Mr. Andy Childs, '80 was active in concert choir and theatre at Briarcrest. He graduated from the University of Memphis in music business and recording engineering. Andy has been in the music business for over 30 years and recorded with Sony Records, RCA Records and Warner Brother Records with several chart singles and music videos. He has written songs recorded by national and international recording artists. Andy has appeared on all major broadcast networks including the FOX series NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND by the producers of American Idol and is currently involved in the ABC television series “Nashville”. Andy resides in Franklin, TN where he attends Brentwood Baptist Church. He has two sons, Daniel and Cameron.
Mr. Keith Compton '78 for over thirty years, he has been involved in many aspects of the music industry primarily as an audio engineer having worked on numerous gold, platinum and both Grammy nominated and winning projects (17 nominated, 5 winning). He has produced projects and is an accomplished guitarist, sequencing programmer and published songwriter. Keith has designed and built high resolution audio equipment and was one of the youngest governors for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He is also an adjunct at The Art Institute of Tennessee.
Dr. Dave Knowlton '86. While a student, he was a member of the band, serving as band chaplain and an assistant percussion section leader his junior and senior year. His senior year, he earned the "Most Outstanding Marching Band Member" award. Dr. Knowlton has worked in seven different states as a percussion instructor, marching band show designer, music arranger, and clinician for a variety of middle schools, high schools, colleges, and drum and bugle corps. He has judged regionally for the Mid-Continent Color Guard Association and Indiana Percussion Association. He judges nationally for the United States Scholastic Band Association. Dave, his wife Heather, and daughters Emma and Sarah live in Glen Carbon, IL.
Mr. Steve May served as Briarcrest’s Vocal Music Director from 1977 - 1990. His choirs continually earned superior ratings at regional and national competitions in New York City, Washington D.C., Colorado, Texas, Florida, and Georgia. In addition, the choir won first place at an international music festival in Quebec City, Ontario, in 1986. The Concert Choir averaged thirty concerts a year during that time. In addition to Concert Choir, Steve directed the Beginning and Advanced Choruses, as well as the Men and Women’s Choruses, taught Music Theory, and was a co-sponsor of Tri-M. He returned in 1998-99 as Director of the Concert Choir while the school pursued its next full time director. He also served as Minister of Music at Hickory Ridge Baptist Church while at Briarcrest and later at Leawood Baptist Church. He is presently in the same role at First Baptist Church in Winter Park, Florida, where he has served since 2001.
Rev. Terry McNatt came to Briarcrest as Director of Bands in 1978. During his ten-year tenure, the band program was a consistently Superior rated band that was recognized nationally and won multiple honors from 1978 to 1988 in marching, concert & jazz. One proud accomplishment was the tremendous growth in the Beginning and Intermediate Band Program which was primarily due to the hiring of a full-time Middle School Band Director, Mr. Ron S. Turner. Terry and Ron were a team! Terry is honored to share the band’s tremendous success during his tenure with Ron Turner. From 1988 to 2000, Terry served as Associate Pastor of Worship and Music at Germantown Baptist Church and founded the orchestra at GBC and the Germantown Baptist Conservatory of Music - a private music lesson program that grew to over 500 students with a faculty of thirty. For the past 12½ years, Terry has served as Worship and Music Pastor at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Terry’s wife, Mary Ruth, also served at Briarcrest as an elementary music teacher. The McNatts have two daughters, Melody and Michelle, two son-in-laws and two absolutely fabulous grandkids! About this special evening, Terry wants to say: “To God be the Glory for all that HE accomplished and will continue to accomplish at Briarcrest. It was an honor and a God-given privilege for Mary Ruth and I to serve the Briarcrest Family for ten years. Our lives were blessed by the relationships and friendships that began here in 1978 and continue to this very day! The students, faculty, administration, and parents that we were privileged to teach and work with ARE the success story of our time at Briarcrest. To them - GOD BLESS YOU AND WE LOVE YOU ALL!”
Mrs. Elaine Neeley was the first art instructor for Briarcrest high school from 1974 – 1984. Since beginning her own business in 1984, her artwork includes limited edition prints of Memphis and Nashville as well as commissioned paintings and portraiture. She has founded and staged charitable events such as the Art for Heart’s Sake art sale benefiting the American Heart Association and the Kaleidoscope Craft Sale benefiting LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center. This December, the Memphis Phoenix Club will honor Elaine for the seventh time by featuring her Memphis art among their fundraising Christmas card selections. Always believing that’s God’s purpose for her life is to teach and guide others in the fulfillment and enjoyment of His artistic gifts, she continues to teach privately over 150 students. Her hobby for twenty years has been fostering and placing abandoned and stray kittens in “Forever Homes.” It has been a mission of love.
