Instructors
Lucas Meade
Director of Bands
Mr. Lucas Meade is excited to be in his second year teaching at Athens Drive High School and eleventh year of teaching overall. Mr. Meade graduated with a Bachelors of Music Education in 2015 and with a Masters of Music Education in 2017, both from Texas Tech University (GO RED RAIDERS!!). Serving as the Head Band Director this year, Mr. Meade leads the Athens Drive Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble and conducts the musical pit orchestra, while assisting with the Concert Band, Winter Guard, and Winter Percussion programs.
Before working at Athens, Mr. Meade first taught at Frenship High School in Wolfforth, TX as an assistant band and the jazz director from 2015-17, before moving to North Carolina in the summer of 2017 to teach at West Johnston High School in Benson, NC. While at West, Mr. Meade served as Director of Bands and Ensembles, leading the West Johnston Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble and Marching Band, as well as conducting the West Johnston Musical Pit and facilitating the Winter Guard and Percussion programs. He also served as the Fine Arts Chair for the West Johnston Fine Arts Department in his final year.
During his tenure at West Johnston, the marching band displayed annual growth in scores and student participation, as well as performed in the Chicago McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (2018) and the Disney World Orlando Parade (2021). The concert ensembles performed four to five concerts a year, including at Concert Evaluation Festivals and/or NCBDA Music Performance Assessment. The award-winning West Johnston Jazz Ensemble performed at the North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference (2021), the Crescent City Music Festival (2023) and received consistent Superior rankings at Central Region Jazz Music Performance Assessment and other Jazz festivals around the state. Under “Lord” Meade’s baton, the West Johnston Musical Pit was selected three years straight as a finalist for Best Student Pit Orchestra for the DPAC Rising Stars Awards (2022-24).
Outside of Athens Drive, Mr. Meade has served on the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) Board as the Jazz Delegate (2021-23), the President Elect for the NCMEA Jazz Central Region, as well as the Marching Band Chair for the South Eastern District Band Association (2020-2022).
When not living the dream at The Drive, Mr. Meade enjoys watching San Antonio Spurs games, playing/watching/podcasting/public announcing Ultimate Frisbee and running with their dog Mickey. He, his gorgeous wife Annabel and their two children Matthias (2) and Evelyn (0) currently reside in Garner, North Carolina.
Lorena Schakel
Assistant Director of Bands
Lorena Schakel, a native of Grand Prairie, Texas, is in her eleventh year teaching and is excited to begin her first year as the Assistant Band Director at Athens Drive High School! Prior to Athens Drive, she served for three years as band director at Herbert Akins Road Middle School in Fuquay-Varina, NC. During that time, she started the school’s first pep band and jazz band. She also served as the Fine Arts Department Chair and the Fine Arts representative for the MTAC committee.
Ms. Schakel received her Bachelor of Music Education with a concentration in Instrumental Music Education from Appalachian State University, where she studied clarinet under Dr. Andrea Cheeseman. Ms. Schakel played clarinet in numerous ensembles at Appalachian State including the Concert Band, Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, and several chamber ensembles. As a member of the Marching Mountaineers (clarinet & trombone), she served as trombone section leader and drum major. She completed her student teaching with Mr. Brian Myers at Green Hope High School.
Ms. Schakel started her teaching career at Piney Grove Middle School in Lawsonville, NC before transferring to West Stokes High School in King, NC. During her time at West Stokes, she served as the Tri-M Music Honor Society Co-Advisor and the School Improvement Team representative for the fine arts department. She taught two concert band classes, the Symphonic Band, and the Wind Ensemble, as well as Honors Music Theory, and Jazz Band. She was also the director of the Marching Wildcats and co-taught with Mr. Dylan Jones at Chestnut Grove Middle School. Her bands consistently received Superior and Excellent ratings at state events. Many of her students have received honors such as All-County Honor Band, Yadkin Valley Honor Band, All-District Honor Band, and All-State Honor Band.
Ms. Schakel is currently a member of NAfME, NCMEA, the East Central District NC Bandmasters Association, the National Band Association, and the Women Band Directors Association. She also maintains a private clarinet studio where her students consistently make prestigious honor ensembles. Ms. Schakel currently lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband and her sweet border collie mix, Lillie. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, hiking, and building wooden models. She has a true passion for teaching music to kids. Whether her students end up playing after graduation or not, her hope is that they have a heart for music and learn how to be productive and respectful members of society.
