Ronnie Ward, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, was educated in the Wake County School system. Mr. Ward received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Winthrop University and a Masters of Music Education with a minor in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas. 

Mr. Ward was first employed by the Berkeley County School District as the music teacher at Howe Hall Elementary from 1993-1995. During the 1997 school year, Mr. Ward served as the Director of Bands at the Princeton Schools in Princeton, North Carolina. From 1998 - 2000, Mr. Ward served as the Director of Bands at Palmetto Middle School and the assistant director at Palmetto High School in the Upstate. The 2000 school year marked the start of his return to Berkeley County at College Park Middle School. He served as the assistant director until 2003. He is currently the Director of Bands at Westview Middle School. 

Mr. Ward's students have received the highest ratings at State Concert Festival, State Marching Festival, State Jazz Festival, and Solo and Ensemble Festival, while individual students have been selected by audition to All-County, All-Region, and All-State Bands. Mr. Ward has served as an adjudicator, clinician, and performer throughout the Carolinas. His professional affiliations include National Association for Music Education, SCMEA, Phi Beta Mu, American School Band Directors Association – State Treasurer, South Carolina Band Directors Association-State Jazz Chair, and the Jazz Educators Network. His wife is a teacher at Stratford High School. Mr. Ward and his family reside in Goose Creek.

Dr. David W. Carter, Jr. currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music Education at Coastal

Carolina University, where he teaches undergraduate courses in music education, commercial and jazz music, and supervises preservice music teachers. Most recently, Carter served as the

Director of Education and Outreach for Charleston Jazz – a non-profit organization focused on

preserving and promoting the art of jazz. Throughout that time, Carter established a community

school of music (Charleston Jazz Academy) focused on jazz education for students of all ages

and experience levels.

A native of Charleston, SC, David holds his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of

South Carolina, and both his Master of Music Education and Ph.D. in Music Education degrees

from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). During his time at USM, David served as a

graduate assistant for both the university bands and jazz bands. As a graduate assistant for the

jazz bands, he worked with the Director of Jazz Studies, Mr. Larry Panella, directing the Jazz Lab Band II, coaching various jazz combos, performing in both the Jazz Lab I and the USM Jazz Sextet, and lecturing for jazz improvisation classes. His duties for the university bands included working with the marching band, the “Pride of Mississippi,” the concert ensembles, and guest lecturing for undergraduate conducting and music education classes.

David served as the Director of Bands and Fine Arts Department Chair at Cane Bay High School (Summerville, SC), where he was named the 2015 Teacher of the Year. Under his direction, his students and bands earned numerous Superior ratings at various competitions and festivals. Carter also travels throughout the southeastern United States as an active jazz, contemporary, and classical musician and clinician.

Dr. Carter’s professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education

(NAfME), Jazz Education Network (JEN), South Carolina Music Educators Association

(SCMEA), Kappa Kappa Psi – National Honorary Band Fraternity, Phi Beta Mu – International

Bandmasters’ Fraternity, College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), National

Band Association (NBA), and the South Carolina Band Directors Association (SCBDA) where

he served as a member of the statewide Jazz Committee. In his free time, David enjoys traveling with his wife, Megan, and daughters, Gabriella and Lillianna, and spending time in Charleston with his dogs – Ella and Wynton.