Director of Bands

Ira Jenkins

Previous to joining Decatur High School in 2022, Mr. Jenkins was the Director of Bands at Alpharetta High School. While at Alpharetta High School, the concert bands were featured performers at GMEA's In-service Conference, UGA's JanFest Honor Band Clinic, Music For All's Southeastern Concert Festival, and a host of other special performances. The marching band was a Bands of America regional finalist as well as Grand Champion at the Jacksonville University Invitational.  Alpharetta's Indoor Percussion ensemble was GIPA's Scholastic A champion in 2022 as well as the WGI Atlanta Scholastic A champion. All three of Alpharetta's winter guards have been repeat SAPA championship medalists. In 2019 the Alpharetta varsity winter guard was a Winter Guard International World Championships finalist. 

Prior to AHS, Mr. Jenkins taught elementary, middle, and high school bands in Atlanta City, Cobb County, Fulton County, and in Westchester County (NY) as well as Bergen County (NJ).  His bands have consistently earned superior ratings at performance evaluations, and his winter guards have received state championships honors. Mr. Jenkins' students have earned chairs in county and district honor bands as well as all-state bands and university honor clinics. Many of his students continue their passion for performance in college bands, professional ensembles, drum and bugle corps, independent drumlines, and independent winter guards. 

Mr. Jenkins' responsibilities have extended far beyond the classroom. He has served as an assistant high school marching band director, visual caption head, color guard caption head, and director of numerous winter guard programs throughout the east coast. He has also served as band chair and the district chair for GMEA's District 5. 

Mr. Jenkins' professional affiliations include marching band and winter guard adjudication with the WGI, DCI, BOA, USSBA, and numerous state circuits. He holds memberships with GMEA, NAfME, SAPA, WGI, NYSSMA, NYSBDA, and FFJA. 

Education:
PhD. (in progress); Music Education - Georgia State University (2023-anticipated)

Ed.S; Music Education - University of Georgia (2018)

M.Ed; Education Administration - Kennesaw State University (2007)

B.M.; Music Education - Georgia State University and Florida A&M University (1999)

Assistant Director

Russ Thompson

Mr. Russ Thompson begins his fourth year with CSD where he will be working at both Decatur HS and FAve.  From 2014-2018, Russ was the Director of Bands at Woodland High School – Henry County, GA. The Woodland Band Program consisted of three concert ensembles, two percussion ensembles, the Wolfpack Marching Band, two SAPA/WGI Winter Guard Ensembles, and a SAPA/GIPA/WGI Indoor Percussion Ensemble. Under his direction, the Wolfpack Marching Band was a two-time BOA Regional Participant, participant in the 2016 U.S. Bands Southern States Championship in Chattanooga (TN) and was invited to participate in the 2016 ABC/Dunkin’ Donuts Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. Under his leadership, Woodland High School also served as a two-time host of the WGI Atlanta Regional for Winds and Percussion in 2016 and 2017. 

Prior to Woodland, he served two years as Assistant Director of Bands/Instructor of

Music at Campbellsville University, in Campbellsville, Kentucky. His primary responsibilities were assisting the Director of Bands in all administrative, programming, and recruiting areas of the Campbellsville University Band program as well as teaching undergraduate courses. From 2008-2010, he served as the Director of Bands at Duluth High School in Duluth, Georgia. Thompson's teaching career began in Alabama where served as band director at Lauderdale County High School in Florence, Alabama. Mr. Thompson was the primary music teacher for grades K-12, teaching elementary general music, beginning band, and 7-12th grade band. 

Education:

M.M; Instrumental Conducting - Georgia State University (2012)

M.Ed; Music Education - Auburn University (2008)

B.A; Music Education - University of North Alabama (2005)

Over the past 30 years, Mark has worked as a freelance and studio session drummer in the Atlanta area, performed in various capacities with countless musical groups across a wide variety of genres and contexts, and also taught private students, percussion clinics, and drumlines at middle schools and high schools throughout Georgia.  Mark is a member of the Percussive Arts Society, the Georgia Music Educators' Association, the National Association for Music Education, judges percussion for marching band competitions, and has served as an adjudicator at the GMEA's Solo & Ensemble evaluations and All-State Band auditions.

Mark lives in Decatur, and when not drumming or teaching, is often thinking about words, people he loves, or delicious snack items.