Contact Ms. Schakel by email at leschakel@wcpss.net
John Antonelli
Percussion Director
John Antonelli has been the Director of Percussion at Athens Drive High School since 2007. In his time at Athens Drive, he has developed the Percussion Ensemble and Drum Line into highly successful groups. Both indoor and outdoor marching percussion sections have won numerous awards all over the Southeastern United States and placed as high as 15th in the World at WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. In 2009, the Percussion Ensemble was invited to perform in the Music for All Bands of America “National Percussion Ensemble Festival” in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mr. Antonelli holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Percussion Performance from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. He has been an educator, writer, arranger, and performer throughout North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois. He has performed at the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention with the Philidor Percussion Group and has also performed with the Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestra and the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to his post at Athens Drive, Mr. Antonelli previously held positions as Percussion Instructor at North Carolina State University, Adjunct Professor of Percussion at Wake Forest University, Unit Director of Alchemy Independent, and Percussion Caption Head of Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps.
Jennifer Mason Harris
Color Guard Director
Jennifer “Mason” Harris has been the Director of Color Guard at Athens Drive High School for over 20 years. During her time as an instructor at Athens Drive, the marching color guard and winter guard ensembles have received many accolades at competitions across the state, including AIA Championship performances.
Mason is a proud alumnus of the Athens Drive Band Program! Beyond high school, she spent two years with Tar Heel Sun Drum Corps (Division 2 and open class), six years with Carolina Visual Productions (spanning Independent A, Independent Open, and Senior Classes), and five years with Assembly Line senior winterguard. She has performed in both WGI and DCI finals and offers consultation to many local scholastic and independent marching arts programs.
She and her husband Chad are the proud parents of Avery and Michael.
Masterclass Teachers
Dr. Jillian Storey
Flute Masterclass Instructor
Dr. Jillian Storey holds a DMA in flute performance from UNC Greensboro. Prior to UNCG, she studied with world-renowned flute pedagogue, Trevor Wye, in Kent, England. She also holds a Masters of Music from Baylor University and a B.M. from Tennessee Tech University. She has performed with the Bryan and Waco symphonies and the Greensboro Opera. She is also the flutist of Catchfire Collective (www.catchfirecollective.com), a new music ensemble out of Greensboro. Jillian also serves as Newsletter Editor for the Marcel Moyse Society and is on the Board of Directors for the Raleigh Area Flute Association. In her free time she enjoys hiking, cycling, going on adventures with her partner and 2 dogs, and is an amateur competitive ballroom dancer. www.jillian-storey.com
Bobby Malone
French Horn Masterclass Instructor
Bobby Malone is a freelance French horn player and instructor in the Triangle Area. He completed his undergraduate degree at Florida State University in both Music Education and Horn Performance, and completed his Master’s Degree in Horn Performance at The College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He has performed with numerous groups in the Triangle, including the North Carolina Opera, the New Carolina Sinfonia, and the North Carolina Symphony. He has cultivated a robust private horn studio of talented high school and middle school students who excel in many of North Carolina’s honor ensembles and competitions.
Justin Berry
Saxophone Masterclass Instructor
Mr. Berry has performed professionally since the age of 17. He relocated from Arizona to the RDU area in late 2015. Teaching all ages and skill levels since 1993, he holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Arizona (“Fine arts in music” and “Speech, language, and hearing sciences”). From 2007-2010, he taught children with Autism Disorder, developmental disabilities, and ADHD. This inspired him to seek his Master’s degree in speech-language pathology to compliment his skills as a music teacher. Mr. Berry enjoys the challenge of combining his two career skill sets in order to provide specialized music instruction to students of all ages and all abilities. Performing and teaching music are great passions in his life and he loves to share his experience with anyone who is interested to learn!
Amanda LaBrecque
Oboe Masterclass Instructor
Amanda LaBrecque has a masters degree from the University of Illinois in oboe performance. She has held various oboe positions throughout her college career and beyond. Amanda currently holds the following positions: 2nd oboe with the Winston-Salem Symphony, English horn/3rd oboe with the Asheville Symphony, and Adjunct faculty for oboe at NC state University. She is frequently seen performing with and has held a one-year position with the North Carolina Symphony. Ms. LaBrecque resides in Wake Forest with her husband, Matt, and their three children.
Matt Wakeford
Trumpet Masterclass Instructor
Matt Wakeford was born and raised in the Triangle Area, and has enjoyed making music for as long as he can remember. He played trumpet at Athens Drive HS, as well as in Triangle Youth Philharmonic, Triangle Youth Brass Band, and Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble. Matt has enjoyed learning to play a wide variety of genres, including classical, jazz, rock, funk, musical theater, and everything in between. He studied with former NC Symphony trumpet player and educator Don Eagle through high school, and went on to get his undergraduate degree in Jazz Trumpet Performance, studying with Jim Ketch at UNC Chapel Hill. In addition to trumpet, Matt also enjoys playing piano, composing and arranging, and teaching. Since graduating from UNC in 2021, Matt has continued to write music, play gigs, teach private lessons, and perform in various groups around the triangle, including Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra, Triangle Brass Band, Triangle Wind Ensemble, The Phil Allen Octet, and Click Symphony.
