Steve R. Barnett
Steve Barnett serves as the director of the Jackson Area Community Bands Symphonic Winds. He recently retired after a 45-year career in music education. Most recently Barnett served as the Interim Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Tennessee at Martin, as well as worked with bands and music education students. Prior to joining UT Martin, Mr. Barnett served as Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Marshall University for eleven years. He conducted the Marshall University Wind Symphony and the “Marching Thunder” Marching Band. Mr. Barnett also served as the Music Program Director for the MU School of Music and Theatre. In 2012, Barnett received the Marshall and Shirley Reynolds Teacher of the Year Award, one of the highest awards that a faculty member may receive at Marshall University and was also nominated by Marshall University as the CASE Council National Teacher of the Year for 2012-2013.
In addition to Marshall University, Barnett previously held band directing positions in Mississippi at the University of Mississippi, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Madison, Forest, Oxford, Newton and Pearl High Schools. While Director of Bands at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, he received the HEADWAE Award (Higher Education Appreciation Day: Working for Academic Excellence) for the most outstanding instructor and was honored by the Mississippi State Legislature.
Mr. Barnett is an active guest conductor and clinician throughout the U.S. and is currently a staff arranger for Jalen Publishing Company of Orlando, FL where he currently has 15 marching band arrangements
David Kyles
David Kyles is the director of the Jackson Swing Orchestra. He was born and reared in the Madison county area where he attended North Side High School. David received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and at UT Martin. He attended Graduate School at Middle Tennessee State University where he received a Master of Arts in Teaching degree with an emphasis on trumpet performance and aesthetics in the musical and visual arts.
David has taught band, choir, and general music in the public schools of Missouri, Tennessee, and Alabama for over 36 years and is currently the general music teacher for grades K-3 in the Chester County, Tennessee schools, where he also assists with the band program. He served as Principal Trumpet of the Huntsville, Alabama Symphony Orchestra for 9 seasons.
As a professional trumpeter, David has performed with nationally known entertainers such as Glen Campbell, Stella Parton, Chet Atkins, and Holiday on Ice. Currently, he is an on-call recording studio musician in the West Tennessee area, and upon retirement from education this year, plans to teach privately and continue performing.
Executive Board
| President | George Googe |
| Vice-President | Kelly McDonald |
| Treasurer | Betsy Porter |
| Secretary | Vernetta Anderson |
| SW Rep | Julia Paschall |
| SW Rep | Janna Chance |
| JSO Rep | Jeff Stephens |
| SW Director | Steve Barnett |
| JSO Director | David Kyles |