The Clinicians

Jen Arrington is a National Board Certified Teacher with nearly two decades of

experience in music education. She currently serves as Band Director at North Jefferson

Middle School in Kimberly, Alabama, where she directs all student ensembles, including

the Symphonic, Concert, Beginning, Athletic, and Jazz Bands. She also assists with the

Mortimer Jordan High School Marching Band. Under her leadership, students

consistently earn superior ratings at state and regional performance assessments and

are regularly selected for county, district, state, and collegiate honor bands.

Mrs. Arrington is recognized for her commitment to student achievement, leadership

development, and inclusive music education. In 2023, she received the Music for All

Advocacy in Action Award for excellence in student recruitment, engagement, and

retention. She also founded and facilitated United Sound at her school, a student-led

mentoring program that promotes inclusion by integrating students from self-contained

classrooms into performing ensembles.

Mrs. Arrington is a charter member of the Alabama Winds, a professional community

band that has performed at The Midwest Clinic, the Western International Band Clinic,

and for the Alabama Music Educators Conference. She marched in the 2022 Rose

Parade in Pasadena, CA and the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a proud

member of the Saluting America’s Band Directors Marching Band.

Beyond the classroom, Mrs. Arrington serves as a teacher-leader, mentor, clinician,

adjudicator, and committee member for numerous educational and professional

organizations. She has been a faculty member for Music for All/Bands of America

Summer Camps since 2018 and regularly supports aspiring educators through

mentoring and student-teacher supervision. Mrs. Arrington holds both a Bachelor of

Science in Instrumental Performance (Flute) and a Masters of Music Education from

Samford University. She is dedicated to helping students develop excellence, confidence,

and a lifelong appreciation for music through performance, leadership, and service.

Mrs. Arrington was raised in Panama City, Florida, and currently resides in Chelsea,

Alabama, with her husband, Justin, and their children, Mya, Elly, and Brycen. Besides

music, she loves traveling, spending time outdoors, and is the proud godmother of her

best friend's pup, Penny.

Chanse Nelson has served as the Associate Director of Bands at Oak Mountain Middle School in Birmingham, Alabama since 2019. Before beginning his career in education, Mr. Nelson attended Oak Mountain Schools (Shelby County Schools) and Samford University (BM Percussion Performance, 2017 | M.M.Ed, 2019). During his time at Samford, Mr. Nelson studied percussion with Dr. Grant Dalton, and educational pedagogy and philosophy with Dr. Tim Heath, Capt. Brian Walden, and Dr. Demondrae Thurman. In addition to his degrees from Samford, he also received his Instructional Leadership/Administrative Certification from the University of West Alabama (2025) and a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University, Shreveport (2025). 

Prior to his current role at Oak Mountain, Mr. Nelson taught percussion throughout the Birmingham area in schools like Thompson, Helena, and Oak Mountain. He has also maintained a large private percussion-studio of students that consistently rank among the top percussionists in the state. Many of his students have gone on to earn scholarships to schools such as The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Auburn University, Samford University, the Manhattan School of Music, and Berklee College of Music. 

In addition to teaching, Mr. Nelson serves as a technology consultant for the Alabama Bandmasters Association, where he developed the current All-State Band scoring system. He also served as the Director of Operations for the Samford Honor Band from 2017 until 2024.

Though he considers himself "retired" from "gigging", Mr. Nelson has previously played with The Blind Boys of Alabama, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, Bo Bice, The Temptations Review, Celtic Women, and four-time grammy award winning gospel singer Yolanda Adams. His proudest performance experience was participating in the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the March on Selma at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The two-day event brought attendance from then-President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush, the late Congressman John Lewis, and many more.

When not teaching, Mr. Nelson enjoys spending time traveling, at the lake, riding his motorcycle, and relaxing at home with his husband, Brady, and their fur-child, Cab.