Clara Wiley is a violinist from Irwinville, GA. She has played the violin for fifteen years and enjoys playing a variety of classical and bluegrass styles. Along with her sister, she performs music locally and abroad. Currently, she teaches young violin students and participates in the String Ensemble at ABAC.

Hello, my name is Efren Popoca. I’m a music major here at ABAC and studying in hopes of one day becoming a band director. I was born and raised in Tifton, GA; grew up in a Hispanic household, and I have been playing music since I was in the sixth grade. And I fell in love with it within a year of just playing and I knew I wanted to make a career out of this. I started performing in middle school with our jazz band and my passion for music eventually just grew from there. I was involved in a lot of band related events in high school, I joined the marching band, concert band, jazz band, and show band. Of course, we have achieved many awards and accomplishments. We have received superior ratings at competition, won individual awards, and we have traveled out of state and won the “Best Band” award. And when senior year came around, I knew I wanted to continue music. So I decided to go out of state and went to Troy University, sure it was fun and all but it just felt like I did not belong. So after a year at Troy University, I left and came back questioning, “Do I still want to do music?” Then, I came to ABAC and that is where it all started. I still wanted to do music so I did not let a little setback stop me. I play tuba for the concert band, saxophone for jazz band, and I also sing bass in the ABAC choir, even though I am not the greatest singer. I have performed with ABAC many times and the biggest performance so far is during the ABAC Jazz Festival where we performed with Derek Brown, also known as “The BeatBox Sax.” So, I am very glad that I have decided to continue music and be at this fine institution. Hoping one day, I can inspire a kid to continue on and play music.

James Landis has performed in various orchestras, jazz bands, and marching bands for the ABAC concert and jazz band, Darton concert band, Albany Orchestra, GSW Concert and jazz Band, Azalea Winds, and varied bands in the Marine Corps, including jazz, marching, concert, and brass quintet. He has performed with several well-known artists including Derek Brown, Bryan Stripling, and Allen Vizzutti.

Kami Beck has been sharing her love of music since she was 8 years old. After winning the piano solo division at the Utah State Fair, she performed on the Eugene Jelesnik TV show. She began teaching students of all ages at 14. She studied extensively with international award-winning teachers Dr. Gary Amano during high school and Dr. Irene Peery-Fox while studying at Brigham Young University.  Later, she studied with the Masters Music Academy in Arizona completing her Royal Conservatory examinations. Kami’s unique ability to work with children comes from her experience rearing her 7 children. She looks forward to sharing her passion for music with the students at ABAC.

Kathryn Rowe is a graduate of Tift County High School in Tifton, Georgia, where she grew up the majority of her life. Throughout her elementary, middle, and high school career, she turned her interests to the field of music. She has enjoyed playing both the piano and French Horn in the  concert band, marching band, show choir band, and the jazz band setting. In addition, she enjoyed serving as the TCHS Blue Devil Brigade Drum Major for two years. After falling in love with music as a young child, she could not be more excited to now be a music major at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, on her journey to a degree in Music Education. She is now the first chair French Horn for the ABAC Stallion Concert Band, the French Horn of the ABAC Brass Ensemble, and the pianist for both ABAC Jazz Ensembles.
Off-campus, Rowe currently serves on the staff of the TCHS Blue Devil Brigade where she frequently leads horn line rehearsals and assists in the teaching of marching technique and show drill. She has also just begun her fifth year of accompanying the TCHS show choirs, Eighth Street Singing Company, Ladies’ Choice, and Tiftosterone, all of which are award-winning ensembles across the nation’s south region. Previously, Rowe has auditioned and performed in both concert (French Horn) and jazz (Piano) district honor bands for several years. She has earned numerous awards, most notably the John Philip Sousa Award in 2021, the highest award given to high school band students. With this new era of life, Rowe looks forward with high hopes to the many opportunities she has to educate and serve young musicians, sitting just where she sat only a “few” y years ago.

Dr. Chris Beals has a bachelor’s degree with a double major in Biology and in Art from Mercer University.  After graduation, he served two terms volunteering with Americorps in Macon, GA, where he taught art classes to groups of at-risk students in both an after-school program and a summer art camp.  He later moved to Nashville, TN where he taught preschool and lower and upper elementary art classes at Abintra Montessori School.  While at the Montessori school, Chris taught drawing and painting with subjects such as life drawing, still life drawing/painting, plein air, and basic skills.  Though he enjoyed working with children and enjoyed art, he went back to school to earn a Ph.D. in Biology.