Travis Downs has been sharing his love of music with students for over 26 years. He is currently in his 14th year at North Gwinnett Middle School in Sugar Hill, Georgia, 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 for 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, the University of Georgia Middle School Festival, and the Grand National Adjudicators Invitational. 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 the VMS and NGMS Band programs have been the recipients of the GMEA Exemplary Performance Award.
Mr. Downs has served GMEA in several positions, including District 13 Large Group Performance Evaluations organizer, District 13 Middle School Band Chair, the All-State Band Standing Committee, and 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 his 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.