Ruth Petersen - Brass & Woodwinds

Ms. Petersen has taught for 17 years - six of those at Smith Middle School, eight at
Francis Bradley Middle School, and has been at Bailey since its opening in 2006.
Ms. Petersen completed her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Music Education at
UNC-Greensboro and is a National Board Certified Music Teacher. She has been a
Cable in the Classroom Award winner, a Wachovia/First Union Ben Craig Outstanding Educator finalist, a semi-finalist for the Harris Teacher of the Year, a Disney's America's Teacher Award Nominee and recognized in Who's Who of American Women twice and five times in Who's Who Among America's Teachers. She was Teacher of the Year at Smith Middle School and at Bradley Middle School. Her primary instrument is the trombone. Ms. Petersen is a member of NCMEA, NCBA, SCDBA, MENC, and ITA.

While at Bradley, the band program included 350 students during her eighth year.
The school was represented at All-District Honors Band, All-State Honors Band, and
the CMS Honors Band with students often making the top chairs. The Performing
Band had consistently earned ratings of "Excellent" and ratings of "Superior" and had
won the Music in the Park's "Esprit de Corps" Trophy twice in five years.

Jazz Band was added to the schedule as a class in 2004. The Jazz Band performed several times in the area including the 2005 CMS Emmy Night, Christmas in Davidson, and was the first middle school to ever perform at Northwestern High School's Jazz Discovery Festival in Rock Hill, SC. The Jazz Band performed for the first time at the
NC Western District Jazz Festival in May of 2006 and earned a rating of "Superior."

In 2005, the Eighth Grade Band premiered "The Swarm," a piece composed by
Robert W. Smith. "The Swarm" depicts The Battle Won With Hornets in which
Francis Bradley had a prominent role. The piece was commissioned by the
Bradley Band Boosters and dedicated to Robert and Lisa Estrada, outstanding band boosters.

The Bradley Band Boosters were proud to bring the Dallas Brass to Bradley in
September, 2005. The Seventh and Eighth Grade Bands performed with the
Dallas Brass in a concert after spending the afternoon in a clinic and rehearsal
with the members of the ensemble.

The Bailey Band Boosters brought back the Dallas Brass in 2006 to kick off the
opening year at Bailey Middle School. During the first year, Performing Band attended district festival where the band earned a rating of "Excellent" for their prepared pieces
and a rating of "Superior" in sightreading. The Jazz Band earned a rating of "Superior"
at the NC Western Regional Jazz Festival. The Performing Band participated in the National Anthem Project Finale at Washington D. C. in June of 2007. They participated
in a Jeep commercial and performed at the Old Post Office Pavilion while in Washington D. C. In 2008, the 7th Grade Band scored straight "Superiors" at band festival. The
8th Grade Band also scored straight "Superiors" at festival, including two ratings of "Superior-Plus!"

In 2009, the Bailey Band performed at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in
New York City on May 29, for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration. The
Bailey Band Boosters commissioned Robert W. Smith to compose a piece in honor of
Mrs. Angela Baucom, former Bailey Middle School principal, for her 34 years in
education. On June 4th, the 8th Grade Band gave the world premiere of "Legend of the Queen Anne's Revenge." The 7th Grade Band and 8th Grade Band each earned two ratings of "Excellent" and one rating of "Superior" at district festival. The Bailey Jazz
Band was selected to perform at Duke Energy in the fall for Superintendent Gorman's "State of Our Schools" speech finale and also earned a rating of "Superior" at the NC Western Regional Festival for the third year in a row.

Ms. Petersen also teaches private lessons to brass students, maintains various web
sites for other organizations, and is an editor for NorthLand Music Publishers. Her
latest editing work helped to bring back an important text on the history of the wind band, Time and the Winds by Frederick Fennell.