Band

Josey.Jimenez@gcpsk12.org

Josey J. Jimenez is entering her eleventh year as Director of Bands at Duluth Middle School, where she leads a thriving and rapidly growing program. Under her direction, the band program has more than doubled in enrollment, growing from 135 students in 2016 to more than 300 today. Duluth Middle School offers multiple performing ensembles, including the Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Beginning Band, Los Gatos Salvajes, and the Wildcat Winds. In 2025, the DMS Wildcat Winds were selected to perform at the Minority Band Directors National Association National Concert and Jazz Band Invitational, a prestigious national honor.

A California native and proud product of Georgia's music education system, Ms. Jimenez is a graduate of South Effingham High School and holds degrees from the University of Georgia (B.M.Ed.), Georgia College & State University (M.M.Ed.), and Piedmont University (Ed.S.). While at UGA, she studied saxophone with Connie Frigo and wind band conducting with Jaclyn Hartenberger. She also performed as a member of the University of Georgia Redcoat Marching Band. Go Dawgs!

Ms. Jimenez serves as a Lead Teacher for Middle School Band in Gwinnett County Public Schools, where she supports curriculum development and professional learning for band directors across the district. She also serves as GMEA's Multicultural Awareness Chair and is a member of the GMEA Band Division Music Selection Committee.

Passionate about serving the diverse Duluth community, Ms. Jimenez is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every student can thrive as both a musician and an individual. Her ensembles consistently earn Superior ratings at GMEA Large Group Performance Evaluation, and her students regularly participate in District Honor Band, All-State Band, UGA Midfest, and Solo & Ensemble Festival.

In addition to teaching, Ms. Jimenez is an active clinician and adjudicator throughout Georgia and enjoys performing with community wind ensembles when her schedule allows. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, Women Band Directors International, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, the Minority Band Directors National Association, and the National Band Association.
 

Dr. Kevin Schoeller currently serves as the Associate Director of Bands at Duluth Middle School in Duluth, Georgia. Dr. Schoeller is an active free-lance trombonist throughout the Southeast and holds current positions with the Georgia Philharmonic and the Georgia Brass Band. In addition to performing, Dr. Schoeller is also a sought-after low brass clinician and maintains a thriving private studio of middle and high school low brass students.  

Dr. Kevin Schoeller earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Georgia, where he studied trombone pedagogy and performance with Dr. Josh Bynum and instrumental conducting with Dr. Jaclyn Hartenberger. As a graduate teaching assistant, he worked extensively throughout the University of Georgia’s band program and served as a teaching assistant for the Redcoat Marching Band. While at the University of Georgia, Dr. Schoeller had the privilege of conducting the University of Georgia Trombone Choir at various concerts, with notable performances at the International Trombone Festival in Columbus, GA and at the American Trombone Workshop presented by the United States Army Band in Washington D.C.

Before joining Duluth Middle School, Dr. Schoeller served as the assistant band director at Mabry Middle School in Marietta, Georgia and helped lead students in a performance at the Music For All Southeast Regional Concert Festival. He also served as the head band director of Lakeside Middle School in Cumming, Georgia prior to pursuing his doctoral degree.

Dr. Schoeller also holds a Master of Music degree in Low Brass Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served as an inaugural teaching assistant with the Badger Marching Band and served as a conductor for a wide variety of university athletic events. He also earned undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Trombone Performance from the University of Georgia.

He is a member of a wide variety of professional organizations, including Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the National Band Association, the Georgia Music Educators Association, the National Association for Music Education, the International Trombone Association, and the International Tuba-Euphonium Association