Our Directors
NEWS
Andrea Kemper Quinn has been the Director of the Orchestra, Piano & IB Music at James Island Charter High School since 2007. The Piano program was established in 2008 and has grown to be the largest, most successful non-magnet Piano program in the tri-county area. The Orchestra Program most recently received a straight Superior rating at the 2018 SC State Music Performance Assessment. She spent 9 years teaching Chorus at JICHS from 2007-2017 and saw enrollment more than triple under her direction. Her Piano and Strings students perform regularly in and around the community. Quinn was Co-Chair of the Leadership Team for the 2017-18 school year and Fine Arts Chair for JICHS from 2015-2018. She has been a finalist several times for Teacher of the Year at JICHS.
A native of Miami, Florida, she has her Masters Degree in Music Education from the University of South Carolina where she was the Graduate Assistant of the USC String Project. Quinn earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a double-principal in piano and cello from the University of Miami. She has studied cello with Dr. Robert Jesselson, Natalia Khoma, and Ross Harbaugh. She has studied piano with the late Dr. Teresa Escandon and Celia Rodriguez. Quinn is a graduate of Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, SC.
Quinn is currently active in MENC Orchestra & Piano Associations and a member of the Lambda Kappa Psi Music Honors Society. Including the JICHS Curriculum, Quinn has taught IB Music, middle school Chorus, Orchestra, and Guitar as well as Elementary Strings and General Music in her more than 16 years as a music educator. Although the successes are many, Quinn’s main goal is to instill a love for music to her students and to become life-long appreciators of the performing arts.
Quinn appears as featured solo cellist throughout the Charleston area in a multitude of settings and is known for her classical-style playing as well as her ability to improvise in a less standard setting. Most recently, she was a featured cello soloist for the 2018 SC ACDA SSA choir through her work with Lowcountry Pianist, Inc. Quinn has been the Guest Conductor for the Beaufort and Berkeley All County Middle School Orchestra as well as being selected several times as the Large Cello Choir clinician for the SC Cello Choir event held at USC and the College of Charleston. Quinn has served as an adjudicator at several orchestra festivals as well. She was a panelist for the Patriots Point Science Café Program to speak about “Science Behind Music, Math and Messages” in the Spring of 2018 to veteran teachers in CCSD. Quinn currently is a member James Island Presbyterian Church where she volunteers her time and performs as an Alto in the Chancel Choir and plays as cello soloist often. She recently married John Quinn of Charleston, SC in the summer of 2017 and enjoys her two shih tzu dogs Tink & Perry and crazy cat, Ellington.
The 2019-20 school year marks Mr. Charles Bateman's second year as an educator in South Carolina at James Island Charter High School where he currently is Director of Choirs, is Musical Director of the JICHS Musical Theater Program and teaches Piano 1 & Guitar 1. From 2002-2018 Mr. Bateman was Director of Choral Activities in a rural school district just North-West of Harrisburg, PA. Their auditioned choir traveled every year to different locations throughout the US to compete in various festivals. Under his direction they went from receiving a rating of Good to earning ratings of Superior the every year since 2008. In addition to the duties of choral director he also taught Piano I-VIII, Group Voice, Intro to Musical Theatre, Music Theory and AP Music Theory. Extra Curricular duties included Advisory for Quiz Bowl, 2002 Fall Play Director, Vocal Musical Director and Musical Co-Director from 2016-17.
Mr. Bateman earned his Bachelor's Degree from Messiah College in Grantham, PA in 2002, in 2004 he earned a Masters in Music Education with an emphasis in Kodaly Methodology from West Chester University in West Chester, PA (near Philadelphia) and in 2014 a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from Messiah College under the direct supervision of Linda Tedford and Dr. Rachel Cornacchio. He and his wife are currently having a house built on Johns Island. His wife is a registered nurse and they have two adult children. Mr. Bateman is a proud grandfather as of February 2019!
Ellie Jos has been the JICHS Concert Orchestra Upper String Specialist since 2018. She began playing violin at the age of 5. Her violin studies began in Charleston, South Carolina where she studied classically in addition to participating in Na Fidleiri, a Celtic fiddle group. She has a Master’s Degree in violin performance from University of Minnesota where she studied with Sally O’Reilly. Her Bachelor's Degree is from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she studied under Kevin Lawrence. She performed in many master classes including a chamber music master class with David Finckel, of the Emerson String Quartet. She has been the concertmistress as well as section player for the Opera Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra at UNCSA and is currently playing as a First Violinist with the South Carolina Philharmonic. She is trained in all three books of the Mark O’Connor Method as well as all ten books of the Suzuki Method and loves to teach.
Sadie Rose Nichols is just joining our team of talented master class teachers in 2019-20. We are so excited to have her join our team as our Violist in residence! She began her violin studies at the age of 3 under her mom Pam (deWall) Wiley and switched to viola at the age of 12. Mrs. Nichols earned her Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and her Master’s degree from University of Maryland, both in Viola Performance.
Sadie has been a member of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic since 2008 and is currently a freelance musician in and around the New York area. After performing for seven years as Assistant Principal Violist with the Charleston (SC) Symphony Orchestra, Mrs. Nichols went on to perform regularly with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony, Delaware Symphony and Harrisburg Symphony.
Mrs. Nichols also plays violin, Baroque viola and Viola da gamba.