Full-time Staff
Colin Lanier
Visual/Brass/Leadership Tech
Colin has been a marching, brass, and leadership instructor at Athens Drive since 2014. He became a marching and visuals instructor for Athens Drive Percussion in 2021. As an Athens Drive Band alumnus, he has performed at Walt Disney World and Carnegie Hall. Colin has a passion for teaching marching fundamentals, accountability, responsibility, and teamwork. In his free time Colin is a charismatic basketball coach, player, and fan.
Rasheed McFadden
Guard Tech
My name is Rasheed McFadden and I have been participating in color guard since 2012. During this time I have had the privilege of being apart of some incredible groups including Carolina visual production, first flight and Etude. I do not have much spare time but when I do, I enjoy trying new restaurants and spending time with my 4 year old Goldendoodle named Roman. I am passionate about teaching and hope to inspire the next generation of color guard performers just as i was inspired many years ago. Interesting fact about me is I graduated from UNC Greensboro in 2021 with my bachelors of science in biology and i hope to further my education in biology at the graduate level.
Malakhi Smith
Visual/Brass/Conducting Tech
Malakhi has taught marching and brass at Athens Drive for 6 years. Aside from his experience as a brass player and drum major in the Athens Drive Band Program, he marched two years in DCI, and won a Jim Ott award in 2019. He is very passionate about music and the marching arts. In his free time he enjoys golfing and playing guitar.
Robert Redfield
Percussion Tech
Robert Redfield graduated from Appalachian State University in May 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology, with a concentration in Education Studies. During college, Robert participated in the school’s marching band, led his own music group, taught music programs during summers, and interned at Appalachian State’s elementary tutoring program, Kaleidoscope.
After college, Robert continued pursuing education by working with many high schools in the Research Triangle area, developing valuable group management skills and educational processes. In addition to teaching, Robert is also a part of the design teams at multiple schools, composing and arranging for the percussion section.
Elisa Longoria
Percussion Tech
Elisa Longoria is a lifelong musician and educator from Cary, North Carolina. After studying viola for many years and making the NC All State Orchestra, she was recruited to join the front ensemble in high school and fell in love with percussion and the marching arts. She continued to be an avid member of the front ensemble at Green Hope High School and later performed in the front ensemble at Appalachian State University. Elisa went on to study both viola and percussion at App State as a music therapy major before completing her undergraduate studies in psychology at ECU. In her free time, she loves to read, bake, and embroider.
Director Emeritus
Dr. Jerry Markoch
Director Emeritus of Bands
Dr. Jerry Markoch has completed his 39th year of teaching and 31st year as Director of Bands at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, N.C. During his tenure at Athens Drive, the band program has grown to as many as 200 members and has earned significant honors, including consistent “Superior” ratings at the N.C. Concert Band Festival and numerous “Grand Champion” and “First Place” awards at local and regional marching band events. Concert groups have performed for the Music for All/Bands of America “National Concert Band and Percussion Ensemble Festival” in Indianapolis, and the Wind Ensemble has performed 4 times at the NCMEA Conference in Winston-Salem. Under Dr. Markoch’s direction, the band has performed at such famous locales as Carnegie Hall, the Outback Bowl, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Washington D.C. Memorial Day Parade and Walt Disney World. Students in the band have received much praise for their enthusiasm, fine character and outstanding musicianship.
Dr. Markoch completed a Ph.D. in music education at Louisiana State University, a M.M. at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, and a B.M. at the University of Akron, Ohio. Prior to his graduate studies, he served three years as Band Director at Manchester High School (Akron, Ohio). Dr. Markoch has received many awards for his scholarship including a prestigious fellowship at LSU and the distinction of “Valedictorian” at the University of Akron. In 2003, he was selected by his colleagues as “Teacher of the Year” at Athens Drive High School. In 2007, he was named “Band Director of the Year” by the N.C. Central District Bandmasters Association (CDBA). In 2008, he received the “Award of Excellence” from the same organization. In 2015, Dr. Markoch was awarded the Jackson Parkhurst Award for Special Achievement in Music Education from the North Carolina Symphony.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities at Athens Drive, Dr. Markoch is very active as a clinician and adjudicator throughout the state. “Doc”–as he is affectionately known by his students and colleagues—is an avid golfer and classical guitarist. He resides in Fuquay-Varina with his wife, Susan. His son Ben is a graphic designer, and his daughter Caroline is a high school dance teacher.
Beloved band director Jerry “Doc” Markoch Has retired after 31 years at Athens Drive High School.
Read more about MARKOCH MASTERPIECE
Final Message from Doc