Ms. Kim Trammell '88. Her involvement at Briarcrest included being a member of the Marching, Symphonic and Jazz Bands under the direction of Terry McNatt and Ron Turner; a member of the Concert Choir under the direction of Steve May; a member of the All-West Tennessee Honor Band, Orchestra and Jazz Band, and was nominated to the McDonald's All-American High School Band. After graduating, Kim attended the University of Memphis on a full music scholarship and earned a bachelor's degree in music, becoming an Adjunct percussion instructor /music arranger for several Mid-South area marching band programs, including The University of Memphis, Briarcrest, Munford, and Cordova. In her performing career as a drummer and percussionist, Kim has shared the stage and studio with such great artists such as: Jimmy Buffett, Darius Rucker, CMA Musician of the Year- Mac McAnally; Contemporary Christian Artist- Todd Agnew; Dove and Grammy award winners Bruce Carroll and Kim Hill; Opera singer Kallen Esperian, The Iris Chamber Orchestra and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Kim has also worked professionally with other Briarcrest Fine Arts Hall of Fame inductees, Terry McNatt, Barry Trobaugh, Keith Compton and Andy Childs.
Mr. Barry Trobaugh '75. He was a two-time Tennessee All State musician and a member of the first ever band at Briarcrest under the direction of Mr. Larry Volman. Barry is in his 32rd year as a music educator and is currently the Director of Bands at Munford High School Band where his 200 member band is the reigning USSBA 2011 National Champions. Under Barry, the Munford band holds two Tennessee state championships (2007 and 2010) and has won the Bandmasters Championship held at the Liberty Bowl an impressive 13 times. Barry has served as President of the West Tennessee School Band and Orchestra Association and currently serves as the Tennessee Music Education Association and the Tennessee Bandmasters Association representative for West Tennessee Bands. The driving force in Barry's life is his beautiful wife Debbie and their daughter Kaitlyn. Without their support, many of his successes would have never been possible.
Dr. Mike Turpin '75 he was the class salutatorian, band president, McDonald’s All-American High School Band, 1st chair all-region and all-state bands; and wrote the high school Alma Mater. He graduated Summa cum Laude in 1979 from Lamar University with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. In 1981 he received a Master of Music Education from the University of South Carolina. He received his Professional Counselor Certification for Texas in 1993 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Training & Development in 2003 from Texas A&M University. Mike is currently the Vice President of Institutional Planning at Kilgore College where he has worked since 1984 in various positions such as Music Instructor Adjunct; Director of Accreditation Office, Coordinator of Counseling & Advising and Director of Student Services. He was named to Who’s Who Among America’s College & University Teachers in 2004 & 2005. Mike’s career highlights include leading student performing groups in San Francisco; New York; Philadelphia; London, England; and Nice, France. Additionally, private lesson high school students consistently win first-division ratings at region and state solo-ensemble contests and regularly earn positions in Texas all-region and all-state bands. Mike has been married for 32 years to his wife, Terry. They are active members of First Baptist Church Longview TX. Their sons Zach & Philip are graduates of Texas Tech University and work in Dallas.
Mr. Larry Volman served as the first high school band director at Briarcrest from 1974-78. He was one the founding faculty members for the high school and one of three members used in newspaper advertisements recruiting students for the start-up of the high school. Larry devised and implemented a system for teaching beginning band at the satellite elementary schools as well as supervised the teachers who taught at those schools. He formed concert, jazz and marching bands at the high school level. He wrote the curriculum for instrumental instruction for their state and regional accreditation processes. Under Larry's leadership the concert band won competition in its very first year; every marching, concert, and jazz ensemble received straight superior ratings at every festival entered during Larry's tenure. The marching band placed first in class in the Memphis State University marching contest in 1976 and 1977; the marching band was named the small class champion at the prestigious Middle Tennessee State University Marching Contest of Champions in the fall of 1977; the 1977 and 1978 band programs lead the region in the number of students selected for the Tennessee All-State Band.Larry and his wife, Martha Lynn, live in McDonough, GA.