Directors

Nick GOlding - ngolding@jeffcityschools.org

A native of Mebane, North Carolina, Nicholas Golding is a graduate of the Armed Forces School of Music in Little Creek, Virginia. Mr. Golding also holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance and a master’s degree in music education from Piedmont College, as well as an educational specialist degree in curriculum and instruction from Lincoln Memorial University. Since 1994, Golding has been active as a performer, adjudicator, designer and educator in the band and drum corps activity.

Mr. Golding was a member of the Tarheel Sun Drum and Bugle Corps from Cary, North Carolina during the 1997-1999 seasons. After one year as a member of the Western Carolina University marching band, he joined the US Navy Bands as a French horn instrumentalist and staff arranger, serving in both capacities for seven years. Upon his 2006 departure from the Navy, Mr. Golding performed for three more years as a member of the Appalachian Brass Orchestra and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra.

Mr. Golding has been an adjudicator for seventeen years, judging across the entire southeastern portion of the United States. His adjudicator training and affiliations include or have included the West Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association, the United States Scholastic Band Association, the Florida Marching Band Coalition, and the Central States Judges Association.

As a designer, Golding has composed and arranged for many bands and drum corps across the United States. He received his training at the Armed Forces School of Music’s arranging course, and provided arrangements for some of the US Navy’s finest rock, jazz, and concert bands. Groups performing Golding’s compositions and arrangements have seen great success, winning state championships, performing at multiple Bands of America regionals, and placing in open class finals and world class quarterfinals at multiple Drum Corps International World Championships.

As an educator, Mr. Golding has served as a technician and consultant for over 30 band programs across the southeastern US, and spent the 2006-2007 school year as an instructor for the University of Tennessee’s “Pride of the Southland” marching band. He served as the brass caption head for the Teal Sound Drum and Bugle Corps in 2006, and as program coordinator/brass caption head for the Spokane Thunder Drum and Bugle Corps in 2008.

Mr. Golding served for five years as the director of bands at Madison County High School, where he was awarded the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence on two occasions. During his tenure at Madison County, his concert and jazz ensembles consistently received “superior” ratings at district performance evaluations. The MCHS Symphonic Band performed as a guest of the 2011 and 2012 Kennesaw State University Concert Band Invitational, and was selected to be a featured guest ensemble for both the 63rd annual University of Georgia January High School Band Festival and the 36th annual University of South Carolina High School Band Clinic and Conductor’s Symposium. The MCHS Marching Band consistently received “superior” ratings, “best in class” awards, and were the winners of the United States Scholastic Bands Association’s Group IV A National Championship in 2011.

Most recently, Mr. Golding served as the director of bands at Jackson County Comprehensive High School in Jefferson, Georgia for seven years, where his concert and jazz ensembles received 28 “superior” ratings at district performance evaluations. During his tenure at JCCHS, Mr. Golding was awarded three additional Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association. The JCCHS Wind Ensemble has performed as a guest of the 2016 and 2017 Kennesaw State University Concert Band Invitational, and was selected to be a featured guest ensemble for the 2018 Georgia Music Educators Association’s In-Service Conference, the 2018 University of South Carolina High School Band Clinic and Conductor’s Symposium, the 2018 Music for All Southeastern Regional Concert Festival at Georgia State University, and the 2019 January High School Band Festival at the University of Georgia. Under Mr. Golding's direction, the JCCHS Marching Band has won eight grand championship awards, and have been Bands of America regional and super-regional finalists. Additionally, they were WGI Winds World Championship finalists in 2015, 2016, and 2018, winning the WGI Winds Scholastic A World Championship in 2016.

Mr. Golding is excited to be entering his first year as the director of bands at Jefferson High School, and currently resides in Jefferson, Georgia with his wife, Erica, and their two children, Caroline and Knox.

Michael Pace - mpace@jeffcityschools.org

Mr. Pace is in his 9th year of teaching as Director of Bands at Jefferson Middle School. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in both Music Education and Music Performance from the Hugh Hodgson School of Music at the University of Georgia in May 2011. While at the University of Georgia, Mr. Pace played clarinet withthe UGA Wind Ensemble, the UGA Symphony Orchestra, the UGA Wind Symphony,the UGA Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, as well as the UGA Southern Wind Quintet.Mr. Pace has also played with groups in the Athens – Atlanta area such as the Athens Town and Gown Players and the Agnes Scott College Orchestra. He also performed solo with the UGA Concert Band in Spring 2010.

Michael Pace studied clarinet at the University of Georgia with Dr. D. Ray McClellan. He studied conducting with Dr. John Lynch and Dr. Gregg Gausline.

He received the Hugh L. Hodgson Award and the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Scholastic Award upon graduating college. Mr. Pace was winner of the 2010 Conducting Apprenticeship and was honored to conduct a selection with the UGA Symphonic Band. He was also recipient of the Hoadley Family Clarinet Scholarship in Spring 2010. Michael Pace is a proud brother of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and a member of MENC and GMEA. He was honored to be named Teacher of the Year for Jefferson Middle School in 2015.

Mr. Pace resides in Athens.