Instrumental music is offered to students in all Middle and Upper School grades through rich class instruction and extracurricular ensembles. All middle and upper school students are invited to participate in the extracurricular ensembles: Pep Band, Jazz Band, and Chapel Band.
Sixth grade band is the class for all 6th grade students and provides diversified instruction with multiple faculty members to cater to students with instrumental experience and to those learning an instrument for the first time. This ensemble provides the opportunity to learn and grow together in a safe environment while fostering new friendships founded on mutual respect and creativity.
Seventh and 8th grade students are encouraged to participate in the Middle School Concert Band class, a yearlong class designed to develop performance skills, music appreciation, and introduce students to many styles of music literature. Students perform in winter and spring concerts.
Upper School students perform in the Wind Ensemble. Junior and Senior students can audition for the Honors Wind Ensemble. Students in these classes are exposed to unique band literature and develop performance skills through active participation in rehearsal and concert settings, as well as the ability to work as a part of a large instrumental ensemble. They gain knowledge of literature, listening skills, musicianship, insight into the professional world of band performance, and overall performance. These classes perform in winter and spring concerts as well as for other special events throughout the school year.
Alexander Hernandez had the good fortune of growing up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where he took full advantage of all the wonderful musical opportunities for which the area is so well known. Coached and mentored by some of the greatest performers and innovators from the Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie Bands from the time he was in seventh grade, he enjoyed an early and illustrious introduction to jazz. These local legends passed on their work ethic, as well as their passion to inspire future generations, so Alex went on to complete two majors at the prestigious University of North Florida School of Music: Classical Performance (clarinet) and Jazz Performance (saxophone). Alex is now an established classical clarinetist and has performed with several ensembles including the First Coast Opera and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. He performs locally and internationally at festivals including Jazz a Vienne, Umbria, and Montreux.
Carolyn Wells ’03
teaches Honors Chorale, Concert Chorale, Middle School Chorale, Treble Ensemble, Men’s Ensemble, AP Music Theory and sponsors the service club Music for a Cause. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Music Education in Choir and Piano from the University of Florida and her master’s of Music Education in Secondary Choral Education from The Florida State University. Prior to her current position, she taught middle school choir in Duval Public Schools and was the treble choir director at the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus for six years. She has presented sessions for teachers at the Georgia Music Educators Conference, the Florida Conference for Independent Schools, and UNF. In 2013, she was nominated for Teacher of the Year at Oceanway Middle School and was chosen as one of the top 15 Teacher of the Year finalists in Duval County. In 2019, she was awarded the Timothy Award at Episcopal. In 2021, she finished serving a two year term as the Florida Vocal Association’s District Chair, coordinating All-State, Solo and Ensemble and District Music Performance Assessment for the county.
Greg Hersey
is a percussionist and educational artist who continues to make his mark in the music industry. Greg is an active member of the Florida Bandmasters Association, as well as the Percussive Arts Society, regularly attending the annual PAS International Convention. He holds a master’s degree in percussion performance from the University of North Florida School of Music . He has studied with renowned instructors Charlotte Mabrey, Kevin Garry, Danny Gottlieb, and Benjamin Wiseman. Greg actively performs for musical theater productions, BayKings Band, local musical acts, orchestras and various schools as a guest clinician and artist. Greg has competed in the Guitar Center Drum Off and was 1 of 30 semi-finalists nationwide, representing the state of Florida and southeast region. He has also been a grand finalist in the Blue Man Group Drum Off in Orlando, Florida. Greg also has been featured in a full length episode on the drumming podcast “Drumeogab” hosted by Seamus Evely. Most notably, Mr. Hersey was chosen to be a keynote clinician for The Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) which is the world’s largest drum and percussion event.
Clement Petit is a multi-instrumentalist with a specialty is in tuba, but he has studied and performed on trumpet, trombone, euphonium and French horn. Clement’s has performed with The University of North Florida’s Jazz Ensemble One. With this group he performed at The Mid-West Clinic in Chicago as well as The Florida Music Educators Association Conference, held annually in Tampa. Clement was also a performing artist in The Holiday Hills Band at Busch Gardens. He performs regularly with Let’s Ride Brass Band, a local group based out of Duval County. He has had the chance to return to his native country of France to perform and teach with The University of North Florida’s Brass Quintet and he was a finalist in the 2018 South Eastern Tuba Conference Orchestral audition. Clement is a senior music student at The University of North Florida and looks to finish his degree in 2022.
Corina Donica is a professionally trained European violinist who is highly passionate about performing diverse styles of music throughout the United States and Europe. She has performed as a soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician throughout the Corina has performed and studied at Meadowmount School of Music (NY), Brevard Music Festival (NC), Luby Violin Symposium (NC), and Eastern Music Festival (NC), where she received full scholarship to attend and served as the concertmaster. Corina has also performed in Paris, Jerusalem, Dresden, New York, Washington D.C., among others. Starting at only age 15 Corina served in the violin section with Charlotte Civic Orchestra, Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Bel Canto, UNCG School of Music’s Opera Theatre, UNC Symphony Orchestra, and UNF Symphony. Corina received her bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance, with full scholarship, at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Violin Performance, as a teacher’s assistant from the University of North Florida. Highly experienced in chamber music, Corina has performed various chamber music concerts along Lynn Harrell, Shanghai Quartet, Beo Quartet, and other world class musicians. Corina has taught instrumental music at the elementary through high school level. She served as a principal leader of the Charlotte Slavic Children Choir and Orchestra, Charlotte 2010-2017, and now she’s the associate conductor of the Living Stream Orchestra, teaching children at different levels to perform together. Corina also performs with the Donicas Band, which recently had tours throughout Washington, California, New York, and Alaska.
