Hanover High School Bands

     About our Director & Staff

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Mrs. Amy Birdsong is the director of bands at Hanover High School. Mrs. Birdsong is an alumnus of Thomas Dale High School in Chesterfield County . She attended James Madison University’s School of Music as a Music Education Major.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Music and a Minor in Jazz Studies. In 2008, Mrs. Birdsong received a Masters degree in Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mrs. Birdsong began her professional career in Henrico County at Varina High School. There, she started a jazz program and taught many additional ensembles including Marching Band, Percussion Ensemble, Concert Band and Symphonic Band. She received Henrico County Public School’s " First Year Teacher Award" for Varina High School in 2001.  In 2003 she opened Hanover High School (HHS) and has helped lead her Marching Band, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble to multiple achievements.  The concert ensembles have routinely received Superior ratings at Festival and in 2006 the HHS Band Program received its first "Virginia Honor Band" designation.

In addition to her responsibilities at HHS, Mrs. Birdsong is also the director of the Richmond Symphony Youth Concert Orchestra, grades 6-12, which performs 3 times a year at the Carpenter Theater at CenterStage.  Mrs. Birdsong is a member of the Commonwealth Winds, a group in which she helped manage when they were asked to perform for the VMEA conference in 2007.  She has also been a guest conductor for middle school bands in Virginia, as well as a Festival adjudicator.  In addition to performing, Mrs. Birdsong likes to run in her spare time, completing full and half marathons throughout Virginia on multiple occasions.   She currently resides in Hanover County with her husband Steve,  3-year-old son  Jack and infant son Finn.

Mrs. Amy Birdsong

Director of Bands

Ms. Nicole Dovey is the Assistant Marching Band Director at Hanover High School. Ms Dovey is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University who currently teaches music in a private school environment in Northern Virginia. This will be Ms. Dovey's 4th year working with HHS and her 3rd year working with the Marching Hawks.

Ms. Nicole Dovey

Assistant Marching Band Director

Bryan Hooten is an Adjunct Professor of Jazz and Music Theory at VCU, where he teaches Jazz Orchestra II, Small Jazz Ensembles, Music Theory, and at times Jazz Trombone and Composition lessons. He is also jazz band director at James River High School and brass instructor at Hanover High School. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Studies in

2004 from the University of Southern Mississippi and his Master's Degree in Jazz Performance at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2006. Hooten currently tours, performs, and records with Fight the Big Bull, No BS! Brass, Ombak, Top Knot Trio, and his own solo trombone project.

He has composed and arranged for small and large jazz and chamber groups, chorus, and for solo trombone. His works have been published by the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press.

Visit <www.ombakmusic.com>; e-mail him at <hootenba@vcu.edu>.

Bryan Hooten

Brass Instructor

A graduate of James Madison University, Mr. Pennington is a veteran band director of 14 years having taught in Henrico and Hanover Counties. His bands have performed and competed up and down the East Coast regularly taking top honors and receiving superior ratings in the marching, concert and jazz idioms.  His marching bands have twice been invited to appear in the New Year’s Day Parade in London, England, having performed in 2004 and 2008. 

Mr. Pennington’s widely varied musical background includes experience in concert, jazz, orchestral, and rock ensembles, as well as considerable experience in the recording studio as a member of the indie rock/ska band Fighting Gravity.  He is an alumnus of the Boston Crusaders and Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps and served as section leader and soloist with the nationally renowned JMU Marching Royal Dukes.

Currently, Mr. Pennington is a regular member of the Commonwealth Winds, the Richmond Brass and Percussion Consort and the Festival Brass Quintet.  He has also performed with the Richmond Symphonic Winds and in the orchestra for the Christian Youth Theater.  Mr. Pennington works as a marching and concert adjudicator, drill writer and clinician, and teaches an extensive private stuio.

James Pennington

Marching Assistant

Erica Eaton (formerly Erica Lambert) is from Chesapeake Virginia and is a 2009 graduate of James Madison Univeristy where she earned her bachelors of Music Education. While at JMU, she was captain of the Marching Royal Dukes colorguard and JMU Nuance Winterguard. She is an active colorguard instructor and has choreographed and taught for several high schools around the state, currently for Cosby High School, Atlee High School, and Battlefield High School. Also a bassoonist, her performing credits include the JMU Wind Symphony and the JMU Symphony Orchestra. She is currently residing in Chesapeake, VA with her husband, Jesse, and is a subsitute teacher for band in Chesapeake Public Schools as well as the full time guard instructor at Tallwood High School in Virgnia Beach.

Erica Eaton

Guard Choreographer

Matt Nichols is currently a student at Virginia Commonwealth University and studies under Dr. Peter Martin and Toni Martucci.  He is originally from Alabama, but has lived in the Richmond area for the past 8 years.  He has previously studied with Rachyl Farley, Dr. Matthew McCutchen, Kris Keeton, Steve Raybold, Ian Browning, and Mike Boyd.  He has auditioned for the Jersey Surf Drum Corps, performed twice with the Macy's Great American Marching Band under the instruction of Dr. Doug Rosener, and is constantly performing around the greater Richmond area, with ensembles such as SPARC, RPO, RYSO, AYHE, High Noon, and Moruza. One day, Matt would like to grow up to be a firefighter or a pirate.  His favorite color is blue, and his favorite food is macaroni and cheese.

Matt Nichols

Drumline Instructor

Dardi Richie

Guard Instructor

Dardi Richie marched 4 years at Hermitage High School, "The Pride of Central Virginia",  Selected and Performed with The Spirit of America Band performing thru Europe. 

This will be Dardi's third year with the Hanover Marching Hawks Guard.  She's previously worked with Atlee High School's Guard. 

She is married and has two daughters, Hayley and Ally.

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