MUSIC PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR
Orchestra Director
Ms. Melissa Martin
#bekind
#bepositive
#workhard
Melissa Martin is entering her 1st year as the Music Performance Director
and her 2nd year as orchestra director at Lucy Beckham High School. She earned her Bachelor's of Music Education degree from the University of South Carolina and her Master's of Education; Emphasis in Creative Arts in Learning from Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. At LBHS,
Ms. Martin oversees the growth of all music performance programs including band, chorus and orchestra.
Previously, Ms. Martin taught at Moultrie Middle School in Mt. Pleasant, SC and is excited that her middle schoolers will feed into Lucy Beckham High. During her time at Moultrie, the orchestra program doubled in enrollment received superior ratings and had many students place in Region and All-State level ensembles.
A native of Lexington, SC, Ms. Martin started playing the viola as a fifth grader in her school orchestra program. Prior to teaching in Charleston county, Ms. Martin taught eighteen years in Lexington District One.
Her performances include those with local bands, Augusta Symphony, Long Bay Symphony, SC Philharmonic and various chamber groups around Charleston.
Ms. Martin's orchestras receive superior ratings and awards at the SCMEA Concert Performance Assessment and other festivals in the Southeast region. Ms. Martin has been a guest conductor for the Lowcountry, Upstate and Midlands Region Orchestra. She has also been a guest artists and clinician for various arts programs around the state.
Ms. Martin has served as Secretary, Treasurer and All-State Chair for the Orchestra Division of the South Carolina Music Educators Association. She was selected as the 2008 Teacher of the Year at Lexington Middle School and named the 2013 SC Orchestra Teacher of the Year through the American String Teacher Association. Most recently, Ms. Martin was the guest conductor in 2019 for the Lexington One District Orchestra.
Ms. Martin lives in Mount Pleasant, SC and enjoys biking, paddle boarding,
kayaking and outdoor adventures with her family and friends.
BAnd & Choral DIRECTOR
MS. Leslie Phillips
Assistant Choral Director
MS. DAYNA NEVERS
Ms. Dayna Nevers is a sixth year English teacher with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in music. Ms. Nevers danced with Aprille’s Danceprints in Connecticut for 15 years, became a member of South Windsor High School’s award winning Choral Spectrum show choir performance group, and went on to become a member of Central Connecticut State College’s University Singers. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum Instruction English Education
at the University of Connecticut.
Before becoming a South Carolina resident in 2019, Ms. Nevers taught English, offered an after-school Improv. club for students and ran a theatre program at her previous school. She recently performed in two community plays, “Young Frankenstein” and “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, both of which she earned leading roles.
Ms. Nevers has a passion for music and dance, both of which she incorporates into her English classroom on a regular basis. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, riding motorcycles and spending time with her family.