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Faculty
Joshua V. Hinkel - Director of Bands
Mr. Hinkel serves as Director of Bands at Ashley Ridge High School. Ensembles under his direction have received superior ratings at festivals as well as numerous regional, state and circuit championships. Before coming to Ashley Ridge, Mr. Hinkel served as Director of Bands at Lake View High School in Lake View, South Carolina and Director of Bands at R.H. Rollings Middle School of the Arts in Summerville, South Carolina. In constant demand as a composer and arranger, his works can be heard from concert halls of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. to the performing venues of Drumcorps International (DCI), Winterguard International (WGI) and Bands of America (BOA). Recently, Mr. Hinkel was the staff arranger for the Coastal Carolina University "Spirit of the Chanticleer" Marching Band and brass arranger for the Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps from Seattle, Washington and Spokane Thunder Drum and Bugle Corps from Spokane, Washington. His marching music affiliations include the Spirit of Atlanta, the Tampa Bay Thunder as well as numerous high school and college programs throughout the United States. Currently, he also and is a featured concert band composer with Alfred Publishing from Van Nuys, California.
Mr. Hinkel is a member of the Vic Firth Educational Team. He holds the B.M. in Music Education from the University of South Carolina and the M. Ed in Secondary Education from Coastal Carolina University. Mr. Hinkel's passion is to create new and exciting music for students of all ages in addition to teaching life-skills, leadership and the art of music making. He is also a national board certified teacher (NBCT).
His recordings can be found at www.alfred.com
Chris Alaniz - Director of Percussion
Mr. Alaniz is a well rounded percussionist and adjudicator who comes to us from Illinois. He has taught a variety of ensembles from traditional percussion ensemble to groups that have performed in the WGI, DCA, BOA and DCI circuits. While teaching, Mr. Alaniz has won High Percussion awards with a wide range of ensembles including Illinois State Finalist and Class Champion, Normal Community West High School , DCA’s, Carolina Gold Senior Drum and Bugle Corps and a Gold Medal with the 2010 WGI Independent Open Class Champion, Palmetto Percussion Indoor.
Mr. Alaniz’s teaching career has afforded him the opportunity to work with ensembles throughout the Midwest, Mideast as well as the Southeast Coast of the U.S. He has also had the privilege of working and teaching with some of the leading percussion educators including John Bixby, Ralph Hardimon, Teddy Holcomb, Allen Joanis, Brett Kuhn, Brian Mason, Dusty Norris, just to name a few.
Most recently, Mr. Alaniz has been a percussion instructor with Coastal Carolina University’s “Marching Chanticleers”, Palmetto Percussion Independent and Ashley Ridge High School. Under his direction, he has led ARHS to 2 state and 1 circuit championships. Mr. Alaniz is a member of the Vic Firth Educational Team.
Barry Montoya - Assistant Director of Bands
Mr. Barry Montoya received his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education (Tuba) from Erskine College in Due West, S.C. He performed with the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band (Bass Guitar). Mr. Montoya also was a member of the Erskine College Choraleers, a touring vocal ensemble.
Before coming to Ashley Ridge in 2009, Mr. Montoya served as Assistant Director of Bands at Fort Dorchester High School for 8 years and Summerville High School for 16 years. Over that time period, Mr. Montoya has worked with directors Jim Crump, William Lyles, Russell Scott, Jon Ahrens, Doug Presley, Les Gilreath, Lori Rowsey, Cindy Kerr, Barbara Davis, Daniel Neikirk, and Mike Greer. His current job assignment is at Gregg Middle School, where he has been since the school opened.
Mr. Montoya is a member of the South Carolina Band Directors
Association, the Music Educators National Conference, the National Band Association, and Phi Beta Mu (International Bandmasters Fraternity). Mr. Montoya has served as the South Carolina Region Four All State Chairman from 2002 - 2010 and is the current vice president of Phi Beta Mu (Theta Chapter).
Mr. Montoya resides in Summerville with his wife, Sara, and their two children, Joey (23) and Sarah (15). They attend Scots Kirk Associate Presbyterian Church, where he serves on Session.
Alexis Hughes - Assistant Director of Bands
Ms. Alexis Hughes is a Low Country native. She attended Dorchester 2 schools and graduated from Summerville High School. She received her B.S. in Music Education from Lander University. She is a woodwind specialist with an emphasis on clarinet. In 2006, she had the opportunity to work with the state champion Ninety-Six High School Marching Band. Currently, Ms. Hughes is in her second year as Director of Bands at Oakbrook Middle School and Assistant Director of Bands at Ashley Ridge High School. Before coming to ARHS, she served as the Assistant Director of Bands at Fort Dorchester High School and guitar teacher at Alston Middle School. Ms. Hughes resides in Summerville, SC with her two children Gavin and Mason.
Jessica Hinkel - Color Guard Director
Jessica currently serves as the colorguard director and designer for the Ashley Ridge High School band program. Recently, she has been the colorguard director for the Coastal Caroina University “Spirit of the Chanticleer” Marching Band. Ms. Hinkel remains active in the winterguard activity through serving as an adjudicator, designer and clinician throughout the southeast. Her judging affiliations have included Florida Federation Judges Association, Carolina Winter Ensemble Association, Fiestaval! and Festivals of Music. She has been a colorguard staff member for the Tampa Bay Thunder Drum and Bugle Corps and has been a marching member of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps and Millenia Winterguard. Her passion in life is to give back to young people through the visual performing arts.
