Home → About Our Program

Opened in 1963 in Alexandria, Virginia, Thomas A. Edison High School is home to one of the most vibrant high school band programs in the Commonwealth. Our students enjoy unparalleled support from their families, the school administration, and the community. In fact, Fairfax County has been cited by the National Association of Music Educators (MENC) as one of the Top 100 Communities in America for the support of music education.

The Bands of Edison High School include two concert bands, a percussion ensemble, a indoor drumline, a Color Guard, and the marching band. All of the Edison Bands have a proud tradition of excellence and achievement. The success of our program lies in the determination, hard work, and talent of our students, families and staff. Our students learn that excellence is not a final goal, but a continual pursuit.

Mrs. Katherine M.C. Reeves kmreeves@fcps.edu Mrs. Reeves holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education K-12 from the Ithaca College School of Music and a Master of Music in Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. She held the post of Director of Bands at Rodney Thompson Middle School in Stafford County from 2004 until her appointment to the podium at Edison. Under her leadership, the Jaguar Bands at Thompson grew to become the largest middle school program in the county, and featured three major curricular ensembles, three jazz bands, computer-based MIDI instruction and assessment, and garnered numerous superior festival ratings. Prior to that, she was the Music Teacher at Garrisonville Elementary School. As a lead soprano for the prestigious and highly selective drum and bugle corps The Cadets, Mrs. Reeves won a DCI World Championship in the year 2000. She was also trumpet section leader of her BOA champion high school band, the Kiski Area High School Marching Band. From 2004 until 2008, she was the drill designer, visual caption head, and high brass instructor for the Colonial Forge Sound and Guard. Her design and teaching helped lead Forge to a superior rating and Virginia Honor Band status every single year she was on staff. She is also the former brass caption head of the drum and bugle corps Teal Sound, helping to move them from Division III to Division I in DCI, and was an intern with the corps that holds the record for the most world championships, The Cavaliers. As an accomplished private instructor, both the principal and coprincipal trumpets in past Virginia All State bands have been from Mrs. Reeves' studio. A native of Pittsburgh, Mrs. Reeves is a frequent adjudicator and marching clinician, an active member of VBODA, and a prominent local drill writer. She is an avid Pittsburgh Steelers football fan, as evidenced by her Steelers-motif-decorated yellow Volkswagen Beetle. She resides in Arlington, Virginia with her husband, a composer and an educator in Prince William County.
Ms. Heather Hyde The former Assistant Director of the McMurray University Marching Band camp, Ms. Hyde is currently a postgraduate student in Music Education at George Mason University. She is an accomplished performer and instructor in both visual corps (colorguard) and music ensembles, including including 2005 Drum Corps International finalists Memphis Sound. She served as captain and choreographer of the McMurry Colorguard from 2005-2007 and as Director and choreographer in 2008. Additionally, Hyde has directed, consulted, designed, and choreographed for students and programs throughout West Texas.
Mr. Nathan Tyler Coming soon.
Mr. Victor Souza Coming soon.
Mr. Keith David Reeves Keith David Reeves is a professional educator from Arlington, Virginia, and has taught instrumental music at every grade level from Kindergarten through Grade 12, and has instructed both music and marching for ensembles in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. He is currently the staff winds arranger and composer for the Edison bands. Mr. Reeves studied composition with Dana Wilson at Ithaca College during his time as a Music Education undergraduate, and has composed a variety of works from solos to large ensemble pieces, concentrating primarily on the contemporary concert band and wind ensemble. His works have been performed throughout the region, and his arrangements have been featured on regional recordings, broadcasts, and live performances as well as by marching bands and drum corps throughout the eastern seaboard. He holds diplomas from Ithaca College, George Mason University, and the University of Mary Washington, with additional postgraduate studies at University of Phoenix and Troy University. As a progressive leader in the education field, including intensive work in the integration of technology into classroom practices, Mr. Reeves has been featured in local, regional, and national print and broadcast media, including serving as a guest commentator on National Public Radio, and has been recognized in both Who's Who in American Education and Who's Who in North American Education. Currently he is the Instructional Technologist at Battlefield High School in Haymarket, Virginia, and is adjunct faculty at George Washington University. Mr. Reeves's compositions can be heard at www.KDReeves.com.
Mr. Steve Ballard Steve Ballard played mallets with the Crossmen Drum and Bugle Corps from 1996 through 1998, and was the pit timpanist for the Santa Clara Vanguard from 2000 until 2001. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Music Performance (Percussion) and a Master of Music in Music Education, both from Ithaca College, where he studied percussion performance and composition technique with world-renowned marimbist, percussionist and composer Gordon Stout. He was the runner-up in the 2001 DCI marimba solo (I & E) competition. Since 2003, Mr. Ballard has been a band director in the Fairfax County Public Schools, and is a Vic First sponsored percussion educator. He has served as a pit instructor for Carolina Crown, the Crossmen, the Colts, the Rochester Crusaders, and the DCA world champion Syracuse Brigadiers, as well as the George Mason University Drumline. Currently he is the assistant director, percussion caption head, and pit arranger for the Thomas Jefferson HSST Marching Colonials, which he helped lead to the 2008 USSBA Group 4 Virginia State championship. Mr. Ballard is also an arranger for Fast Forward Productions. He has been the pit arranger for the Edison Band since 2009. He is happily married to Samantha and has two awesome cats, Snickers and The Captain.
As other staff members are determined for various positions for the coming season, biographical information will be updated here.