Kraemer served on the Georgia Standards of Excellence revision committee at the Georgia Department of Education in the Fall of 2017.

Mrs. Kraemer is affiliation with the Georgia Music Educators Associationand is currently in line to be the State Band Chair for 2027-2029.  She recently served as the District 4 Chair from 2018 - 2022.  She served as District 4 Band Chair for two terms in 2014 - 2018.  She is the Middle School State Level All State Band Coordinator.  Prior to accepting that position, she served as a coordinator for the CNAfME floating monitor positions for the second round All State auditions.  She also served as a judge and monitor for the second round All State auditions and Solo and Ensemble Evaluations in several districts. Mrs. Kraemer is an active adjudicator for Large Group Performance Evaluations. Mrs. Kraemer has presented clinics at the GMEA In Service conference on three occasions.  In 2009 she presented a clinic about the Power in the Progress System. In 2012 she developed and presented a clinic entitled “Teach Everyone!” a Music Advocacy clinic about communicating with students, parents, and administrators.  In 2017 she presented a clinic with Dr. Jacquelyn Hartenberger and Dr. Dwight Satterwhite from the University of Georgia, entitled “March your Way to a Better Band….Build Great Bands through Great March Literature”.  She also presented clinics entitled “Warm Up Work Outs!”’, and GMEA 1.0”.

In addition to teaching Mrs. Kraemer serves as an adjudicator/clinician of Bands and Orchestras from across the United States and Canada with Heritage WorldStrides Educational Performance Programs.

Mrs. Kraemer’s professional affiliations include membership in the National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, and Phi Beta Mu, an International Bandmasters Honor Fraternity. 

Mrs. Kraemer earned a Masters degree in Conducting and a Masters degree in Music Education while working as a graduate assistant for the University of Georgia Bands and Ethnomusicology departments.  Mrs. Kraemer’s teaching responsibilities included teaching breakout sessions of undergraduate Music History, assisting with the Redcoat Marching Band, teaching Woodwind Methods, assisting undergraduate Conducting classes, performing with the Wind Symphony, editing and writing program notes for two internationally distributed CD’s (Not So Rare Forms, and Milestones).   

Mrs. Kraemer was the Director of Bands at Lee County Middle School in Lee County, Georgia (1996 – 2000).  She also served as Assistant Director to the High School Marching Band and Auxiliary supervisor.  

Christine Kraemer graduated with honors, Magna cum Laude, from Columbus State University earning her Bachelors degree in Music Education with an emphasis in Woodwind Pedagogy.  Mrs. Kraemer studied clarinet with Dr. Edwin Riley and performed with the Columbus State University Wind Symphony under the direction of Dr. William Fry, Ms. Paula Crider, and Col. Hal Gibson.

Mrs. Kraemer has also performed as a clarinet soloist and in several ensembles in Albany, Georgia.  She has guest conducted the Darton College Community Band, and performed with the Albany Clarinet Quintet, Darton College Community Band, Northwinds Community Band, Albany Theater, and other church and community orchestras.  

Mrs. Kraemer's other interests and talents include 14 years of classical ballet and jazz training. Roles studied and performed include Four Swans in Swan Lake, Lilac Fairy Sleeping Beauty, and numerous roles in The Nutcracker.  She was a charter member of the LaGrange Ballet Company and has studied extensively with Terrell Paulk of the National Ballet of Canada, and Elizabeth Turley Watson of the Paris Opera Ballet.