Mrs. Nicole Thompson presently serves as Director of Orchestras at Taylor Road Middle School in Johns Creek, Georgia, where she was selected as the school’s 2010 Teacher of the Year. In 2014, Mrs. Thompson was honored as the Georgia American String Teachers Association Educator of the Year. Mrs. Thompson has also been selected as a top ten finalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award. Most recently, she was honored with the Atlanta Families Awards for Excellence in Education.
In 2012, Mrs. Thompson was elected as the GMEA State Orchestra Chair and served a two-year term. During this term, she served as a liaison between the orchestra teachers in Georgia and GMEA Executive Board. Mrs. Thompson organized, managed, and hired nationally known conductors for the three All State Orchestras. To serve the rising number of string students in Georgia, Mrs. Thompson advocated and piloted the adoption of three additional All State Orchestras. Additionally, she hired nationally known clinicians and planned the annual In-service Conferences for Georgia Music Educators. During her term, she contributed four articles per year to the Georgia Music News Magazine, for which she currently serves on the editorial board. In 2014-2015, she served on a committee for Fulton County to create relevant standardized testing for music students.
Mrs. Thompson conducted the String Orchestra with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta for six years, and under her direction, they were selected to perform at the GMEA Conference in 2007. She served as the GMEA District V Orchestra Chair from 20082010 and organized the District V Atlanta Symphony Orchestra-GMEA String Project, to enable students to learn from symphony players and participate in a side-by-side concert with the professional musicians. In an effort to provide support and education to the orchestra programs in Georgia, Mrs. Thompson has served as an adjudicator and clinician for GMEA- since 2008. Under her direction, the Taylor Road Orchestras have consistently earned superior ratings at the Georgia Music Educators Association Large Group Performance Evaluations and have been selected to perform at the 2006 and 2011 GMEA In-service Conferences in Savannah, Georgia. At Taylor Road Middle School, she served two terms on the Local School Advisory Counsel and currently serves on the Leadership Team.
Mrs. Thompson conducted orchestras at the American String Teachers Association conferences in Dallas, Texas and Reno, Nevada, as well as the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. She has also taught seminars in Budapest, Hungary and served as a guest clinician in Sicily, Italy. Most recently, she has enjoyed a collaboration through UGA between the Taylor Road Orchestra and Moi Girls’ School Orchestra in Kenya, via skype. Her summers have included working with students at the Florida State University Summer Music Camps in Tallahassee, Florida and Upbeat Music Camp in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Mrs. Thompson has maintained an active performing career as well. She has a private violin studio, plays violin with the Mount Paran Orchestra in Atlanta, and is a freelance violinist. Last year, she was honored to play in an orchestra for Georgia Governor Deal’s Inauguration Ceremony. Mrs. Thompson’s professional affiliations include NAfME, ASTA, and GMEA.
Mrs. Thompson began her career in 1996 as Music Director at Faith Lutheran School in Marietta, Georgia, where she taught Band and Chorus before she became Director of Orchestras at Taylor Road Middle School in 2000.
Mrs. Thompson began her study of the violin at the age of eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was accepted into the violin section of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, a position she held for 10 years. Mrs. Thompson earned her Bachelor of Music Education Degree at Georgia State University. She earned her Master of Music Education Degree and her Specialist in Education Degree at the University of Georgia.
In 2012, Mrs. Thompson was elected as the GMEA State Orchestra Chair and served a two-year term. During this term, she served as a liaison between the orchestra teachers in Georgia and GMEA Executive Board. Mrs. Thompson organized, managed, and hired nationally known conductors for the three All State Orchestras. To serve the rising number of string students in Georgia, Mrs. Thompson advocated and piloted the adoption of three additional All State Orchestras. Additionally, she hired nationally known clinicians and planned the annual In-service Conferences for Georgia Music Educators. During her term, she contributed four articles per year to the Georgia Music News Magazine, for which she currently serves on the editorial board. In 2014-2015, she served on a committee for Fulton County to create relevant standardized testing for music students.
Mrs. Thompson conducted the String Orchestra with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta for six years, and under her direction, they were selected to perform at the GMEA Conference in 2007. She served as the GMEA District V Orchestra Chair from 20082010 and organized the District V Atlanta Symphony Orchestra-GMEA String Project, to enable students to learn from symphony players and participate in a side-by-side concert with the professional musicians. In an effort to provide support and education to the orchestra programs in Georgia, Mrs. Thompson has served as an adjudicator and clinician for GMEA- since 2008. Under her direction, the Taylor Road Orchestras have consistently earned superior ratings at the Georgia Music Educators Association Large Group Performance Evaluations and have been selected to perform at the 2006 and 2011 GMEA In-service Conferences in Savannah, Georgia. At Taylor Road Middle School, she served two terms on the Local School Advisory Counsel and currently serves on the Leadership Team.
Mrs. Thompson conducted orchestras at the American String Teachers Association conferences in Dallas, Texas and Reno, Nevada, as well as the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. She has also taught seminars in Budapest, Hungary and served as a guest clinician in Sicily, Italy. Most recently, she has enjoyed a collaboration through UGA between the Taylor Road Orchestra and Moi Girls’ School Orchestra in Kenya, via skype. Her summers have included working with students at the Florida State University Summer Music Camps in Tallahassee, Florida and Upbeat Music Camp in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Mrs. Thompson has maintained an active performing career as well. She has a private violin studio, plays violin with the Mount Paran Orchestra in Atlanta, and is a freelance violinist. Last year, she was honored to play in an orchestra for Georgia Governor Deal’s Inauguration Ceremony. Mrs. Thompson’s professional affiliations include NAfME, ASTA, and GMEA.
Mrs. Thompson began her career in 1996 as Music Director at Faith Lutheran School in Marietta, Georgia, where she taught Band and Chorus before she became Director of Orchestras at Taylor Road Middle School in 2000.
Mrs. Thompson began her study of the violin at the age of eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was accepted into the violin section of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, a position she held for 10 years. Mrs. Thompson earned her Bachelor of Music Education Degree at Georgia State University. She earned her Master of Music Education Degree and her Specialist in Education Degree at the University of Georgia.
Mr. Kim is the assistant orchestra teacher at Taylor Road Middle School. He graduated in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Music Education from Kennesaw State University. He student taught at Peachtree Ridge High School in Gwinnett, and has been part of various orchestra sectionals and camps throughout Fulton, Gwinnett, and Cobb County schools. With over a decade of lower strings experience, Mr. Kim brings with him the ability to improve bass and cello sections for a more well-rounded ensemble. Mr. Kim is a native of Duluth, Georgia, and is a Duluth High School Chamber Orchestra alumni under the direction of Dr.Peter Lemonds and Shawn Morton.
