CHORUS
Courtney Connelly and Ashley Majka have worked together as the Choral Directors and Piano Instructors at Lake Nona Middle School for seven years. Together, they have built a community of students and parents who appreciate and value arts education. With the support of our LNMS administration and our amazing students and parents, LNMS Choirs have participated in performances at Disney's Wide World of Sports, Universal Studios, Hard Rock Cafe and were featured in the televised Disney Christmas Parade on ABC. LNMS choirs have been invited to perform in the Florida ACDA Conference, the FMEA President's Concert and their students are selected annually for state and national honor choirs. They have earned consistent superior ratings at Music Performance Assessment including a Superior with Distinction in 2018. Their chorus and piano students have participated in many field trips throughout our community and have even traveled to perform in Nashville, Tallahassee and Atlanta.
Mrs. Connelly has worked as a teacher for Orange County Public Schools for twenty three years and is a graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelor and Masters degree in Music Education. Mrs. Majka is in her fifteenth year of teaching in OCPS, she completed her Bachelor degree in Music Education from the Florida State University and is currently pursuing a Master in Music degree from the University of Central Florida. Their memberships include Florida Vocal Association, Florida Music Educators Association and American Choral Directors Association.
BAND
Hannah Jennings was appointed director of bands at Lake Nona Middle School in 2010. She is responsible for a fully comprehensive middle school band program consisting of beginning, intermediate, and advanced level wind bands, as well as jazz band. Bands under her direction are consistently rated “Superior” at Florida Bandmasters Association Music Performance Assessment events. Prior to Lake Nona Middle School, Mrs. Jennings taught at Bridgewater Middle School and Legacy Middle School in Orange County, as well as Southside Fundamental Middle School in Pinellas County.
An alumnus of the prestigious Lassiter High School Band (Marietta, GA), Mrs. Jennings holds both a Bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Education (1999) and a Master’s degree in Music Education (2008) from the Florida State University. While at FSU, she was a member of the Marching Chiefs, Symphonic Band, Wind Symphony, and Concert Band. She studied conducting with Dr. Patrick Dunnigan and Richard Clary, and clarinet with Dr. Frank Kowalsky.
Mrs. Jennings is actively involved with the Florida Bandmasters Association as an adjudicator for Music Performance Assessments throughout the state of Florida and served as a member of the FBA Executive Board for 7 years. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Middle School All-State Band. Mrs. Jennings is also active as a clinician for honor bands and music camps across the state.
Mrs. Jennings holds memberships in the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA), Florida Music Educators Association (FMEA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and Tau Beta Sigma. She resides in Orlando with her husband, Franklin.
ORCHESTRA
Joanna Sell is the Orchestra and Piano instructor at Lake Nona Middle School. She began her teaching career in Fairfax County Virginia before moving to Florida in 1999. She has over 20 years’ experience teaching Orchestra, Guitar and Piano. Mrs. Sell began her musical training at age 9 on Violin and performed in a variety of music festivals and state conventions throughout middle and high school. She continued her music education after graduation and received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Shenandoah University in Winchester Virginia. Mrs. Sell is active in her church music program as an instrumentalist and vocalist.
Mrs. Sell is a member of the Florida Music Educators Association and the Florida Orchestra Association. She has also received a nomination for the Grammy Music Educator Award.
Mrs. Sell currently resides in Orlando with her husband and two boys. She enjoys teaching private lessons out of her home studio and loves spending time with family and friends. Above all, Mrs. Sell believes music education is a lifelong skill that every child should have access to.