Instructors
Dr. Jerry Markoch
Director of Bands
Dr. Jerry Markoch is currently in 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.
Contact Dr. Markoch by e-mail at jmarkoch@wcpss.net or at 919-233-4077.
Lucas Meade
Assistant Director of Bands
Mr. Lucas Meade is excited to be in his first year teaching at Athens Drive High School and tenth 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 Assistant Band Director this year, Mr. Meade is excited to lead the Athens Drive Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble and conduct the musical pit orchestra, while assisting with the Athens Drive Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Winter Guard, and Winter Percussion programs, along with anything Doc tells him to.
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 McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (2018) and the DisneyWorld 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 serves as the Jazz Delegate on the North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) Board, the Region Jazz Clinic Chair for the NCMEA Jazz Central Region, as well as the Marching Band Chair for the South Eastern District Band Association (SEDBA).
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 toddler Matthias (and the aforementioned cattle dog) currently reside in Garner, North Carolina.
Contact Mr. Meade by email at lmeade@wcpss.net or athensbanddirector@gmail.com.
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.
Clinicians
Dr. Jillian Storey
Flute Clinician
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
Justin Berry
Saxophone Clinician
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!
Bill Coye
Bassoon Clinician
Bill is a bassoonist who also plays saxophone. His primary bassoon teacher was the late Walter Green, the long-time principal bassoonist of the San Francisco Symphony. Bill attended San Francisco State University earning his degree in Music Education. For 45 years Bill was minister of music at several San Francisco Peninsula churches. One of Bill’s loves is musical theater. He served as Music Director, Conductor and pit musician for many years. Along with this Bill also had a day job. Currently Bill plays bassoon and contra bassoon with the Raleigh Civic Symphony and the Raleigh Civic Chamber Orchestra. Hobbies include building an O Scale electric train layout and working on his 1936 Cord Westchester.
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.
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.
Bryhana Benson
Color Guard Tech
Bryhana Benson joined the Athens Drive High School Colorguard/Winterguard staff in 2022. As a Smithfield-Selma High School alumni, she has spun with NCSU Winterguard, Legacy Independent Winterguard, First Flight World guard, and Assembly Line Senior Guard. In the past she has taught at Wakefield HS and C.E. Jordan High School. Her favorite piece of equipment is the flag and she loves encouraging kids to keep spinning after high school.
Brenna Goodman
Low Brass/Conducting Tech
Brenna is a recent graduate of West Johnston High School, where they were a low brass section leader in 2021, and a drum major from 2022-2024. This is their first teaching experience as low brass technician. Brenna has been playing trombone for 7 years and they currently study in the Arts Program at Johnston Communtiy College. In Brenna’s free time, they enjoy painting, reading, and writing.
Band Camp Staff
Carmen Ballard
Guard Tech
Carmen is an alumni of the Athens Drive Marching Band and has been helping instruct the color guard and winter guard groups since 2023. Her performance experience includes the UNC Charlotte Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band (2017 & 2018), Gentoo Independent Winterguard (2018), and The District Independent Winterguard (2019).
Jay Barham
Battery Tech
Jay lives in Charlotte, NC and helps out with the snare line at both Athens Drive and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His marching experience on snare includes 2 seasons with Alchemy Independent and 1 season each at Civitas Independent, Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps, and Genesis Drum and Bugle Corps.
Franklin Bileth
Front Ensemble Tech
Franklin has worked with Athens Drive High School as a front ensemble tech for two years. In addition to teaching at Athens Drive, he also teaches at Clinton High School, South Brunswick High School, and Spectre Percussion. Franklin has previously marched Alchemy Independent Percussion (2018 and 2019) and Liberty University Indoor Drumline (2020).
Emily Schmidt
Battery Tech
Emily has been teaching bass drums part-time since she graduated from Athens Drive in 2023. She currently marches at UNC Charlotte as well as serving as the concertmaster of the UNCC orchestra. Emily was the drum major of the Athens Drive Marching Band and loves working with this phenomenal staff!!
Brady Bittner
Percussion Tech
Brady is a Quad player and alumnus of the Athens Drive Marching Band. He has been teaching drumline part-time since he graduated in 2022. He is currently a section leader in his third year at the UNC Charlotte Pride of Niner Nation Marching band. He also marched with 7th Regiment Drum Corps (2023) and Civitas Independent (2024). Brady also teaches percussion at Northwest Cabarrus High School.