Staff
JJ Green, Director of Bands
Mr. Green is a 2007 graduate of John S. Battle High School. He graduated with the academic honors of Cum Laude from East Tennessee State University in December 2011, with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Music Education.
During College, Mr. Green was an adjunct educator for high school band programs that spanned across nine different groups and three states.
Mr. Green is the former director of bands Coeburn Middle School and Eastside High School. He was the director of bands there for three years. He accepted the director of bands position Chilhowie Middle/High School in June 2016.
He currently resides in Glade Spring, Va with his beautiful wife Katie, and their dogs, Snickers and Indie.
His goal: To enrich the lives of students through the teaching of music while cultivating an environment of leadership, teamwork, dedication, and preparedness.
Mr. Adrian Lowry graduated with honors in 2000 from Sullivan East High School where he began his music education as a student leader in the band program under the direction & mentorship of Dr. Michael J. Fansler. He then attended Mars Hill University as a Music Education Major before transferring to Northern Arizona University where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education (BMEd) in 2005, graduating cum laude.
Since beginning his musical career, Mr. Lowry has performed with groups of all types, sizes, & instrumentations in many states as well as over-seas. He was mentored by and studied conducting, instrumental methods, and music education under Dr. Daniel Schmidt along with many other prolific educators and performers and has been a guest clinician and/or provided brass instruction for many middle and high school bands across the region. Mr. Lowry served as a band staff member under Chris Simmons at Johnson County High School in 2005 & 2006, and has arranged numerous pieces of music for performance by ensembles of all levels. Mr. Lowry is an alumni member of both Kappa Kappa Psi and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, which are both national service fraternities for music, and is a current member of the Stateline Wind Symphony, Bristol, VA.
After completing his education in Music, Mr. Lowry went back to school and earned his Associates of Applied Science in Emergency Medical Technology degree, obtaining national and state certification as a Paramedic, which he continues to hold to date. Currently, he is employed as Director of Operations for one of the region's largest EMS agencies.
Mr. Lowry joined the staff of the CHS Band in the fall of 2017 and was appointed to the position of Assistant Director in March, 2018.
He lives in Glade Spring, VA with his amazing wife, Shannon, kids, Alec, Andy, & Keri, and their 3 100+ pound “puppies,” Ruby, Mabel, & Belle.
In his own words, Mr. Lowry summarized his personal goals for the group as follows: “The most important goals I have for the CHS band program is that we foster an environment in which students feel safe enough to take chances, are dedicated beyond what it takes to achieve excellence, understand the importance of service to others above self, and that anything worth doing is worth doing right... AND LOUD!
Adrian Lowry, Assistant Director of Bands
alowry405@gmail.com
Theo Ganaway, Color Guard Instructor
Theo Ganaway has been working with Chilhowie High School Mighty Warrior Band since 2010. He became their Color Guard Instructor in 2011.
His direction when working with the Guard is to create an all-accepting enviornment in which members feel at home and safe. He teaches aspects of Performance, Dance, and Color Guard Equipment manipulation to further develop skills, which can not be reached with every extracurricular offered at CHS but exclusively achieved within the Band program. The unit works many hours during & after school to showcase their talents when performing the Warrior Band field show.
Their objective as a "Color Guard" is to give Life, Color (through their uniforms, flags, & equipment,) and Characterization to the themed show the Mighty Warrior Marching Band performs during Half-time at football games and Band Competitions.
When not instructing his home group, Theo performs with "Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps," where he has been a member for the past 2 years.
You can catch the Chilhowie Color Guard at Home games during half-time, at the Apple Festival Parade, the Marion Christmas Parade, and a plethora of other Band Competitions the Mighty Warrior Marching Band will compete in this Fall Season.
We hope to see you all there!
Melanie Garrett, Percussion Instructor
Mrs. Melanie Garrett is currently the percussion instructor at Chilhowie Middle School and Chilhowie High School. She has taught percussion across Southwest Virginia. She is the previous instructor for Virginia Middle School, Virginia High School, Patrick Henry School, Glade Spring Middle School, Marion Middle School, Marion Senior High School and Northwood High School. Mrs. Garrett's private lesson percussion students have excelled at All-County and All-District events as well as Solo and Ensemble.
Peyton Seal, Visual Instructor
Peyton Seal is the visual designer and instructor for the marching band. He has had many seasons of high school marching band and winter guard experience, and has performed with two World Class Drum Corps. Peyton is currently performing with Stateline Independent Winter Guard in Bristol, VA.
By being a recent graduate of Chilhowie High School, Peyton has been able to make a strong bond with the students that goes further than just being an instructor:
“Knowing these kids on a personal level before knowing them as their instructor has helped me in many ways. Every student is different in how they learn, or how they respond to instruction. I always make it a point to come across as more of a friend to the students, rather than being their instructor. If a student is comfortable talking to me outside of class, then they’ll be willing to listen and accept instruction from someone they already have a strong connection with.”
Peyton’s goal for the season is to make every individual better, no matter if it’s their playing, marching, spinning, conducting, attitude, or character. There’s always something to improve upon.
Seth Boyd, Woodwind Instructor
Seth Boyd is a clarinetist from Virginia. He started playing the clarinet when he was in the sixth grade. Since then he has studied with Suzanna Masters,Thomas Crawford, Phillip Paglialonga, and is currently studying under Jose Garcia.
He is currently studying music performance and music education at Virginia Tech. He is current member of several groups including The Winds Of the Mountain Empire, the VT Wind Ensemble, and is a founding member of the Appalachian Summer Modern Music Festival Sinfonietta.
Over the years he has been in several ensembles including the Symphony of the Mountains Youth Orchestra, several community groups, and the Virginia All State Symphonic Band.
