Johnathan M. Hamiel

Johnathan M. Hamiel is a native of Ellenboro, NC. He is a 1998 graduate of East Rutherford High School in Rutherford County, North Carolina. In 2003, he graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a bachelor’s degree in Music Business Management and Merchandising. Hamiel has been teaching public school in Winston-Salem, NC for 13 years. He began teaching band at The Downtown Middle School in Winston-Salem, NC. In 2007, Mr. Hamiel earned his Master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Music and Music Education. Later that year he was awarded “Teacher of The Year” for The Downtown Middle School (2007-2008) academic school year. After his tenure at the Downtown Middle School he then accepted the Director of Bands position at Parkland Magnet High School, in Winston-Salem NC.

While at Parkland, Mr. Hamiel has transformed the PHS Band program from a program of 35 students and 2 ensembles to a program of over 121 students and 5 ensembles. Under the baton of Hamiel the band program at PHS has won countless awards and received superior and excellent ratings throughout the southeast United States. Under Mr. Hamiel’s tutelage PHS hosted master classes by the Eastman School of Music, Winston-Salem State University Department of Fine Arts, University of Miami FL. (Frost School of Music) and University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Additionally, the Parkland Band Program was invited and participated in the UNCSA short film/motion picture entitled “Felicia.” In 2013 the PHS band was selected to perform nationally on ESPN 1380 AM during their yearly kick-off of the ACC tournament. In turn, the ACC tournament came to PHS in 2015 when the University of Miami Pep Band came to Parkland to give a master class and sit-in with the Parkland Wind Ensemble. The Parkland band was also selected to represent NC in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington D.C. in 2014.

In an attempt to enhance the community and culture of PHS, Mr. Hamiel also created a marching band leadership camp entitled Project LEAD. This camp is held every summer for leaders of community marching bands (drum major, section leaders, and captains). Project LEAD teaches students how to lead their peers, musical conducting techniques and how to appropriately line a football field. Unlike most leadership camps it’s free for all students involved and available to any community band members. Mr. Hamiel has also created a program entitled Creating A Spark. The Creating A Spark initiative is a program to get community elementary students interested and involved in band by having high school students perform for elementary students and allowing them to sample different band instruments as they combine with the high school students to make music. Mr. Hamiel also assist in conducting The Wachovia Winds Wind Ensemble. Wachovia Winds a community ensemble comprised of the top band students and conductors in the Piedmont Triad. Wachovia Winds is under the artistic direction of Mr. Danny Green. The PHS Band Program also performs for various local middle schools and plays Christmas Carols at Lowrance Middle School (an alternative school for students with special needs.)

In 2014, Mr. Hamiel was awarded Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools Band Director of The Year. During this time, he also twice served as guest clinician and presenter of WSFCS All-County Bands and Youth Piedmont Honors Band. In the same year, Mr. Hamiel was awarded Parkland Magnet High Schools Teacher of The Year for the 2014-2015 academic school year. During the fall of 2014 PHS was the only band to participate in the WSFCS Bully Walk, a community service event to help stand up against school bullying. In the fall of 2014 PHS, under the direction of Mr. Hamiel, was noticed and was allowed to perform for ABC’s “Good Morning America” segment “Your Hired,” another nationally syndicated performance. Johnathan Hamiel continues as Director of Instrumental Ensembles at Parkland Magnet High School, where he currently teaches marching band, concert band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, and just began teaching orchestra. His former band students have gone on to perform and enroll in collegiate bands on music scholarships such as UNC-Chapel Hill, ECU, Johnson C. Smith University, Livingstone College, UNC-Pembroke, Morehouse, NC A&T, UNCG, and WSSU.

After this time Johnathan Hamiel was the Director of Band at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem and Eastern Guilford High School (respectfully). During his time at these two schools, Mr. Hamiel took these schools to compete and perform throughout the southern states of the United State receiving Excellent and Superior ratings in Solo and Ensemble MPA and contest throughout the south. Currently, Johnathan Hamiel is the K-12 Arts Education Coordinator of the Chapel-Hill Carrboro City Schools where he assists and supervised 66 visual and performing arts teachers and 12,000 students with budgets, professional development opportunities and advocating for arts education programs throughout the district.