Band Directors
Stephen Long | Director of Bands
Stephen Long is in his 7th year at Etowah High School and 12th year of teaching. Mr. Long received both his Bachelor’s Degree of Music Education and Masters of Music in Conducting from Reinhardt University.
He previously taught 4th and 5th-grade band in Fulton County, GA, and 6th-12th grade band for 6 years in the Long Beach School District located in Mississippi. During his tenure as a high school and a middle school director, his bands received consistent Superior ratings at the state and local level for marching and concert performances. Mr. Long is active in local and state band director associations and participates in adjudication for solo/ensemble festivals, honor band auditions, and pre-festival evaluations.
Mr. Long’s professional affiliations include the National Association for Music Education, Georgia Music Educators Association, National Band Association, Professional Association of Georgia Educators, Phi Kappa Lambda Honors Music Society, Mississippi Band Masters’ Association, Gulf Coast Band Directors’ Association.
Mr. Long grew up in North Georgia and attended Woodstock High School for a short time during his high school years. While attending Reinhardt University he worked closely with the Sequoyah Band Program. He also worked with the Etowah Band program while completing his Bachelor's degree at Reinhardt on the marching band staff.
He is very excited to continue as part of the community he calls home, and to work with the incredible staff, students, and administration at Etowah High School. Mr. Long and his beautiful wife Beth are enjoying life with their toddler Eleanor, who is often spotted at practices and on the sidelines at games.
Annissa Hackney | Assistant Director of Bands
Annissa Hackney is a seventh-grade science teacher in her ninth year of teaching at E.T. Booth Middle School and her twenty third year as an educator. Mrs. Hackney earned her bachelor’s degree in Middle Grades Education, a Reading Endorsement, and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Georgia Southern University. She received her Educational Specialist Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Piedmont University.
Mrs. Hackney has been a part of the Etowah Band Program staff for five years. Her tenure began as a parent volunteer in 2018 and she then assumed the role of Winter Guard sponsor in January of 2019. Mrs. Hackney became the Assistant Director in the fall of 2019.
Mrs. Hackney grew up in Cobb County and graduated from Pebblebrook High School where she played trumpet in the marching and concert band program. Prior to joining the Etowah Zone family, Mrs. Hackney taught middle school language arts, science, and social studies in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. She served the Marines and families on the 10th Marine Regiment as the Family Readiness Officer while her husband, Mike, was an active-duty Marine.
Mrs. Hackney is a member of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, Phi Delta Kappa Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, and the Order of Omega.
Mrs. Hackney has been married to Mike for twenty-four years and they live in Woodstock with their daughters, Kate and Emma, along with their goldendoodle, Phineas. Kate is an Etowah Band Alumnae and a freshman at Georgia Southern University majoring in Criminal Justice. Emma is in 5th grade at Bascomb and is hoping to join the EHS Winter Guard in Middle School. Mrs. Hackney is honored to be a part of the Etowah Band Program. She is excited to serve the students, families, and staff as our program grows and develops and hopes to do so for many years to come.
Sean Phillips | Percussion Director
Sean Phillips is a veteran high school percussion instructor and adjudicator who currently resides in Woodstock, Georgia. After moving from Tampa, Florida in 2022, he served as a percussion instructor at Lassiter High (fall) and Roswell High (indoor).
Throughout the years, Sean became a pillar within central Florida’s marching arts activities. He was previously the Percussion Director of the Bay Area Percussion Ensemble; a WGI Independent Class A finalist and was the Percussion Director of Wiregrass Ranch High School during their 2019 4A FMBC state championship season. Sean was also the Percussion Director at numerous high schools throughout Tampa. Under his direction, the ensembles won countless ‘Best Percussion’ awards and top honors at FMBC, FFCC and WGI contests.
As creator of the “Teaching that STICKS” clinic, and as a mentor for the FFCC percussion circuit, Sean has helped in the development of high school percussion instructors throughout Florida. He was the very first Drum Captain of the University of South Florida "Herd of Thunder" Marching Band and was the Drum Captain while he marched in the Tampa Bay Thunder and Kiwanis Kavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.
He is a graduate of the University of South Florida and is currently an Internal Communications Specialist for TECO Energy.
Jonathan Shaw | Brass Caption Head
Jonathan Shaw is Private instructor and freelance musician in the north Georgia area. He graduated cum laude with his Bachelor's in Music Education with an emphasis in Horn from Reinhardt University. Jonathan currently teaches private horn lessons, serves as Brass Caption with the Etowah High School Marching Band as well as third horn and Acting Principle Horn with the Alpharetta Symphony Orchestra.
