Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
North Gwinnett Middle School is located in Sugar Hill, Georgia, forty miles northeast of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. North Gwinnett Middle School (NGMS) is one of twenty-nine middle schools within Gwinnett County School District, currently the largest school district in Georgia serving over 182,000 students and the most diverse school district in the state. North Gwinnett Middle School opened in 2009 and currently has an enrollment of over 2,200 6th through 8th grade students.
The fine arts programs are an integral part of the NGMS community; 70% of the students are enrolled in one of the following fine arts courses: band, orchestra, chorus, guitar, drama or music technology. The NGMS Fine Arts Department was recognized by the Georgia Music Educators Association as the “Music Program of the Year” for the state of Georgia in 2018.
With over 500 current band members, 6th grade students are placed into two heterogeneous balanced beginning band classes under the direction of two full-time directors with the assistance of weekly sectional coaches, followed by two ability-based ensembles (concert and symphonic band) for 7th and 8th grade years. Students participate in non-auditioned Jazz Band and Percussion Ensembles, both meeting after school weekly year-round.
The North Gwinnett Middle School Percussion Ensemble meets twice a week to explore literature written specifically for the percussion ensemble and to further develop techniques in all areas of percussion. Percussion students participate annually in the Southeastern Percussion Ensemble Symposium sponsored by Music for All and GMEA Solo and Ensemble Festival events.
The NGMS Percussion Ensemble was named the Percussive Arts Society 2023 winner of the International Ensemble Competition for the Junior High/Middle School Division and performed a showcase concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in November of 2023. Additional notable invitational performances are the GMEA In-Service (2018) and the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival (2015), part of the Music for All National Festival presented by Yamaha.
North Gwinnett Middle School Percussion Ensemble
Conductor's Bio
Travis Downs has been sharing his love of music with students for over twenty-five years. He
is currently in his twelfth year at North Gwinnett Middle School in Sugar Hill, Ga. serving over
500 students enrolled in the band program grades 6-8. The NGMS music department was
awarded the inaugural Music Program of the Year Award by the Georgia Music Educators
Association for the 2017-2018 school year. Mr. Downs has been presented the National Band
Association Citation of Excellence on seven separate occasions.
Before his appointment at North Gwinnett in 2013, Mr. Downs served as the Director of Bands
at Valdosta Middle School in Valdosta, Ga., Assistant Band Director at VMS, and Assistant Band
Director at Tapp Middle School in Cobb County, Ga.
Ensembles under Mr. Downs’ direction have received invitations to perform at many music
conferences and clinics on multiple years, including the Midwest International Band and
Orchestra Clinic, the Sandy Feldstein National Percussion Festival, the Music for All
Southeastern Regional Concert Festival, the Georgia Music Educators Association Annual In-
Service Conference, and the University of Georgia Middle School Festival. The NGMS Percussion Ensemble was the winner of the Percussive
Arts Society 2023 International Percussion Ensemble Competition (Middle/Jr. High Category)
and performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Conference held in Indianapolis,
Indiana. In addition, during his tenure both VMS and NGMS Band programs have been the
recipient of the GMEA Exemplary Performance Award.
Mr. Downs has served GMEA in several positions over his career, including District 13 Large
Group Performance Evaluations organizer, District 13 Middle School Band Chair, the All-State
Band Standing Committee, and served as the State Chair for the Band Division from 2020-2023.
Mr. Downs’ professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, the
National Band Association, the Georgia Music Educators Association, Phi Beta Mu, Pi Kappa
Lambda, and the Percussive Arts Society.
Mr. Downs earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Georgia and
Master of Music degree in Percussion Performance from Louisiana State University. He is an
alumnus of Carolina Crown and the Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps, receiving the “Percussion of
the Year Award” his age-out year while marching with Crown. He currently lives in Gainesville,
Ga with his wife, Beth, and his twin daughters Natalie and Libby, who both are members of the
North Gwinnett High School Band Program currently in their senior year. His oldest daughter
Maggie attends Valdosta State University.
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