HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE BANDS
Mark Knauss
Director of Bands
Hewitt-Trussville High School
Mark Knauss is the Director of Bands at Hewitt-Trussville High School where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band. He also directs the Marching Band and Jazz Program. Prior to Trussville, Mr. Knauss taught band at Thompson High School and Mary G. Montgomery High School. His bands consistently have received superior ratings at festivals and have performed in national events such as the 100th Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. He currently serves as the Music & Ensemble Coordinator for Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps.
Mr. Knauss is pursuing a Doctorate of Arts in Music Education with a concentration in Wind Conducting from William Carey University. His thesis topic focuses on diversity, inclusion, and multi-dimensional curriculum development for secondary wind bands. He holds a Master of Arts in Music Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Jacksonville State University. While at JSU he was a member of the Marching Southerners and JSU Jazz Ensemble One where he performed on two albums, including the Downbeat Magazine award-winning album, Everything In Its Right Place.
His professional affiliations include: the National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, Alabama Music Educators Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Kappa Kappa Psi. Mr. Knauss is a native of Rome, Georgia and currently lives in Birmingham with his wife, Katy.
Shannon Moore
Associate Director of Bands
Hewitt-Trussville High School
Hewitt-Trussville Middle School
Shannon Moore is a native of Fresno, California. She received her Master of Music degree in wind conducting at Colorado State University and her Bachelor of Art degree in music education from Fresno State University. While at Fresno State she performed with the Wind Orchestra as a clarinetist and was drum major of the Bulldog Marching Band. During the summer of 2010, Mrs. Moore was a conductor of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps.
Before joining the Hewitt-Trussville music team, Mrs. Moore was the Director of Bands at Eagleview Middle School in Colorado Springs, CO. She was also a member of the Air Academy High School band staff. Prior to Eagleview, Mrs. Moore was the Director of Bands at Clovis East High School in Clovis, CA, Her concert and jazz ensembles consistently earned superior ratings at CMEA festivals. In 2015, the Clovis East Marching Band won the Class 3A State of California Western Band Association Championship.
Mrs. Moore is passionate about music education service. While in Colorado, she assisted in hosting the 2019 American Bandmasters Association convention and CSU Honor Bands. While at Eagleview, she created and organized a district-wide middle school band festival. In California, she served on the board for the San Joaquin Valley Color Guard Percussion Review, the oldest indoor pageantry circuit in the state. Mrs. Moore was also a member of the California Band Directors Association, where she was assistant to the Ensemble Host and assisted in running the state music convention and all-state honor ensembles.
Mrs. Moore lives in Hoover, AL with her husband Danny Moore. In their spare time they enjoy hiking and exploring the great outdoors!
AJ Adair
Associate Director of Bands
Hewitt-Trussville High School
Director of Percussion
Hewitt-Trussville High School
AJ Adair is the Associate Director of Bands and Director of Percussion at Hewitt-Trussville High School. Mr. Adair was previously the Assistant Band Director at Oak Grove High School where he conducted the Oak Grove Middle School Band and served as the director of the Oak Grove Indoor Drumline. He has also served as an instructor with DoubleStop Percussion and Southwind Drum and Bugle Corps. Mr. Adair has arranged and instructed for many marching bands throughout the southeast.
Mr. Adair holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and is currently completing a Master of Arts in Music Education from Jacksonville State University. During his time at JSU, he was a member and section leader of the Marching Southerners Drumline, JSU Chamber Winds, Percussion Ensemble, Steel Drum Band, Latin Ensemble, and JSU Jazz. He has also performed with Atlanta Quest “Q2” Indoor Drumline and West Georgia Regional Percussion.
Mr. Adair’s professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, Alabama Music Educators Association, Alabama Bandmasters Association, and Percussive Arts Society.
Mr. Adair is originally from Villa Rica, Georgia and currently lives in Trussville with his wife, Ashlyn.
Brandon Peters
Director of Bands
Hewitt-Trussville Middle School
Brandon Peters is currently in his sixteenth year as Director of Bands at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School, and his seventeenth year of teaching. He was named Teacher of the Year for Trussville City Schools in 2012 and again in 2019. Mr. Peters is a native of Jasper, Alabama.
