Hanna Castellano is a dedicated musician and educator with twelve years of classroom experience. Currently, she serves as the chorus director at Ligon GT/AIG Basics Magnet Middle School. Previously, she spent three years as the chorus director at Heritage Middle School in Wake Forest, North Carolina. For the seven years prior, she taught a wide range of subjects including general music, chorus, steel drums, and musical theatre for kindergarten through eighth grade students in Charleston County, South Carolina.

Mrs. Castellano has actively contributed to her school community, serving on the PBIS/SEL and MTAC committees. She has taught in both the International Baccalaureate PYP and MYP programs and worked with artistically gifted and talented students in Charleston County through a specialized three-week program.

During the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, Mrs. Castellano led a regional Professional Learning Team (PLT) for year-round calendar teachers in Wake County and hosted district-level PLT sessions. From 2022 to 2024, she was the WCPSS Staff Development Chair for Middle School Chorus, and in 2022-2023, she coordinated the WCPSS Middle School All-County Chorus. Beyond music, she served as the yearbook advisor at Heritage Middle School.

Mrs. Castellano’s students participate in prestigious events such as the NCACDA Middlefest!, NCMEA State Honors Chorus, NCMEA Middle School All-State Chorus, WCPSS All-County Chorus, and the ACDA Southern Region Honor Choirs in Raleigh, NC, and Louisville, KY. They have performed at renowned venues including the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, the Gaillard Center in Charleston, SC, with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony in conjunction with the Raleigh Youth Choir, Universal Studios, and Disney Springs.

Mrs. Castellano holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Campbell University with a concentration in voice and percussion, and a Master of Music in Music Education from the University of Florida. She is certified in Orff-Schulwerk Levels I and II through Appalachian State University. She is a member of the North Carolina Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and NC ACDA, where she also serves as the Social Media and Communications Chair. Mrs. Castellano believes in the transformative power of music education, seeing it as a means to build bridges and connect people.

She resides in Raleigh with her husband Matthew, their three children, and their dog Sampson.