Rhett Leonard - Battery Technician / Bass Drums Specialist
Rhett has been a percussionist specialist for over 10 years. Rhett has worked and studied under percussion artists A.J. Pace, Joel Gardner, Dan Darrah, Kurry Seymour, Mike Greer, Shane Gwaltney and Lee Beddis. His marching musical affiliations include WGI (PIO) gold medalist, Palmetto Percussion and the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, from Denver, Colorado. As an arranger and composer, he has arranged for numerous groups in the southeast and fulfills his passion for teaching through full-time private lesson instruction. In his spare time, he likes to take long walks on the beach, eat spaghetti, surf YouTube, and split things.
David A. Parsons - Visual Coordinator/Designer
Mr. Parsons comes to us from East Central Illinois. Though he comes to us as our Visual Coordinator and Drill Designer, his background has been more on the musical side; Principal Tubist for Western Illinois University's Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Orchestras and taught Master Classes at such programs as Danville High School and Liberyville High School, both located in Illinois.
While at Western Illinois University, Mr. Parsons had the opportunity to work side by side with Linda Hannum and Darrell Weyman for the George N Parks Drum Major Academy. This was where his interest in the visual side of music began to emerge.
For 26 years, Mr. Parsons has instructed and designed for State or Circuit Marching Band Finalists in Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia including the regional circuits of MHSAA - MBA, MSBA, OMEA, TOB, USSBA as well as the SCBDA circuit here in South Carolina.
Mr. Parsons is looking forward to begin a new chapter in his career by taking on the Visual Design responsibilities here at Ashley Ridge High School. He will be designing for and working directly with all marching ensembles including the Marching Band and other various indoor performance ensembles.
Mr. Parson's drill designs and design information can be found at:
Website Comments, Suggestions and/or Concerns
Michelle Priester - Front Ensemble Technician
Michelle is currently in her third season as the front ensemble instructor and technician. Michelle is a Political Science/American History double major at Charleston Southern University and was recently elected vice president of students. While her primary experience come from studying wstern style percussion, Michelle has also participated in steel pan and taiko ensembles. Michelle is an avid percussionist and in her three years of service, has helped lead the ARHS percussion section to two state and one CWEA circuit championship.
Kurry Seymour - Percussion Technician / Tenors Specialist
Kurry Seymour received a B.M. and M.M. in Music Performance from West Virginia University. While attending WVU, Kurry had the opportunity to study steel drumming with the creator of the modern steel drum Dr. Ellie Manette, Gamelan with Dr. Mantle Hood, African Drum and Dancing with Dr. Paschal Younge and Japanese Taiko Drumming with Dr. Tim Peterman. Additional study has been with She-e-Wu, Tim Adams, Mark Thurston and Paul Rennick.
In addition to an extensive world music background, Kurry has also performed with the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps and Reading Buccaneers Drum and Bugle Corps. He has taught the Carolina Crown Percussion section from 1999-2002 and the percussion section of the Pride of West Virginia from 1997-2002.
In higher education, he taught at Alderson Broaddus College in West Virginia and worked as the Director of Percussion Studies and Assistant Director of Bands at Coastal Carolina University from 2002-2010.
Kurry has performed or presented at PASIC, MENC, SCMEA and the South Carolina Day of Percussion. He is endorsed by REMO, Vic Firth and Dynasty Percussion.
He is currently resides in Summerville, SC and works at Joseph Pye Elementary School as the World Music Teacher and serves Dorchester School District Two as a world music specialist.
What is Mr. Chris thinking!!
Montez Aiken - Visual Technician
Mr. Aiken is a graduate of Summerville High School. In 2000, he graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.M. in Music Education. While at USC, he studied tuba with Dr. Ronald Davis and was active in many of the performing ensembles.
Mr. Aiken has served as Director of Bands at Wade Hampton High School, North District Middle School and Hampton Elementary. He has also served as Director of Bands and General Music at Morningside Middle School.
In addition to being a tubist, Mr. Aiken is a drumset/percussion artist. He has performed with many show choirs, gospel choirs, and jazz bands across the country. He has developed "Innovative Sessions" drumset clinics, which has exposed many rural and urban public school children of all ages to a "hands-on" learning experience.
Mr. Aiken has held memberships in MENC, SCMEA, SCBDA and PAS. He holds fraternal memberships as a Past Master of New Eden Lodge #329 F&AM, PHA and as a Life Loyal Sinfonian of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc.
Currently, Mr. Aiken serves the community as a police officer with the Summerville Police Department. In his spare time, he enjoys digital photography and spending time with his wife Toshyanna, and their two children Tyanna and Malakai.
Martha Stowasser - Visual Technician
Martha, a recent graduate of Ashley Ridge High School will be serving the band this year as a visual technician. She attends Trident Technical College where she is pursuing an Associates of Science and Associates of Veterinary Technology. While at Ashley Ridge, she performed in all performing ensembles including concert band, symphonic winds, marching band and winter percussion ensemble. She has earned two state championships and one circuit championship. She has studied with Sue Alexander, Joshua V. Hinkel, Joyce Moon and David A. Parsons.
Erin Berry - Color Guard Technician / Weapons Specialist
Erin, a native of Ridgeville, SC is beginning her first year as a color guard instructor with the Ashley Ridge High School Band. She is a graduate of Summerville High School and is currently attending Trident Technical College puruing a degree in veterinary medicine. Erin has extensive training in flag, weapon and dance. She has been taught by, and has studied with Michael Floyd, Ben Hipp and Jessica Hinkel. Erin has won gold, silver and bronze medals in all aspects of the activity and has been a WGI regional finalist as well as world semi-finalist. She also has been a part of circuit and state championship programs.
