Ashby Goldstein, assistant professor, serves as the Director of Music Education and Bands at Carson-Newman University, where he teaches courses in music education. His responsibilities also include supervising student teachers and conducting the Carson-Newman concert and marching bands. Before joining the faculty at Carson-Newman, Mr. Goldstein taught music education courses and conducted concert ensembles as a Graduate Teaching Associate at The Ohio State University.
Mr. Goldstein has experience as a middle school, high school, and collegiate music educator. Under his direction, the Gifford Middle School bands performed at the Florida Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference, the University of Georgia’s Middle School Band Festival, the Music for All National Middle School Music Festival, and the National Band Association/College Band Directors National Association Southern Division Conference. During his tenure as the Director of Bands at Sebastian River High School, the Wind Symphony performed at the Western International Band Clinic and the marching band was awarded eight grand championships at various competitions in Florida and Georgia.
Mr. Goldstein has been awarded two Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association and was recognized as the 2014 Gifford Middle School Teacher of the Year, the 2020 Sebastian River High School Teacher of the Year. More recently, he received The Virginia A. Bridges Music Education Award and was acknowledged as an ‘Outstanding Graduate Associate in Music Education’ at Ohio State University. Mr. Goldstein has presented at the Florida, Texas, Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina, Virginia, and Indiana music education association conferences and is published in Contributions to Music Education. He is a highly sought-after clinician as a leader of professional development workshops for music educators in various school districts across the Eastern United States and has conducted honor bands in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and Montana.
Mr. Goldstein is currently ABD at The Ohio State University, where he is currently completing a Ph.D. in music education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education from Florida State University and a master’s degree in instrumental conducting from Southern Oregon University.
Chase Jones is the Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Arkansas. He directs the Symphonic Band and Hogwild Pep Band, is the Assistant Director of the Razorback Marching Band, and teaches courses in instrumental conducting and music education.
Prior to returning to Arkansas, Mr. Jones served as the Associate Director and Director of Bands at Sebastian River High School in Sebastian, FL from 2015-2022. In his time at Sebastian River, the Wind Symphony performed at the 2016 Western International Band Clinic in Seattle, WA and the marching band was awarded six grand championships at various competitions in Florida and Georgia, including being named a BOA Orlando Regional Finalist in 2021.
While pursuing his Master’s degree, he arranged music for the Razorback Marching Band and Hogwild Pep Band, wrote drill for the RMB, and worked with many of the university bands, including the UA Concert Band where he was one of the primary conductors. As an undergraduate, Mr. Jones was the head drum major for the RMB for three years and was a conductor for the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps in 2009. He has led the drum major portion of the Penny’s Marching Arts Training Camp since 2016.
He received both a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a Master’s degree in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Arkansas, studying with Christopher Knighten.
Alex White has been a band director for the past eleven years, serving two years at Whittle Springs Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee, eight years at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee as the Director of Bands, and will begin year 2 at Sevier Middle in Fall 2022. Originally from Knoxville, Mr. White graduated from Bearden High School and received his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude from the University of Tennessee; where he also served as the Drum Major of the Pride of the Southland Band. Mr. White also holds a Master’s Degree from Concordia University and an Educational Specialist Degree from Arkansas State University, both in educational leadership and administration.
Mr. White is married to his wife, Katelynn, and they have two children: Ella and Jackson. In his free time, Mr. White is an avid Pickleball player. Mr. White has strong family ties to the Kingsport area. His father attended John Sevier Middle and his mother attended Ross N. Robinson Middle and Dobyns-Bennett High School. His grandparents were the original owners of Morgan Tire Service and his great grandfather, James C. White, formerly served in leadership roles at “Tennessee Eastman”, Holston Valley Community Hospital and King College.