Prior to his time in Trussville, Mr. Peters began his teaching career at Tuscaloosa Middle School. His bands have consistently received superior ratings at the Alabama Bandmasters Music Performance Assessment. The HTMS Honors Band was a guest ensemble at the 2016 University of Alabama Middle School Honor Band Festival and performed at the 2017 Alabama Music Educators Association Conference. His bands have also performed in Atlanta, Gatlinburg, and Orlando at both Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. He is a co-founder of “The Coffee Shop”, a professional learning community for middle school band directors in the state of Alabama and has presented clinics at the 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023 Alabama Music Educators Association Conference and the 2018 Alabama All State Band Festival.
At HTMS Mr. Peters oversees the entire band program of 400 students. He conducts the Honors Band and assists with the Symphonic Band and Concert Band. He also teaches beginner trumpet, trombone, baritone, and tuba. He has guest conducted honor bands throughout the region.
Mr. Peters holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education, Bachelor of Science in Corporate Finance, and a Master of Arts in Music Education from the University of Alabama. At UA he was a member of the Alabama Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band as well as the “Million Dollar Band” and studied horn with Skip Snead. His professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, National Band Association, Alabama Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and the Alabama Bandmasters Association. He currently resides in Trussville with his wife, Jenni, who is a Literacy Coach for Trussville City Schools, their daughter, Adalyn, and son Hudson.
Corinth Lewis
Associate Director of Bands
Hewitt-Trussville Middle School
Corinth Lewis, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, has been the Assistant Director of Bands at Hewitt-Trussville Middle School since 2013.
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Mrs. Lewis earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Music Education, graduating Suma Cum Laude in 2011, from the University of Alabama. ROLL TIDE! She then continued on earning her Masters of Arts in Music Education in 2014. While attending college she participated in the Symphonic band, Wind Ensemble, Huxford Symphony Orchestra, and the Million Dollar Band. The last two years of her undergraduate degree Mrs. Lewis was selected as a section leader for the Million Dollar Band.
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At HTMS, Mrs. Lewis conducts the Symphonic Band and assists with the Honors Band and Concert Band. She also teaches beginner flute and saxophone. The HTMS Symphonic band consistently earns superior ratings at the Alabama Bandmasters Music Performance Assessment.
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Mrs. Lewis is a native of Birmingham, Alabama and a graduate of Ramsay High school. She is married to her high school sweetheart Erroll Lewis and they have two sons, Elijah and Julian, and a daughter, Elizabeth.
Chaney Bowers
Auxiliary Sponsor
Hewitt-Trussville High School
Chaney Bowers is a 2009 graduate of Hewitt-Trussville High School. While at Hewitt-Trussville, Ms. Bowers was involved in the Marching Husky Band as a Highstepper. She began her teaching career at Hewitt-Trussville in 2014.
Ms. Bowers earned her bachelor's degree in Secondary Education Language Arts from the University of Alabama. While at Alabama, she was involved in the Million Dollar Band as a member of the colorguard. She has also received her master’s degree from the University of West Alabama in Secondary Education with a concentration in English.
Ms. Bowers teaches English at HTHS along with sponsoring the Auxiliary and Senior Board. Outside of school, Ms. Bowers enjoys reading, binge watching shows on Netflix, and hanging out with her awesome roommate, Abe the dachshund.
Sara Barriault
Auxiliary Sponsor
Hewitt-Trussville High School
Sara Barriault has been an HTHS Band Auxiliary Sponsor since 2018. She and Ms. Bowers coordinate Auxiliary practices, clean flag and dance choreography, assist in designing the halftime show, and handle the finances of the Auxiliary program.
Mrs. Barriault earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Mathematics Education from Auburn University in 2015. She then taught in Tampa, Florida until 2017 before returning to Birmingham. She currently teaches Precalculus at HTHS.
Mrs. Barriault is a Trussville native and was a Hewitt Trussville Highstepper from 2007-2011. She currently resides in Vestavia with her husband, Daniel, and golden retriever, Champion.