Director of Bands: Amanda R. Griffis
Amanda Griffis is the Director of Bands at Braulio Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida where she directs all band activities including Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble and the 200 member Raven Marching Band.
Mrs. Griffis is a native of North Carolina where she graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. UNC Greensboro's School of Music is recognized as one of the top music institutions in the United States. During her time there, she performed with multiple ensembles including Symphonic Band, Pep Band, Flute Choir and Percussion Ensemble.
Mrs. Griffis began her teaching career at Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Florida where her concert band earned their first Superior rating in over a decade. She later moved to Tampa and taught at Chamberlain High School. The ensembles at Chamberlain High School earned consistent high marks at all music performance assessments including Marching, Concert and Solo & Ensemble. Under Mrs. Griffis direction, students at CHS were challenged and gained experience in different musical areas including Marching Band, Percussion Techniques, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and AP Music Theory.
During her time in Tampa, she has earned the honor of being a presenter at the 2017 Florida Music Educators Conference in Tampa, currently serves as the Florida Bandmasters Association District 7 Chair, and is a candidate for graduation in July 2021 with a Master's degree in Music Education at Florida State University.
Coach Julie Mac
Tom Zilegelhofer
Matthew Olsavsky is a percussionist and band director who moved down to the Tampa Bay Area with his wife where he will be the band director at Hillsborough Academy of Math and Science. He graduated from the University of North Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Percussion Performance under the direction of Dr. AndreaVenet. Mr. Olsavsky has a very diverse musical background. He has performed all types of music from marching band to classical. In 2017 Mr. Olsavsky was a semi-finalist for the Great Plans International Marimba Competition. He is very excited to be a part of the Alonso High School band program!
Stacey Jones is the Director of Bands at Davidsen Middle School, Center for the Arts, where she teaches the Concert and Jazz ensembles.
Ms. Jones graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from The University of South Florida. In her time at USF, Ms. Jones was a member and leader in the Herd of Thunder Marching Band, and studied conducting and music education under the baton of Dr. Matthew McCutchen, Dr. John Carmichael, and Dr. William Wiedrick. She also studied trumpet with Dr. Jay Coble, and served as a principal member and performer of the USF Symphonic and Wind Ensembles, as well as the Jazz Band and “Rumble” Pep Band.
In addition to being a band director, Ms. Jones is also a freelance trumpet player and private teacher. She has performed with the Florida Wind Band, and maintains a modest studio of private trumpet students ages middle through high school.
Prior to her appointment at Davidsen, Ms. Jones served as the Band Director at Sligh Middle Magnet, and completed her student teaching with Cynthia Starling at Smith Middle School. Ms. Jones believes that music education is essential, and is a fierce advocate for The Arts in our schools.
