Students at Shelburne start band in 6th grade. The students are split into four different classes. When the students are in 7th grade, we combine these four classes down to just two, a woodwind/percussion class and a brass class. Finally, in 8th grade, every member of the band is in the same class period. All classes meet daily for 45 minutes.
Each grade level has a unique performance opportunity every year. The 6th graders present a Recruitment Concert for all 5th grade students, performing full-ensemble symphonic works and pop songs in solos or small groups. The 7th grade band travels to JMU to perform a concert for the music education studio and receive expert feedback before assessment. The 8th grade participates in the Kings Dominion Festival of Music in Doswell, VA.
We offer several extracurricular opportunities for our students. In the fall, Mr. Nesmith teaches the Woodwind Ensemble, which tours each elementary school playing holiday classics. In the spring, Mr. Wilson leads a Jazz Band open to any instrument, performing at Bridgewater College and Party in the Park!. Each band student also has the opportunity to perform at our annual Band Banquet and Party in the Park! festivals.
In 2023, the Shelburne Middle School band was invited to perform at the 2023 Virginia Music Educator’s Conference in Richmond, Virginia. This was a huge honor, and we were the first concert band from our district to ever be invited to this event!
Charlie Nesmith is a music educator, percussionist, and host of The Flying Baton Podcast. He has been a teacher in Virginia Public Schools for the last 17 years.
Since 2013 he has taught band at Shelburne Middle School in Staunton, Virginia. During his tenure, he has established several noteworthy programs and events that have enriched the school’s music department. These include the Woodwind Ensemble, an extensive free after-school lesson program, and an annual Halloween Concert. Additionally, he has developed a Band Banquet fundraising event, where students showcase their solo and ensemble skills as guests enjoy a meal. For the last 9 years, the Shelburne Middle School Band has participated in both the VBODA concert band assessment and the Kings Dominion Festival of Music, where they have received consistent superior ratings. In 2023, Shelburne Middle School was a featured performer at the Virginia Music Educator’s Conference in Richmond, Virginia.
In recent years, Charlie has been invited to guest conduct several honor bands around the state. He particularly enjoys cultivating community quickly with young musicians, and motivating them to perform to their highest level. He enjoys an active adjudication schedule for both the marching arts and concert band assessments.
Furthermore, he enjoys many performance opportunities outside the classroom, as they enhance his work as an educator. He served as the Principal Percussionist with the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Peter Wilson for 10 years. He is a founding member of the Valley Wind Ensemble, located in Harrisonburg, VA. He also marched in the 2004 Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps under the direction of Lee Beddis, Steven Ballard, and Drew Schneiders.
Charlie received a bachelors of Music Education with a minor in Mathematics from Radford University in 2006, and in 2022 he completed a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from James Madison University.
Charlie resides in Staunton with his wife of 17 years and their exuberant four-year-old. When not teaching or performing, Charlie enjoys PC gaming, Rollerblading, and biking around Staunton with his family.
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Hannah Greer-Young is privileged to teach Band and Choir at Shelburne Middle School and assists the Staunton High School Storm Marching Band in Staunton, Virginia.
Before moving to Virginia, Hannah taught middle school band and elementary music in Ohio from 2017-2022. She graduated from James Madison University in 2024 with a Master of Music degree in music education, where she served as a graduate teaching assistant in the music education department.
While at JMU, Hannah won several awards and grants for her research on sexual misconduct in music education, and now serves on an ethical practices for music education task force through the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Hannah has received invitations to showcase her research at state conferences across the country and facilitates professionalism and ethics training for pre-service music educators at multiple universities. In 2024 she won the “Best Oral Presentation” award from the JMU Graduate School in recognition of her work establishing the JMU Lab Band, a free enrichment program for band students in the Shenandoah Valley.
She believes that every student should feel safe and encouraged to express their true selves through music. In her free time she loves to read, sing karaoke, and spend time with her dog Emma and spouse Nick.