Matthew Grant
Courtesy of SDPC
EASLEY — Tori Bevels has been named Director of Bands for Easley High School (EHS) beginning next school year, according to the School District of Pickens County and incoming EHS Principal, Josh Oxendine.
Bevels is in her ninth year of teaching and fifth year at EHS as Associate Director of Bands. Prior to her time at Easley, she served as the Associate Director at Sumter High School in 2013 and then the Director of Bands 2014-2017.
She received her Bachelor of Music Education from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. In 2019 Bevels received her Master’s in Music from the American Band College through Central Washington University. During her career, concert and jazz ensembles under her direction have received consistent excellent and superior ratings including two featured performances at the South Carolina Music Educators’ Conference and Indoor Percussion Ensembles that medaled in 2018, 2019, and 2022 at CWEA Championships.
The Easley Marching Band has received consistent superior ratings during her time at Easley, including an Upper State and State Championship medal in 2018. Since 2018, the Marching Band has finished regularly in the top three in upper-state competition and in the top five at the state level.
The program has also competed nationally at the Bands of America Regional Championships in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.
In November 2021, the EHS Marching band finished their season by competing with approximately one hundred of the best bands the United States in the 2021 Bands of America Grand National Championships in Indianapolis, Ind.
The announcement came following the news former Director of Bands Rick Langdale had accepted a position as Director of Bands at Clover High School.
Additionally, Matthew Grant has been named Associate Director of Bands for EHS beginning next school year. Grant is a 2015 Easley graduate who received his Bachelors in Music Education in 2019 from Winthrop University. He has been a member of the EHS Marching Band staff for the past three years.
“The Easley Band program has a long history of excellence locally and in our great state of South Carolina,” said Oxendine. “The future of EHS band is bright and I am excited to watch our program continue to grow under new leadership.”